Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo extends its appreciation to resident associations, volunteers, participating Rotary clubs; business sponsors and security companies, environmental groups, religious associations and the media for uniting with over 191 countries in removing tons of recyclable waste from the city’s waterbodies to mark World Clean-Up Day 2022 in Joburg.
The event coincided with World Parks Day and was marked by residents gathering in their numbers on Saturday, 17 September 2022, at key points along the Jukskei in Alexandra; the Sandspruit and Lonehill Dam; Blue Dam in Homestead Park; the Braamfontein Spruit and the Klipriversberg and Moroka Dam in Soweto – to clean, sort and bag waste material retrieved.
“A number of residents with waders, rakes and gloves tackled the heart of the grime in many of the heavily polluted sections of the various spruits, fishing out bulk waste. This was followed by larger groups sorting out the material and bagging it for collection by City Parks; Pikitup; waste reclaimers and resident associations, under the theme ‘end plastic’,” said Jenny Moodley, the spokesperson of Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo.
The event was underpinned by environmental groups and the city’s environmental educators reinforcing the importance of, separating household waste at its source; the costs and consequences of illegal dumping and the subsequent impacts of polluted water on the environment and on the lives and livelihoods of our loved ones.
“The reality is that even though the fine for illegal dumping has been increased to R5 000, which excludes the cost to restore the site and a free collection service of bulk residential waste, littering and dumping continues to soar. Johannesburg City Parks and Pikitup are unable to sustain its daily cleaning activities without the conscientious support of residents and the waste reclamation sector,” added Moodley.
The clean-up, which included residents from over 27 sites, culminated in a ceremony in Delta Park to acknowledge participating organisations and residents led by Paul Chinn from the New Dawn Rotary Club. The National School of the Arts choir aptly closed the event leaving Delta Park in a pristine condition, with their heartfelt rendition of Carly Simons’ Let the river run.
Environmental initiatives such as World Clean-Up Day and World Parks Day serve as vital platforms to keep residents informed and involved in taking care of public spaces and to foster civic pride and ownership in the City of Joburg.
23/09/2022
