Mermaid tears, also known as nurdles, are littering South African beaches, so Litter4Tokens along with PETCO, worked to change that at the Ballito Pro.
Durban, South Africa (03 August 2022) – The Ballito Pro surfing competition took place recently, and one of the big parts of the event was keeping the beaches clean. PETCO joined forces with the competition to support clean-up efforts taking place.
Litter4Tokens was founded by former Ballito resident Clare Swithenbank-Bowman in 2015 as a way to divert litter from ending up in the ocean and using it to feed families in need.
PETCO partnered with Litter4Tokens NPC for another year of doing good and keeping plastic out of the environment during this year’s Ballito Pro surfing competition.
“The KwaZulu-Natal-based community recycling initiative encouraged spectators to take positive action while enjoying world-class surfing by collecting some of the thousands of nurdles that litter South Africa’s beaches. These tiny plastic resin pellets, also called mermaid tears, are a source of microplastics in our oceans and are dangerous to marine life.
Previously, PETCO sponsored the sand-sifting nurdle trommel, as well as mermaid tear catchers, which can be used both as a sieve to catch nurdles and as a frisbee.
This year, the participants who collected the most nurdles over the course of the event stood the chance to earn themselves a PETCO-branded surfboard or paddle board made from recycled planks and resin from recycled glass.” – PETCO
Litter4Tokens created the Mermaid Tears Catcher as a way for the general public to easily help collect tiny nurdles lost amongst the sand.
Nurdles are small plastic pellets about the size of a lentil. Countless billions of them are used each year to make nearly all our plastic products. These pellets must be collected as our coastal wildlife are confusing them with food and ingesting the toxic nurdles.
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By supplying people with the Mermaid Tears Catcher at the Ballito Pro surfing competition, PETCO was able to invest in the community. Even better for Litter4Tokens, was that they were announced as the joint winner of the 2022 PETCO Award in the Best Community Initiative category.
The Mermaid Tears Catcher is an innovative way to make a difference, and they are super cost-effective. You can purchase a Mermaid Tear Catcher via the Litter4Tokens website here.
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