Cleaning Africa's coastlines
Africa's coastlines are drowning in trash. We're building the systems to change that.
THE PROBLEM
Pollution does not start—or stop—at the shoreline.
Across many coastal communities in Africa, plastic, textile waste, and other debris move through a connected system of streets, drains, rivers, runoff, beaches, and the ocean. Some waste reaches the coast from land. Some is carried by tides and currents. And debris left on the shoreline can be pulled back into the water. Beaches are both collection points for pollution and critical places to intercept it.
Where waste collection, stormwater systems, public facilities, and disposal infrastructure cannot keep pace, that cycle becomes chronic. Volunteer cleanups matter, but on severely polluted shorelines they cannot remove waste at the volume or frequency required.
Without mechanized cleanup, reliable haul-off, and infrastructure that helps intercept waste before it reaches—or returns to—the water, the same coastline can be overwhelmed again. Coastal pollution affects more than the appearance of a beach: it can harm marine life and habitats, disrupt fishing and tourism, reduce usable public space, and place a continuing burden on coastal communities.
Drain and runoff pressure
Waste from streets and communities can move through storm drains, rivers, and runoff toward the coast—making interception upstream and at the shoreline as important as cleanup.
Polluted Shoreline
When waste accumulates faster than local systems can remove it, beaches become collection points for plastic, textile debris, and other discarded materials.
Community Impact
Coastal pollution affects the people who fish, work, gather, and live along the shoreline—not just the beach itself.
HOW MAYEKOO RESPONDS
From beach cleanup to coastal protection.
Mayekoo works at the point where pollution meets the coast. We deploy mechanized operations—heavy equipment, industrial beach rakes, and contracted waste management—to remove waste at volumes manual cleanup alone cannot match. We coordinate haul-off so collected debris leaves the site, work alongside volunteers and local partners, and invest in practical infrastructure designed to intercept waste before it accumulates or re-enters the water.
That makes beach cleanup one part of a broader coastal restoration model. Ghana is our current proof of concept. The goal is a repeatable system that can expand across African coastlines where pollution is severe and trusted local partners are ready to work.
WHAT YOUR DONATION FUNDS
Mechanized cleanup
We deploy bulldozers, wheel loaders, industrial beach rakes, and dump trucks to remove waste at a scale and speed that volunteer efforts alone cannot achieve. One mechanized cleanup operation removes what would take hundreds of volunteer hours to clear manually.
Coordinated waste haul-off
Collected waste is transferred to contracted waste management companies and removed from the site. Waste left stockpiled near the shoreline can be redistributed by wind, rain, runoff, or tides. Haul-off turns removal into a complete operation rather than a temporary pile beside the beach.
Community action and local ownership
We work alongside volunteers, students, and local organizations so that cleanup operations build visible community participation and long-term local investment in the coastline — not just a service delivered from outside.
Pollution-interception infrastructure
Our goal is to add practical infrastructure that reduces waste before it accumulates: public restrooms, sorting bays, waste bins, floating trash-arresting booms, and enclosures that intercept debris before it reaches the waterline. Cleanup removes what is already there; interception helps reduce what comes next.
WORLD CLEANUP DAY
Join Mayekoo's annual coastal restoration activation.
World Cleanup Day brings volunteers, partners and donors together around Mayekoo's ongoing coastal restoration work. Join us at Ananse Beach or help support the operation.
UNIT OF IMPACT
What your gift funds on the ground.
MONTHLY GIVING
A recurring gift helps Mayekoo respond after the next tide, the next rainfall, and the next buildup of waste — not just once, but as often as these coastlines need it.
Become a Monthly Supporter$10
Support ongoing field operations
Covers the day-to-day logistics that keep Mayekoo's work running.
$50
Power mechanized cleanup
Funds the heavy equipment work that volunteers alone cannot do.
$100
Help waste leave for good
Supports contracted haul-off so collected trash doesn't come back.
$150
Invest in coastal infrastructure
Helps fund booms, enclosures, and sorting bays that intercept pollution.
$250
Back the full system
Supports cleanup, haul-off, infrastructure, and community engagement together.
Custom
Give at your level
Every contribution builds the systems Africa's coastlines need.
PROOF OF WORK
We show the work. Not just the mission.
Every Mayekoo coastal operation is documented with photos, field updates, and GPS-verified location data, so donors can see where work is happening, what has been removed, and what comes next. Our current field record in Accra, Ghana, shows the model across multiple coastal sites—and provides the proof we are building on as Mayekoo expands.
Before photo
Before the cleanup
Typical visible waste accumulation and shoreline conditions.
After photo
Visible progress
Mayekoo’s beach rake & volunteers in action. Cleaner shoreline conditions during beach cleanup.
Operations snapshot
Labadi Beach progress
Project record + location details
Labadi Beach cleanup site
Before photo
Before the cleanup
1,000+ tons of accumulated waste stockpiled & 33+ tons removed.
After photo
Work in progress
Active restoration underway with Mayekoo crews & volunteers, with further removal planned.
Operations snapshot
Chorkor Beach Progress
Project record + location details
Chorkor beach cleanup site
Before photo
Before the cleanup
Accumulated waste and shoreline degradation prior to Mayekoo's intervention.
After photo
Visible progress
Restored shoreline conditions after cleanup by Mayekoo's mechanized crews and volunteers.
Operations snapshot
Ananse Beach, Nungua Progress
Project record + location details
Nungua beach cleanup site
ABOUT MAYEKOO
We don't just fund coastal cleanup. We help deliver it.
Mayekoo is a U.S. 501(c)(3) public charity that works directly with vetted local partners to fund and help execute social-impact projects across Africa.
On coastal pollution, that means we do not write a check and walk away. We coordinate equipment deployment, manage haul-off logistics, work with contractors, local organizations, and community volunteers, and document the results so donors can see what happened on the ground.
Every project Mayekoo funds and helps deliver is reported back with GPS coordinates and field photos—so you can see where your support went and what it helped accomplish.
With Mayekoo, your gift supports:
- Mechanized coastal cleanup operations that remove waste at scale
- Coordinated haul-off that moves collected waste off-site
- Pollution-interception infrastructure designed to reduce repeat accumulation
- Local partnership and community engagement built into every project
- Transparent field reporting so you can see the work happening
FAQs
Why use heavy equipment instead of just volunteers?
On heavily polluted beaches, waste can accumulate again quickly after a manual cleanup. Mechanized equipment allows crews to remove larger volumes and change baseline conditions in ways volunteer effort alone cannot sustain.
Does Mayekoo own its cleanup equipment?
Yes. Mayekoo operates its own Barber HD 600 beach rake and tractor on the ground in Ghana. This means we can deploy faster, control operations more directly, and build a more consistent cleanup presence than organizations that rely entirely on hired equipment.
Is this work limited to one beach or one country?
No. Mayekoo's model is designed to scale across Africa's coastlines. We started in Ghana as proof of concept and are actively expanding to additional coastal sites where the need is severe and a trusted local partner is ready.
How will I know my gift is making a difference?
Every Mayekoo project is documented with GPS coordinates and photos from the field. We share updates as work progresses so you can see exactly where your support went and what it built.
How does beach cleanup help address ocean pollution?
Beaches sit at the boundary between land and sea. Waste can arrive through streets, drains, rivers, runoff, tides, and currents; debris left on the shoreline can also be carried back into the water. Mayekoo combines shoreline cleanup with haul-off and planned interception infrastructure so the work addresses both accumulated waste and the pathways that keep bringing it back.
LATEST FROM THE FIELD
See what's happening now
Follow progress, milestones and field evidence from Mayekoo's work.
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Pollution does not stop at the shoreline. Neither does the work.
Support Mayekoo's coastal cleanup, haul-off, community action, and pollution-interception work—and help protect African coastlines with practical, documented action.