Western Cape communities called to join the 2026 #DontBeTrashy Drive
CapeNature in collaboration with the Department of Environmental Affairs and Development Planning is calling on communities, schools, businesses and visitors across the Western Cape to take part in the annual #DontBeTrashy Drive, running from 1—30 September 2026.
The month-long campaign aims to reduce waste, protect biodiversity and raise public awareness about the growing impact of pollution on the Province’s land, rivers, wetlands, estuaries and coastal environments. These ecosystems are essential for supporting a variety of species, tourism, recreation, livelihoods and community wellbeing, yet they continue to face increasing pressure from litter, illegal dumping, plastic pollution, wastewater contamination and discarded fishing gear.
Waste discarded in the environment does not stay where it is left. Carried by wind, stormwater and rivers – litter often ends up in wetlands, estuaries and the ocean, where it harms wildlife, damages habitats and contributes to the growing problem of microplastic pollution. Lost fishing gear and wastewater pollution also pose serious threats to both marine ecosystems and community health.
The #DontBeTrashy Drive is about inspiring lasting behavioural change. Every item of waste that is reduced, reused or recycled is one less item that can pollute our land and marine-based environment. Protecting the Western Cape’s unique biodiversity begins with the small choices we make every day.
Throughout September, the campaign will feature:
- School outreach for Grade 3 and 4 learners, with the potential to expand to Grades 6 and 7
- Captain Fanplastic activities and revised waste education programmes
- LoveNature waste series videos
- Public clean-up activities with partners
- Social media education and radio interviews
- Distribution of educational collateral
The public is encouraged to take simple but meaningful actions, including reducing single-use plastics, disposing of waste responsibly, preventing litter from entering stormwater systems, reporting illegal dumping, supporting community clean-up initiatives and sharing environmental awareness messages within their communities.
By engaging learners, and working together with educators and partners, we aim to develop shared responsibility for a sustainable and healthy environment from an early age. Long-term conservation success depends on not only removing waste already in the environment, but also on changing the behaviours that allow waste and pollution to reach natural areas in the first place.
Our land, rivers, wetlands and coastal environments connect people, biodiversity and livelihoods. Through campaigns like the #DontBeTrashy Drive, we want to empower communities with the knowledge and practical actions needed to prevent pollution and create cleaner, healthier natural spaces for future generations.
Clean-ups are vital, but we will never sweep our way out of the ocean plastic crisis. True conservation starts upstream by transforming how our youth value and interact with waste before it ever reaches our rivers and coasts. By distributing The Legend of Captain Fanplastic comic books and teacher guides into classrooms, we are equipping the next generation with early environmental literacy and embedding circular thinking into the curriculum—stopping plastic pollution directly at its source.
We invite schools, community organisations, local businesses, municipalities, conservation partners and members of the public to support the 2026 #DontBeTrashy Drive by participating in awareness activities and clean-ups during September, while embracing waste-wise practices throughout the year.
ABOUT CapeNature
CapeNature is a public institution mandated to promote and ensure biodiversity conservation within the Western Cape and is the custodian of the Cape Floristic Region. The Entity manages most of the mountain catchments and reserves that supply ecosystem services to the citizens of the Western Cape. This requires good scientific data, a sound understanding of fynbos ecology and commitment to the principles of integrated biodiversity management and planning. Most of this work is in remote areas out of the public eye but has a direct bearing on the quality of life of millions of people in the province.
MEDIA ENQUIRIES:
CapeNature
General Manager: Advocacy
Petro van Rhyn
pvrhyn@capenature.co.za
071 231 7576
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