ORGANISERS of the #CleanBlueLagoon initiative are calling on residents to lend their support to the first clean-up of 2017. The initiative was started by Dale Johnson and Luc Quevauvilliers, who were driven to launch the initiative after the massive floods in March last year, which carried tons of litter down the uMgeni River. They have collected more than three tons of rubbish in last year’s clean-ups, around 80 per cent of which was plastic.

Johnson says he is hoping to see residents to come out in their numbers for the event on Saturday, 21 January from 9.30am to 11.30am.

“It was brilliant to see so many residents show how much they care for the environment. I shared a post on the #CleanBlueLagoon Facebook page recently where someone was complaining about water hyacinths. So it was lovely to see that there were no complaints about litter. Thanks to Bart Fokkens of Dusi uMngeni Conservation Trust (DUCT), the litter booms upriver have been capturing more rubbish.

“Polystyrene remains a massive problem and it’s something we’ll tackle during the clean-up. We will also be hosting a bring-and-braai on the day so please come support the event and do your bit for the environment on Saturday. We will be providing bags on the day and gloves, but if you have your own gloves bring them down. I advise residents not to wear slops because of the glass and other sharp objects,” he said.

Johnson said on average last year, residents collected more than 100 bags of rubbish in each clean-up.