Waste Challenge

The Waste Challenge was launched on 28 February 2021 by the 5 International Service Clubs (Ladies Circle, Round Table, 41ers, Agora & Tangent) and ran until 7 March 2021, to raise awareness on waste and challenge everyone to keep our world clean.

Waste Challenge – Day 1

PE Pearls Ladies Circle No. 19 Chairlady, Sonel Lindeque, headed to Blue Horizon Bay beach around 4pm having downloaded the Litterati App, to pick up rubbish.  15km later, after having lost her car keys along the way, a total of 272 pieces of rubbish were collected, it was time to head home and upload the photographs of some of the prominent pieces of rubbish – only to find out that one cannot upload photos to the App on completion of the task. Photo’s need to be uploaded one item at a time as you go along.  Although none of the rubbish collected on this trip counted towards the Waste Challenge, it was a job well done on keeping our country clean.

Waste Challenge – Day 2

Sonel ventured back to Blue Horizon beach for another attempt at a beach cleanup.  Even having been there the day before, the beach was back to being a dumping ground.  The worst was that someone had picked up their dog’s poop with a bag and then left it there for someone else to pick up! And it looked like someone had a serious NikNaks addiction.  Taking a photo of every piece of waste and uploading it to the Literati App proved a little slower, but a total of 139 items were collected and captured.

Waste Challenge – Day 3

259 Pieces of rubbish were captured on the app on this day before Sonel’s phone battery died.  Unfortunately having to constantly use the phones camera, it drains the battery quicker than normal.  A further 97 collected after that, totalling 356 pieces of waste picked up.  It is sad, but at least it’s now collected and properly disposed of.

Waste Challenge – Day 4

Sonel picked up 157 pieces of waste which were captured on the app, before the phone died again, and another 52 pieces later, totalling 209 pieces picked up on day 4 of our Challenge.  A good hint for Fishing – leave no footprint – make sure whatever you take to the shoreline, deep-sea, river, is taken back with you and not left for someone else to clean up!!

Waste Challenge – Day 5

352 pieces of waste captured on the Litterati app and 119 by Sonel’s afternoon Partner in Crime, Tina Pretorius, totalling 471 pieces, including a toilet seat! On a beach, really?

Why do a Waste Challenge?  Why continue to clean-up even after the challenge is over? So that we can enjoy the splendour of this God given beautiful earth!  Blessed are we to be able to enjoy these wonders!

Waste Challenge – Day 6

In the effort to GO GREEN, some people epically fail!!!

It is just so sad to see all the waste coming down from the rainwater drains spilling into the ocean and either eaten by the fish or washed back up on the beaches.  Lots of cigarette butts, bottle caps, plastic, bottles, etc.  Sonel was at Blue Horizon Bay again, and at this Drainage area only, picked up 283 pieces of rubbish and captured on the Litterati App.  This Waste Challenge has really been an eye opener to the state of our earth.  We really need to make a concerted effort to do our part in cleaning it up!!

Waste Challenge – Day 7

Sonel was back at Blue Horizon Bay beach and included the area outside the Community Centre & car park.  394 Pieces of waste picked up and captured.

Waste Challenge – Day 8

The waste seems to be never ending, but it will become less over time if you continue discarding it correctly.  We all need to do our part in keeping our world waste free.  It is hard work, and takes time, but it can be done with a little help from your friends…

Sunday 7 March 2021 saw the final day of the International Waste Challenge and PE Pearls Ladies Circle No. 19 came together at Maitlands Beach to do our part.  It is unbelievable how much rubbish is strewn around without any regard to the environment around us.  When we arrived at the carpark it was clear that we wouldn’t walk far as the area was scattered full of waste.

We started off with just the 3 of us, but within 5 minutes of us picking up trash, it had sparked the interest of the rest of the community within the immediate vicinity and soon we had everyone else asking for black bags and assisting us in our efforts.  This was such a humbling experience.

Sonel carried on the challenge at Blue Horizon Bay Tennis Courts and Sottepad Hiking Trail.

It is difficult to tell just how much was collected in this final leg of the challenge due to the assistance of the community at Maitlands Beach, but we lost track on 354 items, and let me tell you that there was by far more than that.  301 items were photographed and uploaded to the Litterati App.

Congratulations to our Chairlady, Sonel Lindeque, on coming into the top 3 winners of this International challenge –  1st prize for finding the most interesting object (a toilet seat on the beach) cleaning the African beaches for the whole week, posting about it, including the community, and being a true inspiration by sharing her stories.

2nd Place went to Tangent and 41er Club Sri Lanka for not only a huge clean up, but also an awareness session and a children’s project.  The shared 3rd place went to GB&I, South Africa and Netherlands for the highest scores in the Litterati App.

A total of 1885 items were photographed and uploaded to the Litterati App.