Battle against Blue Lagoon litter continues
Volunteers estimated that it would take them three days to clear all the rubbish at the river mouth.
THE amount of litter at the Blue Lagoon beach on Saturday morning shocked Durban North resident Dale Johnson as he and about 20 other locals took part in this month’s #CleanBlueLagoon initiative. The environmentalist estimated that it would take them at least three days to clear all the waste on the shoreline.
The volunteers focussed their clean-up efforts at the mouth of the uMngeni River, where most of the litter had accumulated. About 100 bags were collected on the day, a stark contrast to the 300 bags – or ten cubic metres – of waste that had been cleared from the beach last month. During the course of the clean-up the Northglen News also spotted some of the medical waste lying on the beach which forced the city to close four Durban North beaches in May.
“It is very concerning to see this amount of rubbish here today. We hosted a massive clean-up last month and there was also one held on 8 June for World Oceans Day. There also haven’t been any major rains. While we hope the rains come I shudder to think how much waste will be washed down with the rains,” said Johnson, who is one of the organisers of the event.
More education, he said, was necessary if the City hoped to eradicate the problem.
Johnson said he was also disappointed that the support for the initiative had dwindled this month. “Last month we saw about 80 to 100 people attending. Most of the people who attended today are regulars who have been supporting our cause from the beginning,” he said
Organisers of the event, Dale Johnson and Luc Quevauvilliers, launched the initiative after the massive floods in March, which carried tons of litter down the uMngeni River.
View our gallery of the clean-up here.
