Tons of plastic collected on Durban coast
The team, continues to clean up beaches, today, April 19, working their way southwards from Blue Lagoon Beach.
![online clean up](https://images.caxton.co.za/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2022/04/online-clean-up-780x470.jpg)
AS masses of plastic pollution and debris washed up on Durban beaches, volunteers pitched in to help clean up the coastline.
Among the teams collecting refuse is Adopt-a-River, a non-profit-organisation that facilitates partnerships between the corporate sphere, government and community role players to keep local water ways clean.
The team, continues to clean up beaches, today, April 19, working their way southwards from Blue Lagoon Beach.
Janet Simpkins of Adopt-a-River, said they have collected more than a ton of PET (Polyethylene terephthalate) plastic alone. They started cleaning up on Wednesday, April 13 and by Thursday, had collected three full skip loads of PET.
This weighed in at more than one ton, a figure that continues to rise. The Adopt-a-River team was assisted by volunteers in the community to sort plastic from the debris for recycling.
ALSO READ: Floods kill two SAPS officers and police dog
“We are separating PET from the remainder of the plastic and trying to salvage polystyrene to send to various waste recycling plants. We have been showing volunteers the different types of plastic and asking them to separate it- it makes a big difference if we can send the plastic to the right places, so it’s not all going to landfall,” she said.
Simpkins explained that PET plastic refers primarily to cooldrink bottles. This includes clear, brown and green bottles, but excludes white milk jugs, yoghurt containers and other plastic containers.
ALSO READ: VIDEO: Glenwood home damaged as rain rages across Durban
The Adopt-a-River team sent PET recycling to Planetcare Durban and the remainder of the plastic to a waste beneficiation centre in KwaMashu.
Don’t miss this week’s Berea Mail to read more.
* Notice: Coronavirus reporting at Caxton Local Media aims to combat fake news
Dear reader, As your local news provider, we have the duty of keeping you factually informed on Covid-19 developments. As you may have noticed, mis- and disinformation (also known as “fake news”) is circulating online. Caxton Local Media is determined to filter through the masses of information doing the rounds and to separate truth from untruth in order to keep you adequately informed. Local newsrooms follow a strict pre-publication fact-checking protocol. A national task team has been established to assist in bringing you credible news reports on Covid-19. Readers with any comments or queries may contact National Group Editor Irma Green (irma@caxton.co.za) or Legal Adviser Helene Eloff (helene@caxton.co.za).
Do you want to receive alerts regarding this and other Highway community news via Telegram? Send us a Telegram message (not an SMS) with your name and surname (ONLY) to 060 532 5409. You can also join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
PLEASE NOTE: If you have signed up for our news alerts you need to save the Telegram number as a contact to your phone, otherwise you will not receive our alerts. Here’s where you can download Telegram on Android or Apple.