Strandloper Project Research Expedition 2025

It was very special to be part of this year's Strandloper Project Research Expedition (15-25 October 2025), documenting the amount and types of waste littering Garden Route beaches. I seldom visit the beach, so I have a whole new perspective and awareness of what is going on. Chunky trash and also nurdles and microplastics on the beach is an indication of so much more that is going on than what we see.

I spent 9 days (of the 11; I joined on Day 3 in Stilbaai) walking a section of the Garden Route coastline from Blombos Nature Reserve to Wilderness. I've followed and supported this research expedition for a few years and this year I did not want to miss out. I enjoyed writing our daily posts on the Strandloper Project Facebook page.

2025 Strandloper Project Research Expedition team: Jonathan, Mandy, Lisa, Mark. Our awesome support driver Rose took this photo.

 Packaging of products by manufacturers, our purchasing of packaged products (water and other beverages included), what we do with this generated waste and what our municipalities do with this waste is a big part of dealing with contamination of waterways, drains, the sea and beaches.

If you go to the beach - or to a river, take a bag along with you to fill with litter. Picking it up - even if the tide is going to bring more in tomorrow - makes a difference in a variety of ways.

Beaches will never look the same again and I don't think I can ever set foot on a beach again without doing a Trashy20 survey first.

Strandloper Project online

Website: www.strandloperproject.org
Facebook: www.facebook.com/StrandloperProjectResearch
Instagram: www.instagram.com/strandloperproject

My thanks to Mark Dixon, Mandy Pelser, Jonathan Britton and Rose Greyling Bilbrough for being such awesome, dedicated and hard-working teammates and for showing me the ropes. We had many sponsors who offered their support from a back-up vehicle to frozen, cooked meals, and sunblock. We looked like a research team with matching shirts and jackets. AR Gaiters did our gaiters again this year - this time in a custom Strandloper Project print. Every contribution made this expedition possible.

A Trashy20 (10m x 2m) survey on a pebble beach - this was just surface material.

Mark is working through the collected data. Findings will be posted on Strandloper's Facebook page.