Beach Cleanup with Beach Co-op

The Beach Co-op’s primary ambition is to improve and ensure the health of our oceans. They do this by creating a platform to connect people, institutions and organizations through evidence-based education and experiential learning, while at the same time keeping the beaches clean and enhancing ocean health. This platform is the beach cleanup.

Since 2015, Beach Co-op founder, Aaniyah Omardian and a group of volunteers have been meeting every new moon to clean the rocky shores of their local surf break, the iconic Surfers’ Corner in Muizenberg – a small beach town located on the shores of the South Peninsula which is considered the birthplace of surfing in South Africa. Today, the Beach Co-op hosts regular beach cleanups at various beaches along our coastline. Litter collected is logged and the data is analysed by researchers to help them get a better understanding of marine litter.

The Beach Co-op encourages citizen science whereby you can log your litter collected during private beach clean-ups on their Dirty Dozen Cleanup App. The aim is to collect rigorous data that supports the call for change to the way we buy, use and discard plastics.

By choosing to become a citizen scientist and assisting the Beach Co-op with collecting data, YOU can make a difference, not only in keeping our beaches clean but in providing the proof needed to bring about sustainable production and consumption. We encourage you to explore the shores of our coastline which are full of life and see why it’s so important for them to be protected. Not only are the cleanups rewarding as you contribute to a more sustainable natural environment, but they are super fun too!

How you as an African Lynx guest can get involved:
Depending on your itinerary planned, African Lynx will incorporate an hour-long beach clean up together with the Beach Co-op at one of the many beautiful beaches which are found along the peninsula.

A beach clean up involves: 

10 min introduction
40 min clean up & data capturing
10 min debrief to discuss findings

Sealand Gear collection bags and gloves will be provided by The Beach Co-Op. African Lynx will provide beach towels.

Beach Cleanup Fee: ZAR 600 per person.

Founder & Director – Aaniyah Omardien

Ocean lover and intersectional environmentalist, Aaniyah Omardien, works tirelessly every day trying to connect people and nature.  After studying environmental science, she worked in conservation for more than 10 years, at WWF South Africa (while completing her Masters in Marine Management), before founding The Beach Co-op in 2015. The Beach Co-op is a not-for-profit company, on a mission to eliminate, reuse, redesign and recycle single-use plastic, which often lands up in our oceans and on our beaches. For Aaniyah, building a community that cares for conservation and the environment is of the utmost importance –  ‘Communities work to strengthen bonds that support regenerative activities. The Beach Co-op works within a global understanding of environmental and social opportunities and challenges, but acts at the local and national level to address them.’