WESSA’s next Know Your Bay talk will take place on Wednesday 17th of September 2025 at Bayworld. Dr Stacey Webb from the Sustainable Seas Trust will tell us about the impact of International Coastal Clean-up (ICC) day in her talk entitled “From Local Beaches to Global Policy: ICC Data in Action”. She will show how the effort of thousands of volunteers across South Africa every year during ICC do not only remove litter from beaches and waterways, but also helps building a scientific evidence base that informs policy, shapes industry practices, and strengthens Africa’s voice in global negotiations on plastic pollution. In this seminar, she will highlight how South Africa’s ICC data has been used locally to drive better resource allocation and nationally to strengthen collaboration between industry, communities, and NGOs. She will also show how African data feeds into global discussions, including the UN Plastics Treaty negotiations, where accurate and consistent reporting from the ground is critical for change.
Dr Stacey Webb is the Head of Marine & Coastal Impact Programmes at the Sustainable Seas Trust (SST), based in South Africa. She leads multiple portfolios including Research, Development & Monitoring, Education & Capacity building, and Community Upliftment & Economic Development. Currently these portfolios have a strong focus on Operation Clean Spot, SST’s flagship programme to reduce marine litter at source. Stacey serves as the national coordinator of the International Coastal Clean-Up in partnership with Plastics SA, and works extensively with regional and global processes including the Nairobi and Abidjan Conventions, FAO/IMO’s GloLitter and PRO-SEAS projects, and the UN Plastics Treaty negotiations. With experience spanning science, community action, and policy advocacy, she is passionate about connecting evidence with solutions, ensuring that every piece of data collected helps protect Africa’s oceans and communities.
The event is free and open to all. From 17:30 for 18:00 until 19:00.
Note that International Clean Up day will be the following Saturday, 20th of September. Should you want to participate, see https://sst.org.za/operation-clean-spot/
The Sustainable Seas Trust is hosting an online workshop on the 16th of September about ICC:
Date: 16 September 2025
Time: 12:00 – 13:30 (SAST)
Zoom: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_raDwJdcTTIyo2ccnCt2NyQ
What you’ll gain:
- A comprehensive overview of what ICC is all about
- Inspiring success stories
- A deeper understanding of why collecting and sharing clean-up data is so important
- A step-by-step toolkit on planning your clean-up and recording data
Also on the 16th of September, a fundraising event, “Flippers and Horns, two worlds one wild fight” will take place for African penguins and rhinos at the Richmond Hill Brewing company, at 18:00.
