More hands needed
Despite intense collaborative clean-up, lots of plastic waste remains on the beachfront
DESPITE more than 500 bins of plastic waste recovered from the Durban beachfront this week after a massive storm, there is more work to be done.
Many parts of the beachfront, from Blue Lagoon northwards, are still marred by the hundreds of plastic objects lodged on the shore.
Durbanites interested in participating in rolling clean-up operations have been urged to find details on the Durban Green Corridor Facebook page.
A massive storm that struck the province last Sunday night sent a deluge of debris streaming down the uMngeni River and washing back up on the shoreline this week.
“In the past few days, we have collected 580 bins worth of plastic. The Wildlands Trust and Durban Solid Waste have also been collecting plastics for recycling, and we need more people and organisations to join to help clean up the rest of the beachfront,” said Sifiso Ngoma of the Durban Green Corridor – an organisation situated at Blue Lagoon that helps create and promote eco-friendly activities and places in the city.
On Thursday, Ngoma said several companies were involved in the clean-up operations and had about 350 people cleaning at the beachfront.
“It took many of us to clean up. We used a boat to carry loads of plastic across the river mouth. We did as much as we could, but there’s still so much out there,” he said.
The plastics collected will be sent for recycling projects.
Ngoma said the four litter booms that they had set up along the uMngeni River to trap debris before it reached the sea had washed away during the storm.
“We are in the process of installing those again and that will help trap litter again, so we hopefully don’t see as much plastic pollution end up on the shore again,” he said.
Meanwhile, hundreds of Durban youth marched through the city centre yesterday with a message for senior leaders to play a stronger role in stopping global warming.
The march was part of a youthled international day to campaign for climate justice, inspired by Swedish pupil Greta Thunberg, who skipped school to protest outside parliament buildings.
She wanted her government to do more to stop global warming, and urged it to change its policies. Her actions caught international attention and in December last year, she addressed the UN Climate Change Conference. Earlier this year, she was invited to talk to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
In Durban, organisations such as the South African Youth Climate Coalition, Oceans Not Oil, Earthlife Africa Durban and the South Durban Community Environment Alliance (SDCEA) gathered to demand action from government.
Sherelee Odayar of SDCEA said: “Durban youth joined the 100 000 youth around the world to call for greater action. Our government needs to implement policies that will help future generations lead better lives.
“Young people will inherit the planet, so they are the ones who need to lobby government, and this is why we are part of this international action. We know what the solutions are.”