More Waste Than What I Used to Weigh

The Coega Development Corporation (Coega) successfully held its 5th annual Coastal Clean-Up initiative today along the Zone 10 beachfront within the Coega Special Economic Zone (SEZ).

The event highlighted half a decade of sustained commitment to conserving local marine ecosystems in alignment with the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals 13 (Climate Action), 14 (Life Below Water) and 15 (Life Above Land).

Coega employees invested two hours braving the rain to clear the shoreline, retrieving 144.97 kilograms of debris and waste. Editor: before my journey of giving up animal products, acohol and sugar I weighed 10 kilograms less!.

Emphasising the long-term impact of the initiative, Mr. Sisa Xabanisa, Coega Environmental Manager, said: “Last year, we further strengthened this approach by introducing an ESG performance tracking tool and establishing a waste value chain that enables collected debris to be diverted from landfill into appropriate reclaiming, upcycling and recycling streams, in partnership with Noziqhamo Recycling. This ensures that the Coastal Clean-Up is not simply a once-off awareness activity but contributes to a broader and more circular approach to waste management. Importantly, the waste collected through this year’s clean-up will feed directly into this initiative, allowing us to turn an environmental challenge into an opportunity for resource recovery and continued environmental awareness. Our message is therefore simple: protecting our coastline requires collective action, but it also requires us to think beyond the clean-up itself and consider what happens to the waste afterwards,” continued Mr. Xabanisa.

Guided by Coega’s Integrated Waste Management Plan, the event prioritised waste reduction, resource recovery and active volunteerism.

Employee volunteer and SMME Coordinator, Ms. Nomphelo Budaza, shared that volunteerism initiatives like the Coega SEZ Coastal Clean-Up help keep employees accountable concerning environmental stewardship: “We are very fortunate to have a Sustainability Business Unit that keeps us a part of the ‘green’ conversation. We see these things on social media, but having a team that brings these initiatives to us is what makes a big difference.”

All collected waste was sorted, weighed, and documented.

The resulting data will directly inform future waste management strategies within the SEZ while supporting the South African National Waste Management Strategy’s goals for waste reduction and circular resource use.