IN recent years, environmental organisation , Adopt a Beach, (an initiative of registered NPO, Adopt a River) has made great strides in keeping our beaches clean with dedicated teams tackling problem spots.

On Sunday, the Adopt-a-Beach programme, in collaboration with Excellerate Services, adopted Virginia Beach with a commitment to host a monthly clean-up involving local businesses and the community.

What is more, there will also be a dedicated cleaning team of three residents from the Malacca Road Informal Settlement who will clean the beach on three days of the week.

A total of 50 volunteers, including learners from various schools, showed their support for the clean-up by picking up 106 bags of rubbish which amounted to removing a whopping 653kg of rubbish from the beach.

Also read: Glenashley Beach gets it first Pink Buoy

Founder of Adopt-a-Beach and Durban North resident, Janet Simpkins, said she was blown away by the support.

“When Excellerate contacted me and spoke about possibly incorporating Virginia Beach into the Adopt-a-Beach programme, we were fully behind it. Last year, we launched a similar programme at Glenashley Beach, and that, too, has been hugely successful. Adopting a Beach means either a dedicated team tackling waste or a once a month community clean up that we host together with a sponsor. We were blown away by the support shown by residents and volunteers for this launch.

“This beach is hugely popular, and we felt by doing this clean-up and subsequent clean-ups, we, as a community, could make a massive impact. It is also a way to draw attention to the plight of our beaches. And to think much of what volunteers removed on the day was plastic, polystyrene and other items, which find a way into our oceans and ultimately back onto our beaches. For too long this beach had been under-resourced, and we feel that a dedicated team will be able to keep this stretch of shoreline in tiptop condition,” she said.

Barry Smith, the regional director of KZN for Excellerate Services, said the idea was to bring the community back to Virginia Beach.

“Through our partnership with Adopt-a-Beach, we hope to make this a spot where the community can picnic and just play in the sand. The beach has stunning views of Durban and uMhlanga, and we will also be looking at incorporating security guards to help keep the area safe. Just before the clean-up, we helped cut the hedges and bushes leading to the parking lot. On the day of the clean-up, the support and the work done by everyone involved was immense. In our collaboration, we felt there is no point in cleaning an area if we can’t secure it, and we hope residents and visitors alike will begin to make use of this spot like before,” Smith said.

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