Join us at Trash Bash Mouille Point on 1 April 2023

On 1 April 2023, the Trash Bash Beach Cleanup will take place at Mouille Point Beach - let's clean up our coastline!

We want to do everything possible to tackle plastic pollution in our oceans, and YOU can help. Join us at Mouille Point, where we are striving to clean up our ocean one piece of trash at a time.

Trash Bash events are a great chance to spend time with friends and family, breathe in the fresh air, and have fun while doing something positive for the environment. All Trash Bashers leave feeling fulfilled, informed and more proactive.

What better way to give back than to have fun while doing it?

Aside from the obvious perks of doing a cleanup, Trash Bash contributes to scientific research by following the Dirty Dozen data collection method. The Dirty Dozen are the 12 litter items that are most often found during cleanups: carrier bags, chip packets, cigarette lighters, cooldrink bottles, cooldrink lids, earbuds, fishing line, glowsticks, plastic lollipop sticks, straws, sweet wrappers, and water bottles. Attendees work together to record everything collected, paying specific attention to the Dirty Dozen items. At the end of each cleanup, the data is collated and contributes to research which tracks the different sources of marine litter.

Our ocean is facing a human-induced plastic crisis. It is estimated that by 2050, there will be more plastic than fish in the ocean. It is time to make a difference by cleaning up our act, literally. Studies have shown that millions of seabirds have ingested plastic, and a staggering number of sea animals die each year from plastic ingestion. Plastic has permeated into the deepest recesses of our natural world and even entered our food chain.

Plastic doesn’t degrade but becomes part of the natural system by gradually breaking up into smaller and smaller pieces. These microplastics are small enough for small fish to mistake for food. Even plankton mistakenly consumes this “forever material”, introducing plastic into the food chain at the lowest level as all sea animals that consume plankton are affected.

But what can we do to stop this pollution of our ocean? Considering that 80% of plastic found in the ocean originates from land-based sources, the answer is quite simple. We can intervene in the cycle of pollution entering the ocean by removing it from beaches and wetlands, thus preventing it from entering the water in the first place.

Trash Bash is a campaign by the Two Oceans Aquarium which expands on our previous cleanup commitments. With your support, we hope to increase these cleanups' attendance and embed them as part of Cape Town’s culture.

Sea you there!