Plastics SA, supported by Producer Responsibility Organisations eWASA, Petco and Polyco is thrilled to announce its sponsorship of the Save a Fishie Coast to Coast 24 campaign, led by renowned environmental activist Zoë Prinsloo. This inspiring initiative will see Zoë and her team at Save a Fishie NPC embark on a six-week mission to clean beaches along the entire South African coastline, from June 1 to July 13, 2024.

Zoë Prinsloo, now 21, began her environmental journey at the tender age of 12. Her relentless dedication to beach clean-ups has earned her significant recognition, including the prestigious Plastics SA Cleanup and Recycle SA Caroline Reid Eco Warrior Award in 2019. She has been nominated for this award once again in 2024, highlighting her ongoing commitment to environmental conservation.

"Save a Fishie was founded by Zoë when she was just 16," says Douw Steyn, Sustainability Director at Plastics SA. "Her passion and dedication are truly inspiring. We are proud to support her as one of our Eco Warriors and her team's efforts in creating a cleaner and healthier environment."

To date, Zoë has cleaned over 270 beaches and collected more than 20 tons of litter. Her accomplishments include setting a world record for the longest beach clean-up, lasting 27 hours. Zoë’s work has earned her a place at the United Nations Youth Climate Summit in New York in 2019, recognition as one of the Top 100 African Youth Conservation Leaders in 2022, and the Mayor’s Medal Civic Award for Conservation from the Mayor of Cape Town in December 2023. Recently, she represented South Africa at the Helen Storrow Seminar in Switzerland.

The Coast to Coast 24 campaign will take Zoë and her team up the West Coast from Cape Town to Port Nolloth, across the country via the Hennops and Jukskei Rivers, and down the East Coast from Richard’s Bay back to Cape Town. The campaign will focus on beaches identified during the Coast 2 Coast 2023 initiative as needing extra attention. By working closely with schools and local organisations, the campaign aims to foster lasting relationships and raise awareness on a national scale.

Zoë’s mission is supported by various educational partners, and through their work with community schools and organisations, Save a Fishie aims to promote a shared sense of ownership and awareness about the effects of plastic pollution on our oceans and personal health. They will also collect citizen science-based data on the quantity and variety of plastics collected, making this data publicly available on their website.

"We will be documenting our journey across various social media platforms with these key elements in mind: 'Environment. Education. Entertainment,'" says Zoë. "We will also have a live tracking meter showing the public our kilometres travelled, kilograms of litter collected, number of nurdles picked up, and more. On completion, we will share a YouTube series for an in-depth view of the project."

In addition to a financial sponsorship, Plastics SA will also be providing all the clean-up bags (yellow Clean-up and Recycle SA bags) used along the route. The Plastics SA team will visit various clean-ups on behalf of the plastics industry. Additionally, Plastics SA will launch Clean-Up and Recycle 2024 in Durban on June 7, the day before World Oceans Day, reinforcing their commitment to environmental conservation.