Beachgoer sparks outrage after capturing disgusting scene along popular walkway: 'People are so disrespectful'

Taking care of the planet is everyone's responsibility, and one TikToker did their part by cleaning up their local beachside walkway.

In a clip shared to the platform, Rezah (@rezahsampson) documented a trip to the beach. The video starts with Rezah taking a walk along a promenade in Cape Town, South Africa, only to be confronted by garbage and litter everywhere.

@rezahsampson Disgusted at the amount of litter on seapoint promenade this evening #seapointpromenade #seapoint #newyearsday #litter #littercleanup #tiktoksouthafrica ♬ Sad Music - Max-Music

Luckily for the planet and the city, this good Samaritan decided to go home and get some bags to clean up. "It's going to be a long night, but we are responsible for the environment," they said.

Litter is a problem all over the world. From temples in India to public parks in the United States, nowhere seems to be safe from the scourge of improperly discarded waste. In one study, Keep America Beautiful found "nearly 50 billion pieces of litter along U.S. roadways and waterways."

One of the biggest issues with so much trash in our environment is that as it breaks down, there can be a cascade of effects. So much waste is made of plastic, and this can lead to microplastics in our waterways. These tiny particles make their way into soil, fish, and even the human body.

While there is still a lot of research to be done on the effects microplastics have on humankind, there are many steps we can take to reduce our impact. Learn the recycling rules in your area, switch to reusable containers, and, of course, do your best to leave no trace.

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Folks on TikTok were disturbed by the mess left by beachgoers.

"People are so disrespectful to Mother Earth," one person said.

Another commenter was thankful for this creator's efforts, writing: "Well done on cleaning up. I really don't understand how people would throw their litter next to the green bins!"

"Wow, it's so sad how people can do this to our city," someone else added.