Volunteers collect 80 tonnes of trash from Hennops River

Centurion volunteers dragged over 2,000 plastic bags of litter from the Hennops River over the weekend, reports Centurion Rekord.

The clean-up took place over Saturday and Sunday at the Centurion Lake, where a total of 120 volunteers cleared the area of around 80 tonnes of trash.

“It was an incredibly magical experience to be a part of and it had me in tears more than once,” said organiser and Hennops Revival founder Tarryn Johnston.

“We managed to fill 2,007 plastic bags with litter and that is excluding any branches and trees we also removed from the river.”

Johnston and her non-profit organisation have been involved in keeping the struggling Hennops River clean in the area in recent months.

On Saturday, around 40 people arrived for the first leg of the clean-up.

“We weren’t expecting as many people because it was raining on the day,” Johnston said.

“But many volunteers still decided to join us and later in the day the weather got better.”

“We managed to get 667 bags filled with everything from discarded electronic devices, toys, tyres and even what appeared to be the springs of a mattress.”

Saturday also saw two of the volunteers, Lisa and James Barnes, renewing their wedding vows.

“They had been married for seven years and had decided to renew their vows next to the Hennops River,” said Johnston.

“Afterwards, they said their wish was for the Hennops to one day be as clear as their love for each other.”

Sunday’s weather proved to be much hotter but that didn’t stop the volunteers from putting in an even bigger effort.

“We managed to fill an additional 1,340 bags, all of which were removed by the Tshwane metro.”

“After clearing the weir at the lake on Saturday, we ended up concentrating on the nearby park and the area surrounding the lake.”

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