The Department of Environmental Affairs in partnership with Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife will lead the International Coastal Clean-up Day on Saturday 20 September 2014 at the Cuttings Beach Merebank, Durban.

The clean-up activity is in support of the annual International Coastal Clean-up Day (ICCD) which was initiated by the Ocean Conservancy and has grown from humble beginnings on the Texas shoreline in 1986, to today where more than 100 countries participate in cleaning their oceans.

The department’s ICCD theme for this year is Communities creating waves of change and the event will be used as a platform to address issues concerning coastal pollution as well as to stimulate change in the behavioural patterns that negatively affect the marine environment.

This clean-up aims to encourage and involve citizens to remove marine/ beach litter and collect data on such litter and debris from the coastal areas.

After the clean-up the department will host key note speakers including Deputy Director General of Oceans and Coasts Dr Monde Mayekiso from the Department of Environmental Affairs, and KwaZulu-Natal Premier Honorable Senzo Mchunu to address the community.

They will address the local South Durban community attending the second leg of the event at Reunion Park in Durban, and encourage the community to take responsibility for land-based litter and participate in finding solutions to combat marine pollution.