COMMUNITY members braved the chilly morning winds and rolled up their sleeves for a clean-up campaign to clear the waste from Travancore Drive, Merebank on Friday, 5 July.
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The initiative was organised by the South Durban Basin Area Based Management (SDB ABM), Durban Solid Waste (DSW) Education together with the Department of Parks and Recreation in response to the Merebank Residents Association’s (MRA) concerns about the litter in the residential area. Andile Khuzwayo of SDB ABM said that the joint effort was not only about putting litter in a refuse bag but also to raise awareness about the impact of illegal dumping and further show them how this can be curbed. “The theme for the day, was waste minimisation by the community, as we believe that involving the community in clean-ups can minimise the amount of waste that can be seen littering the area. We urge the community to use the correct ways of disposing of their waste and making use of the refuse bags supplied by DSW and putting them out when refuse is collected each week. The community should utilise all services available to them correctly, therefore minimising the amount of litter in our environmental sites such as the ocean and wetlands,” she said.
Kolin Citera from the department of parks said they noted that there is a persistent issue of illegal dumping in the South Durban Basin and further appealed to the community to make use of dumping facilities and waste removal services. “Illegal dump sites contribute to issues of health as these sites tend to foster the infestation of rats in certain areas. We encourage the residents of Merebank to practice social responsibility in caring for their environment and take pride in their area by proactively removing waste,” he said.
Michael Chetty from the MRA said that he and other local residents are tired of living in filth. “We want to get this place cleaned up. It is displeasing to the eye and decreases property value in the area. We are thankful to the departments for supporting and helping us. Going forward we would like to educate our people about cleanliness and keeping Merebank clean,” he said.
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