The intense storms that lashed the Western Cape coast over the winter months have left behind masses of man-produced waste and litter.

Plastic bags, baby food packaging, microplastics, medical waste, shoes and other items of clothing have been found lining some of the beaches and rivers of the Western Cape.

After weeks of heavy rains and strong winds, shocking photos and videos of the accumulation of waste have been shared across social media.

advertisementDon't want to see this? Remove adsWhen Daily Maverick went out to photograph the pollution along rivers and beaches in some areas of Cape Town this week, we found enormous amounts of plastic items, nurdles and discarded clothing. This is not only an environmental problem that affects land, freshwater and marine ecosystems, but is also a human problem, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has previously said.

Most of what we found were microplastics; the end product after plastic waste is distributed by wind and water, building up in the ocean for decades before slowly decomposing.

As UCT researchers have explained, many different kinds of aquatic animals become entangled in or consume these microplastics. This can either kill them or severely reduce their appetite, causing biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation, and contributing to climate change.

And it's not just the animals that are consuming...