Operation Clean Spot began as a litter reduction initiative in PE where people were encouraged to ‘Adopt a Spot’. Its positive impact has been felt greatly with big plans to spread not only across SA, but the continent!
Port Elizabeth, South Africa (23 October 2023) — Litter reduction efforts play a huge role in creating a South Africa that more people are proud to be a part of. This may sound straightforward, but as anyone who has ever organised a clean-up will tell you, efforts like these lean on a lot more than logic alone.
Clever litter reduction campaigns play on other factors beyond ‘if we all pitch in, we can make a difference”, which is one of the reasons a Port Elizabeth-based litter reduction campaign became so epic; it is set to expand across the continent.
‘Operation Clean Spot’ by marine conservation organisation and Non-Profit Sustainable Seas Trust started off in 2021 as a way to tackle big environmental problems one spot at a time. Focusing on Nelson Mandela Bay and Jeffreys Bay, OCS encouraged people to personalise their clean-up efforts by simply ‘adopting a spot’.
This created a sense of accountability between people and places, and soon the momentum grew!
Two years on and it is a fully-fledged waste management model that was designed for local contexts spanning income groups. At the same time, it has opened up lots of opportunities for waste collectors in informal sectors who play a big role in the circular economy.
As the super plan’s trial phase wraps up at the end of this year in SA, this local initiative is looking forward to being used throughout the continent.
This is awesome news for a few reasons. Beyond being a South African success story, it’s also a sustainable approach to litter reduction that is designed for Africa and goes further than simply keeping waste out of landfills and oceans (though being a step closer toward the dream of zero waste in African seas is huge).
It is a perspective changer, a knowledge sharer and an economy builder—three imperative things Africa needs to combat our environmental challenges.
The project’s success is being measured on several factors, including the volume of pollution at selected sites, and community outreach impact thanks to efforts that have played a role in changing perspectives toward waste management and knowledge-sharing efforts through efforts at schools. Not to mention, the project also facilitates upskilling so that waste collectors can make their efforts go further.
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“In addition to working towards SST’s long-term goal of ‘Zero Waste to the Seas of Africa’, this project aims to identify easy-to-implement project design principles within a proof-of-concept model that can be used in other South African and African cntexts,” explained SST CEO Janine Osborne.
The litter reduction model is celebrated not only for its positive results but also for its position as a uniquely African plan of action that could inspire the world.
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