South Africa was a trailblazer with the plastic bag levy, but we have since fallen behind in terms of anti-plastic legislation. Thirty-four out of 54 countries in Africa have passed laws banning certain types of plastic, but South Africa has none.

Listen to this article 5 min Listen to this article 5 min This past weekend I spent some time with my grandson on Kommetjie beach, in Cape Town. It was a really unpleasant experience. There was no place to sit with him that was not covered in litter.

Later, I took a few big bags and started to collect some of the rubbish. In the 20 minutes before declaring defeat, I had filled three bags, but it had hardly made any difference.

Most of the litter was bottle caps, straws, plastic earbuds, cigarette lighters and plastic bags - all of which have a devastating impact on sea life. Sea birds and penguins eat the plastic bottle tops and cigarette lighters and then die from starvation. Sea turtles inhale the earbuds and plastic straws and suffocate to death. Whales die from the plastic bags they accidentally eat. If you don't believe me, just Google it ... but be warned it is really disturbing to watch.

Eight million tonnes of plastic waste is deposited into our oceans every year. It is estimated that at this current rate, there will be more plastic by weight in the ocean than fish by 2050.

Litter...