Cape Town – The Robben Island Museum (RIM), through a partnership with Coca-Cola Peninsula Beverages (CCPB), observed International Coastal Clean Up Day on Robben Island along with more than 150 volunteers and environmental partners, at the weekend.
The volunteers cleared a huge amount of waste that had washed up on the island over the past few months.
Robben Island is a World Heritage site and draws more than 300 000 visitors a year.
The island is also home to a large variety of animal and bird life and flora species.
However, it also attracts a large amount of pollution and waste as ships pass, and land-based sources such as littering on beaches as well as rubbish from Cape Town’s stormwater drains and rivers that flow into Table Bay.
The aim of the coastal clean-up day was to promote greater environmental conservation awareness and to enhance and preserve ecosystems around the island, Robben Island Museum’s environmental manager, Sabelo Madlala, said.
This campaign is also part of the Coca-Cola Company’s global commitment of creating a World Without Waste – a campaign committed to collecting and recycling the equivalent of every bottle and can sold by 2030.
Madlala said that part of their focus in understanding how they could protect the natural environment was to try to improve the public’s relationship with the ocean and educate them about the devastating impact of their often thoughtless behaviour.
“Partnerships with companies like CCPB not only help us to protect the wildlife but also build on conservation programmes to educate the public about the devastating outcome of littering,” said Madlala.
The head of Public Affairs, Communications and Sustainability at CCPB, Priscilla Urquhart, said it was the third year the company was partnering with the museum and local conservation organisations to clean up the coastline around Robben Island.
“We are always so overwhelmed by the amount of waste that accumulates and will continue supporting the RIM team in protecting the environment,” Urquhart said.
She said that CCPB’s role in initiatives like this formed part of its commitment to sustainability and being a responsible citizen.
“This year we joined forces with The Beach Co-op and Twyg whose mission is to protect, restore and regenerate the integrity of ocean ecosystems.
“We will continue our commitment to protecting our environment and shorelines through community and beach clean-ups throughout the year, working with various partner organisations and taking consumers along the journey of recycling,” Urquhart said.
IOL