NEWCASTLE KZN: Clean-up campaign aims to restore town’s pride
It only takes one person to dump his rubbish somewhere to make others think its okay to do the same.
One area at a time, the Cleanup Newcastle campaign is tidying up the town. From cutting verges to clearing illegal dumping sites, the project has a long-term objective of inspiring residents to ‘tend to their own mess’.
Rowan Bernstein of the local branch of Car Connexion, the company which launched the concept, explained the campaign was a way to give back to the community and was done entirely at their own cost. The idea is to host clean-ups once a month.
“Residents can get involved by firstly not dumping. Start by cutting the grass on your pavement and across the road from you. If we want to see changes, we need to make the first move. Don’t rely on other people to do it for you. Small steps end up making huge in-roads.”
Bernstein said Newcastle residents were fortunate to live in a town with vast fields and open spaces, which were unfortunate victims of illegal dumping.
His appeal – for residents to report those responsible for these makeshift dump sites and not follow this filthy trend. He believes that if a resident can stop just one person from dumping illegally, this will have a knock-on effect in reducing this huge problem.
“Illegal dumping and littering are massive problems everywhere. We need to speak out about it. If you see someone littering or dumping, you need to educate them and ask why are they doing that. It only takes one person to dump his rubbish somewhere to make others think its okay to do the same.”
More about Rowan Bernstein:
Bernstein has lived in Newcastle for 12 years and describes the town’s residents as ‘amazing’. He grew up in Volksrust and matriculated from Volksrust High School. He now resides in town and is married with two boys.
His motto is ‘never give up’ and he has committed to continuing efforts to make a difference in the community.
“Hopefully, it will have a knock-on effect and we can all once again be proud of Newcastle.”
Be sure to read this week’s front page article to learn more about the campaign and why residents should all be involved in making a difference.
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Email: Reveshni Douglas (Editor) at reveshni@caxton.co.za
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