Refilwe Matlotlo at a Glance

who we are:

 Refilwe Matlotlo environmental non-profit organization is based in South Africa, KwaZulu-Natal, working to mitigate the environmental impact of marine plastics as well as empowering our nation through education and recycling.  We believe that promoting environmental education and plastic recycling is important because:

• Plastic is one of the highest polluters in the oceans and due to mismanagement of disposal.

• 80% of the plastic is recyclable but only 20% is actually recycled in South Africa

• The marine environment is increasingly being threatened by plastic pollution. 8 million metric tons of plastic is dumped into the ocean every year (oceanconservancy.org).

• Plastic recycling can help create much needed employment in South Africa

Refilwe Matlotlo works to restore the health of our ocean and environment at the same time empowering our nation by:

1) Visiting schools and working with school teachers to introduce marine health education and educating learners on the dangers of single use plastics.

2) Working with art centers to better communicate the message and support environmental campaigns.

3) Creating jobs for unemployed South African citizens who are able to work through plastic recycling.

4) Sponsoring and participating in monthly beach cleanups as well as monitoring programs (including surveys).