Campaign to get CBD to ‘come clean’
MORE than 2 000kg of litter was dumped on the city’s streets last year.
The litter has become a growing concern and the City’s Central Improvement District (CCID) has launched a campaign to raise public awareness about keeping the CBD clean.
It will run until the end of next month under the message, “It’s time to come clean in the Central City”.
According to Richard Beesley, manager of CCID Urban Management, the campaign is essential as a great deal of litter continues to be dumped each year.
“During last year’s campaign, we calculated that just one day’s worth of litter dumped illegally on to our streets in the CBD amounted to 2100kgs and costs R26 000 to remove, and since then these figures have increased.
“If more people ‘came clean’ and were litter conscious, imagine how this money and the resources used to clean the mess could be utilised towards other pressing urban management challenges.”
It is estimated that in addition to the mass waste removal undertaken by the CCID, its contracted teams supplement this by sweeping up around 1 020 additional tonnes of waste dumped annually directly on the streets, through either illegal dumping or common littering.
“To drive home the message that everyone should take responsibility for the correct disposing of their own litter – and let go of the view that someone else will be there to clean up after them – the 2018 #KeepItClean campaign will be showing the public just how much effort it takes to keep the CBD clean.
“For example, we have 270 CCIDbranded concrete cigarette butt bins placed strategically around the CBD, and intend to visually demonstrate what just one month’s worth of collecting those butts looks like. Enormous volumes of cigarette butts still end up on the ground through illegal dumping.”
Mayco member for Informal Settlements, Water and Waste Services and Energy, Xanthea Limberg said the cleaning budget is R151 193 897, which includes the CBD.