Eco champs address nappy dumping
The Eco champ team are on a mission to educate people about the correct ways of disposing nappies as they cause blockages and result in sewage going into the river.
DISPOSABLE nappies have become popular and are seen by young mothers as convenient and beneficial to the health of babies.
Unfortunately these nappies are often flushed down toilets, causing blockages which result in sewage going into the river.
There are also problems with the collection of used nappies which are often dumped on vacant land or in the river when people do not use the municipal collection system for solid waste.
Aller River project manager, Thozeka Ntlukwane, said the Eco-champs have started to tackle the problems caused by irresponsible dumping but before implementing any actions and to better understand the problem, a series of Focus Group research interviews were carried out recently.
“The people we interviewed were young pregnant women, women who already had babies as well as the ‘creche mommas’ who look after young children in the local creches.
Ntlukwane said these interviews highlighted the huge need to educate people on the correct methods of disposal as well as on the negative effects of irresponsible dumping.
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“The municipal collection system working efficiently and effectively to avoid frustrations was another concern that came up during the research. No one wants to have dirty nappies in the house particularly in high density living areas,” she said.
Some good suggestions were put forward by the participants and the Eco-champ team is now preparing a proposal to submit to industry representatives which will address the education and information needs.
“The Eco-champ team will also be engaging with the municipal authorities to discuss the collection system and to identify ways to ensure the used nappies are collected timeously,” added Ntlukwane.
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