The Beach Co-Op

In 2015, a group of avid surfers and ocean lovers started cleaning the rocky shore at Surfers Corner in Muizenberg, Cape Town of marine debris every new moon. Aware that the marine environment is threatened by climate change and pollution, most significantly plastic pollution, this group evolved into the registered non-profit organisation with a mission to protect it. Today we work with citizens and corporate companies to raise awareness of the scale of the problem and to shift behaviour, particularly around packaging choices. We work to reduce and eliminate the use of single-use plastics from design and production to consumption and disposal. We use beach cleanups and a citizen science methodology as a collaborative entry point to identify trends in marine pollution, particularly plastic waste. The Beach Co-op, in collaboration with Prof. Peter Ryan of the University of Cape Town’s Percy FitzPatrick Institute, has designed a unique Dirty Dozen methodology that enables participants to log the 12 most commonly found items on the beach during each cleanup. It is a transformative tool in that it gives cleanup participants a clear sense of the problem, and of the primary pollution culprits. It also provides them with the evidence they need to make changes in their own consumption habits, and to call on producers and retailers to look for more sustainable packaging solutions. The Beach Co-op believes that behavioural change is driven by awareness, emotional connection and support in implementation. We focus on building an ocean-loving culture that is supported by scientific knowledge and celebrated through music, art and sport. We partner with music festivals, art groups, sporting clubs and schools to engage them in cleanup activities linked to lifestyle activities.