Keep rivers and beaches clean, urge Durban North environmental activists

Eco-warriors in and around Durban North urge all to keep the beaches and rivers free from pollution, especially over the festive season.

Janet Simpkins, the founder of Adopt-a-River Eco Solutions, said leaving behind plastic and polystyrene along the river banks is a hazard to the health of the river and its ecosystems.

The programme deploys teams of volunteers, on a daily basis, to clean along the banks of the Umgeni River.

“During this festive season, while everyone celebrates with family and friends, it’s certainly safer to do so outdoors during the pandemic. Please take extra care to clean up the open spaces around you,” she said.

She said if dustbins were full, rather take all the rubbish back home and discard it there.

“We often find that polystyrene and plastic packaging get left behind and enter into the river systems. We want to take care of our dams, rivers and oceans. Be responsible and leave only memories behind,” said Simpkins.

Some of the other items clean-up teams regularly find are earbud sticks, cosmetic containers, clay pots and even furniture.

Denise McCreadie, the organiser of #CBL (Clean up Blue Lagoon) echoed Simpkins’ sentiments.

#CBL takes place on the third Saturday of each month where volunteers unite to clean up the Blue Lagoon areas.

“We welcome all visitors and ask that they clean up after themselves,” she said.

“Everyone should practise the #takethreeforthesea initiative, which means that every time you go to the beach or public park, take your litter home with you and three extra things,” she said.

She added that the onus of keeping beaches and public spaces clean was each person’s responsibility and not only that of the eThekwini Municipality.

“There is a huge misconception that if people litter then someone will be hired to pick it up and that they are creating jobs. Unfortunately, this is not the case and all they are doing is ruining the ocean and promenade for the next visitor and next generation,” she said.

Some of the items which #CBL teams find include glass bottles, plastic food wrappers, plastic bottles, chicken bones and hair braids.

“Cigarette butts are also a major problem. The new item is disposable masks and they cause havoc, not only because of the pollution but because they get stuck around the necks, feet and wings of wildlife,” she said.

Before discarding a disposable mask, McCreadie urged people to cut the strings.