We know that litter, pollution, and illegal dumping are all issues that plague our beautiful Nelson Mandela Bay in Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth). Unfortunately, mismanaged waste has far-reaching, devastating, and often unseen impact on human and ecosystem health, as well as on the economy.
Operation Clean Spot (OCS) is an innovative citizen science project of Sustainable Seas Trust that has the ambitious goal of ridding Nelson Mandela Bay of 90% of the mismanaged waste which currently litters the city. With the help of organisations, individuals, schools and many others from all around South Africa, OCS aims to tackle mismanaged waste on land before it is given the chance to find its way into the ocean.
While the project was only launched five months ago, the combined efforts and clean-ups of everyone involved has already made a big difference to the litter in our city. In the month of August, the clean-up efforts of the community added to the OCS map helped us clean up over four-tonnes of litter!
How to join the movement
We invite all interested parties to join our Clean Spot movement by taking ownership of a “spot” and clearing it of litter.
Remember, there are a just a few simple steps that you need to follow to join us:
- Identify your spot (any size manageable to you, and any location convenient for you).
- Adopt your spot by completing the form online.
- Conduct your clean-up
- Submit your clean-up by completing the form online and finally
- Visit our map to see your spot.
As the project grows, more and more green spots will appear on the map, and the closer we will get to a clean, green city. To date, over 90 clean-ups have been submitted as part of the project.
Put yourself on the spot!
Take a sneak peek at our interactive and check out the leader board, which shows the Top 5 rankings for various categories: number of bags collected, number of clean-ups done, and more!
If you are not in the Top 5, don’t be disheartened. The rankings are reset every six months so your shot at that top spot could be only a clean-up or two away!
Whether you are participating in a clean up that is logged on the Operation Clean Spot map or creating your own, remember to practice COVID safety protocols. Wear your mask, sanitise regularly and maintain social distancing to ensure we are all staying safe while protecting our oceans.