Clear beach litter when you see it

Lisa Starr, founder of the Helderberg Ocean Awareness Movement

After the recent storms, the amount of litter on our shores is not only unsightly but unhealthy too.

The sheer volume of waste that has reached the ocean from rivers, stormwater drains and channels is unbelievable.

This is why it is so important that we keep our community clean and raise our children to not find a dirty community acceptable.

It's a human right to a clean environment, and we must never take away our own rights.

The ground below you should be clean, not only for self-respect but for the wildlife too.

We also need to make sure that the water can run off litter-free and not block up the drainage system.

One of our local business people was so upset and concerned over the sheer volume of junk on the beach that she contacted us at Helderberg Ocean Awareness Movement, and we initiated an "emergency beach clean" on Monday morning July 15.

We had around 23 people who joined, and we removed over 45 bags in 90 minutes.

There were so many bottles so 15 of those bags went off to recycling.

The condition of the plastic was bad, and it showed that it had been lying around for a year or more in the sun along the banks of the Soet River and channels and canals.

As the water rises it washes out and flows down to the ocean and then back to shore.

The City of Cape Town solid waste team has been very busy and is trying to clean many beaches, parks and roads, but as there is so much it's only right that each one of us does our part too. We have a motto, "Don't pass it by, pick it up.“

We don't clean up for other people; we do it for nature and ultimately ourselves.

So next time you take a stroll, just look below your feet and leave the place better than you found it.

It's all our responsibility to protect the environment as without a healthy eco system we are all doomed.

So please be the change and make a change.