Plastic bags, baby food packaging, microplastics, medical waste, shoes and other items of clothing have been found lining some of the beaches and rivers of the Western Cape.
After weeks of heavy rains and strong winds, shocking photos and videos of the accumulation of waste have been shared across social media.
When Daily Maverick went out to photograph the pollution along rivers and beaches in some areas of Cape Town this week, we found enormous amounts of plastic items, nurdles and discarded clothing. This is not only an environmental problem that affects land, freshwater and marine ecosystems, but is also a human problem, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has previously said.
Most of what we found were microplastics; the end product after plastic waste is distributed by wind and water, building up in the ocean for decades before slowly decomposing.
As UCT researchers have explained, many different kinds of aquatic animals become entangled in or consume these microplastics. This can either kill them or severely reduce their appetite, causing biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation, and contributing to climate change.
And it’s not just the animals that are consuming plastic, but humans too, with nanoplastics found in the brain, lungs, arteries, semen and placenta.
South Africa contributes a shocking 35% of the plastic pollution leaking into waterways and the marine environment in southern and eastern Africa, according to the IUCN study on Regional Results on Plastic Pollution from Eastern and Southern Africa.
These images are not unique to Cape Town or South Africa – pollution is a global crisis. Everyone – residents, government and civil society – needs to work together to prevent these disasters and change consumer behaviour. DM
Mouille Point Beach in Cape Town is a sea of colour for all the wrong reasons as a web of different plastics, microplastics and fishing materials washed out on to the shore after weeks of stormy weather conditions, intertwined in snakes of seaweed. Pictured on 30 July 2024, this pollution will inevitably be cast out back into the ocean. (Photo: Kristin Engel)
Among the pollution in the Liesbeek River, flowing through a large suburban area of Cape Town, this time around is medical waste, magazines, pamphlets, plastic food packaging and items of clothing including shoes, jeans, even a baby-sized onesie. (Photo: Kristin Engel)
Here masses of microplastics, particles of sea foam and plastic bottle tops line one of Cape Town’s most popular and frequented sites, the promenade, on 30 July 2024. Joggers, runners, cyclists and people taking leisurely strolls have seen this path littered with waste over the past week as waves breach over the railing and bring human pollution back on to the promenade. (Photo: Kristin Engel)
In addition to littering and dumping in the Liesbeek River, continuing construction in the area, stormwater drain pollution, and alien invasive species are also factors in this pollution. Pictured here is a food container and a stray plastic bag floating underneath the murky waters of the Liesbeek on 30 July 2024. (Photo: Kristin Engel)
A lone glass bottle idles along the coast in Green Point, Cape Town, near the Oceana Power Boat Club on 30 July 2024. The boat club has seen more than its fair share of waste over the past weeks in the aftermath of Cape storms when microplastics, nurdles and other waste washed ashore. (Photo: Kristin Engel)
While pollution of the Liesbeek is not new and occurs year after year with teams from Friends of the Liesbeek and the City of Cape Town constantly doing their bit to clear the waste, the items and masses are astounding – plastic ranging from food packaging, tiny bottles of vodka, various items of strewn and damaged clothing to a perfume bottle, face masks, and medical waste. (Photo: Kristin Engel)
Human behaviour and activity continue to affect the marine environment, introducing a wide range of pollutants into coastal ecosystems. Plastic pollution stands out in this regard and has been a global issue since the 1950s, particularly in coastal cities like Cape Town. Pictured here is a discarded piece of what was once a plastic container, now strewn along the boulders of Mouille Point Beach in Cape Town on 30 July 2024. (Photo: Kristin Engel)
A relatively calm sea on 30 July 2024 after weeks of devastating storms in the Cape. On top of the rocks and sand of the shoreline are plastics and microplastics that have washed in from the ocean. (Photo: Kristin Engel)
A torn plastic bag entangled in giant kelp (seaweed) along Mouille Point Beach in Cape Town on 30 July 2024, with a lone earbud and other bottles and bottle top in the background. This is just one of the many plastic items that have littered beaches and rivers from the Cape Storms this July. (Photo: Kristin Engel)
Various broken pieces of plastic, bottle caps and a stray wet feather tumbled on to the promenade in Sea Point, Cape Town, after a wave crashed over the railing. This is just one instance of many, but the source of this pollution is often from local land-based sources, particularly around urban areas. (Photo: Kristin Engel)
A close-up of plastic bottles, styrofoam and a gender reveal balloon “It’s a boy” floating in the Liesbeek River on 30 July 2024. The Friends of the Liesbeek, a community group, regularly deals with everyday pollution into the river. As a means to reduce the issue, the Friend group generates public awareness and community involvement in the welfare of the river by arranging talks, walks and displays on the river. (Photo: Kristin Engel)
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