Launched in 2019, the initiative focuses on highlighting how litter and illegal dumping on land ultimately end up in rivers and eventually the ocean. The programme supports the City’s efforts to protect coastal ecosystems and maintain international Blue Flag standards at some of Cape Town’s most popular beaches.

This year's outreach focused primarily on the themes of reducing single-use plastics, encouraging the use of reusable containers, disposing of waste correctly, and preventing common pollutants such as cigarette butts from entering the marine environment.

The initiative is strategically aligned with the City’s Waste Strategy and contributes to broader goals of reducing land-based marine pollution through behaviour change, education and shared responsibility.

‘Since this programme began in 2019, the number of direct engagements with residents at beaches over the festive season has doubled, reflecting an increased focus on environmental awareness, especially the health of our oceans. Cape Town’s beaches are among our most treasured public spaces, especially during the festive season when thousands of people come out to enjoy them, and we as UWM want to do our part to keep them that way.

‘The Ocean is a Home campaign reminds us that the ocean is exactly that – a home – and that each of us has a responsibility to keep it clean by managing our waste correctly and reducing pollution at source,’ said Mayoral Committee Member for Urban Waste Management, Alderman Grant Twigg.