Clean-up shows up attitudes as a problem
This past Saturday saw numerous civic organisations and over 75 individuals turn out to do a clean-up from Umbogintwini to Karridene.
Over 100 bags of litter were collected, 30 of them by members of the Earlyact Club at the beach near Toti Country Club. “Toti Conservancy thanks all who were involved. The clean-up was not just an once-off event, but forms part of an effort by Toti and Kingsburgh residents to raise awareness of the need for everyone to be involved in caring for our home and environment,” said the conservancy’s deputy chairman, Reverend Andrew Manning.
“The clean-up helped identify areas that need attention, and attitudes and prejudices within the community that need correcting. Certain areas will be highlighted to the relevant authorities as existing maintenance programmes are not sufficient. The skip at Umbogintwini River and the dunes at the Toti promenade are two such areas.
Attitudes that were encountered also show us that education and awareness need to be prioritised in all areas of society. When doing mobilisation for Saturday a fisherman at Winkelspruit commented “I pay for a permit, I don’t need to clean up the rocks, they must do it”. This sort of attitude is unacceptable and insults our local fishermen and community. It is this attitude we need to combat.
It is also clear that we need to address pollution upstream, both in the areas along the coastline and further up all the rivers. Much of the pollution comes from there. Pollution will only be successfully addressed when we all make an effort to do our part towards prevention and this includes our own waste management and advocating that others deal with theirs.”
Rev Manning said another attitude that needs addressing is that of ‘what we do on our own property is of no concern to anyone else’. “What we do affects others regardless of where we do it and owning property does not give anyone the right to pollute the environment.”
Toti Conservancy will now:
• Apply for more dustbins to be sited along Warner Beach between Baggies and Winkelspruit.
• Deal with illegal dumping.
• Canvas fishing clubs and other organisations to keep up the pressure on beach users to keep it clean.
• Commend all relevant departments for the work being done, address shortfalls and ensure progress.
• Continue to champion the cause to uphold the Constitutional right to an ‘environment that is not harmful’ and continue to mobilise the community to take responsibility. – earlb@dbn.caxton.co.za
