Parley Coastal Cleanups
Parley Coastal Cleanups form a core part of our environmental education and community engagement work. Conducted as part of the Parley Global Cleanup Network, these cleanups do more than remove waste from beaches — they generate valuable data, foster environmental awareness, and create a direct connection between people and the health of their coastline.
Each cleanup is structured and data-driven. Volunteers record the type, quantity, and source of waste, tracking materials such as plastic, metal, glass, and fishing gear. This information contributes to Parley’s global dataset, which informs research, advocacy, and innovation in material redesign. By documenting the most common and problematic waste items, we identify patterns, monitor progress, and support solutions that address pollution at its source.
Cleanups are held along Hout Bay and neighbouring coastlines and involve schools, local residents, corporate partners, and community organisations. For many participants — particularly children in our education programmes — it is their first hands-on experience of environmental action. Through these events, they see how waste moves from streets and rivers to the ocean, and how small, collective actions can restore balance to their environment.
In 2024, Sentinel Ocean Alliance conducted nine large community cleanups covering over 420,000 square metres of coastline, intercepting 1,707 kilograms of waste, of which nearly 300 kilograms were recycled. A total of 773 volunteers took part, exceeding our annual participation target.
Parley Coastal Cleanups are not a single-day event but part of an ongoing process of education, data collection, and shared responsibility. They turn environmental awareness into action and help build a culture of stewardship — one community, one coastline, one cleanup at a time.
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE PARLEY GLOBAL CLEANUP NETWORK HERE
