What if the waste collected from our beaches could become a resource rather than simply being removed and forgotten?
This question was at the heart of HUDEFO’s organizing the Clean-up Day activities held on 19 September 2026 at Magha King Beach, Mbezi Chini Ward, Dar es Salaam. The activity brought together communities, young people, schools, Beach Management Units (BMUs), civil society organizations and other partners to connect coastal conservation with the growing opportunities of the circular economy.
Together, 162 participants (92 male and 70 female) collected 182 bags of waste weighing 2,165.8 kg from an approximately 320 meter long and 60 meter wide section of the beach.
For coastal communities, a clean and healthy ocean is directly connected to livelihoods, food systems and the wider blue economy. Yet protecting these resources requires more than periodic cleanups.
The waste collected from beaches can be sorted, recovered, recycled and transformed into useful products. This creates an opportunity to connect environmental action with innovation, entrepreneurship and livelihoods.
As HUDEFO continues to promote circular economy approaches, the focus is therefore shifting from asking “How much waste did we collect?” to also asking “What can we do with the waste, and how can we prevent it from reaching the beach in the first place?”
The journey begins with keeping our beaches clean, but it should continue through waste separation, reuse, recycling, innovation and the creation of new economic opportunities.
Young people were an important part of the activity. Through discussions and a children's panel, they shared ideas on reducing unnecessary single use plastics, reusing materials, improving waste disposal and encouraging others to take greater responsibility for the environment.
One message shared during the activity highlighted the importance of taking environmental responsibility beyond the beach:
“Tunaporudi nyumbani tuna nafasi kubwa ya kuhamasisha wazazi na kila anayetuzunguka kwamba taka ni fursa na tunatoa elimu juu ya usimamizi mzuri wa taka.”
The message was also clear that behavior change has to begin at household level.
The activity demonstrated what is possible when different actors come together around a shared environmental challenge. HUDEFO was joined by IUCN, PETPRO, TASAC, ActionAid, Marafiki Initiative, Success Hands, Global Impact Transformation, IBL, WORF, PulseNet, Mazingira Plus, Taka Data, AquarGarden, Scout, Kijana Buzz, Impact Bridge Initiative, Green Root Initiative, ECO HUB, Global Impact Foundation, Tanzania Circular Economy Action Forum and RAHHISHA.
Schools participating included Kijitonyama Sayansi Secondary School, Kijitonyama Visiwani Primary School and Mapambano Primary School, while BMUs represented included Kilongawima, Mbweni, Msasani, Ununuio, Kunduchi and Kawe.
This kind of collaboration is important because no single organization can solve the growing challenge of waste entering coastal environments.
The exhibition and discussions during the activity reinforced an important principle: materials that are considered waste can still have value when the right systems are in place.
Plastic and other recoverable materials can be separated, processed and transformed into new products. With the right investment, communities and young people can move beyond being participants in cleanups and become part of the wider circular-economy value chain. That means creating stronger links between waste collection, recycling, innovation, skills development and markets. For HUDEFO, this is where the blue economy and circular economy meet.
A healthier coastline supports communities and livelihoods. At the same time, a functioning circular economy can reduce the amount of waste reaching the coastline while creating opportunities for people to earn from materials that would otherwise be discarded.
Collecting 2,165.8 kg of waste in one day demonstrates what coordinated action can achieve. But it also raises a bigger question: how do we make sure the same waste does not return to the beach?
The answer requires continued environmental education, household-level waste separation, stronger collection and recycling systems, community participation and partnerships with businesses and organisations that can help create markets for recovered materials.
We invite donors, government institutions, businesses, recycling companies, schools, BMUs, NGOs and other development partners to work with us to expand community waste education, strengthen waste recovery and recycling, support youth and women in circular-economy enterprises, and develop practical solutions that keep waste out of our oceans.
The 2,165.8 kg of waste removed from Magha King Beach is not only a measure of what was collected. It is a reminder of the scale of the challenge and of the opportunity to turn environmental action into lasting change.
