NATIONAL NEWS - The help of the public is needed by researchers of the University of Cape Town who have started with a research project comprising a series of experiments to estimate the proportion of litter coming out of urban catchment areas that washes up on beaches.
This will entail releasing labelled pieces of plastic and then searching for them along nearby beaches. The study will contrast the movement of plastics with different densities, which likely will show different dispersal patterns.
Look out for marked blocks
The research team asks members of the public to look for the following items and to report any they find:
White plastic blocks that measure 12 x 8cm and come in two types:
- Hard plastic sheets 3mm thick with stickers on them bearing a unique item number (0000 to 1199) and information on how to report them; and
- Polystyrene blocks 30mm thick that are only labelled with a unique code (A00-F99).
The team needs the code number of each item found, together with the location and date where it was found. WhatsApp or SMS the information to 073 246 8169 or e-mail it to littertrace@gmail.com.
'We bring you the latest Garden Route, Karoo, Hessequa news'
