The Friends of the Liesbeek held their monthly clean-up from the N2 to the River Club last Saturday morning.
The volunteers, members of the organisation Clean C and the community were encouraged to help keep the river clean.
This community project was initially started in 2013 by Ricardo Sa and after a brief hiatus was continued by Syabrand Strauss, Charmaine Smith and Kari Cousins.
Ms Cousins, who co-ordinated the clean-up, says the amount of litter collected varies monthly by between 45 and up to 120 bags of litter.
The Observatory Improvement District (OBSCID) helps them dispose of the waste which has included plastic bottles, alcohol bottles, chips and chocolate wrappers and even CDs, old handbags, luggage and clothing found near and in the river.
Among the volunteers was Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) environmental management student, Zintathu Mgolombane, who said: “This is something very close to our hearts and we have been doing it for a very long time. We would like to make a difference in our community and have a positive impact on the environment.”
Friends of the Liesbeek River volunteer, Sivu Zwide, said: “We clean up every first Saturday of the month. The idea is to clean up the river and its banks because there are people living and camping around here who try to find what they can from the river to make a living from it.”
More than 30 volunteers joined the clean-up last Saturday and filled over 100 bags of litter.
The Friends of the Liesbeek host the clean-ups every first Saturday of the month, from 8.30am until 3.30pm. Meet in front of the Wild Fig restaurant parking area. They encourage all members of the community to take part.
The bags are provided but volunteers need their own gloves and gumboots.
For more information, contact Trish Swanepoel at 083 500 8101 or trash@fol.org.za
