Bluff golf club’s calls to manage plastic pollution heeded
The club is constantly plagued with litter that washes downstream into its water bodies, not only making for an eyesore but further threatening the environment.
NEW trash traps have been installed in the water canals at the Bluff National Golf Club in efforts to control plastic pollution that washes into the facility.
READ: Unknown water contamination puts Bluff Golf Club wetland in peril
The club is constantly plagued with litter that washes downstream into its water bodies, not only making for an eyesore but further threatening the environment.
The trash traps are metal grid litter collection devices designed to catch floating garbage from stormwater runoff. The devices use booms to guide trash into a collection area where it can be captured and emptied after a rainstorm.
Gervaise and Cliffy Fisher from Fairy’s Construction were contracted by the municipality to install the grids from Friday, October 8.
“We repaired one broken grid and installed another two. There is one at Moss Road, and the other two at Club Drive. We stuck to the design and specs that the municipality provided us and we installed as per the city’s requirements. This tool is very effective in trapping the rubbish while allowing for undisrupted water flow or fish run.”
“This is a green part of the Bluff that needs to be preserved. We have been in desperate need to improve the pollution issues we have at the club. Everything washes down here and we see the negative effect it has on nature. These new traps will be a great help in managing the situation and make the club more appealing to the greater public,” said Nicolette Day, who initiates many environmental projects at the club.
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Ward 66 councillor, Zoë Solomon, warmly welcomed the project. “I’m so pleased that the city responded to our call and came on board. Even though we live in a crippled system with limited resources, such initiatives show that with good communication we can achieve positive results.
“We also took on a local labourer as a CLO. The Bluff has benefited from what has happened here. In the long run, we want this to be a place to be more than just a golf club, where we can welcome bird watching associations and the like, to enjoy this facility,” she said.
The golf course is set in a wetland conservation area in KZN and boasts numerous species of bird including the fish eagle, plovers, grey herons and pelicans.
The club’s environmental representative, Trish Barras shared that the club has been selected as one of the bird watching venues as part of an international ornithology seminar that will be held in Durban next year.
