THE Umgeni River at Blue Lagoon and surrounding beaches are among the areas where local non-profit organisation Adopt-a-River works to keep plastic pollution at bay. The NPO was founded with the aim of facilitating partnerships between corporate, government and community role-players for the benefit of the environment.
With plastic pollution evergrowing, Janet Simpkins, founder and director of Adopt-a-River, shares five eco-friendly Christmas gift ideas perfect for the eco-warrior who wants to tackle the plastic problem at the source.
“If we don’t all start changing our consumer behaviours and looking to reduce and re-use, we are going to be in serious trouble. We have to make these changes if we are going to save our planet,” said Simpkins.
Adopt-a-River currently has a number of river teams working to address the environmental issues facing our rivers and coastline,” she added.
Here’s a list of eco-friendly gift ideas we put together with Simpkin’s suggestions:
Re-usable coffee cup
One of the best ways to go green is to cut out single-use plastic containers. A re-usable coffee mug or smoothie cup with a voucher from your loved ones’ favourite coffee shop or smoothie bar would make a great gift.
Re-usable shopping bags
By keeping a re-usable shopping bag on hand, consumers can cut out a mass of plastic waste from landing up on our beautiful beaches, in our rivers, or adding to landfills.
Green cleaning products
Aside from plastic waste, there are harmful chemicals that wash into our rivers and oceans. Simpkins is a fan of eco-friendly cleaning products like Nu-Eco.
Glass jars
Glass jars are another great gift for the eco-warriors in your life. These are great for organising in the home – they also help consumers cut back on plastic.
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