PLETTENBERG BAY NEWS - Alison Bryant’s name has become synonymous with Plett’s cleanliness over the years. Yolandé Stander paid a brief visit to the woman behind the Keep Plett Clean Campaign.
Some of longtime Plettenberg Bay resident Alison Bryant’s earliest memories are of making sure her surroundings were neat and tidy and this lifelong passion has served her hometown well.
It turns out that there a few who share her passion as she now has – four-and-a-half years later since starting the campaign – a group of about 30 volunteers who give up their time and energy to help her in her quest to keep Plett in tip-top condition. Through the campaign and the generous support from local business owners, she also now employs two permanent staff members.
Shoddy beginnings
“There was a time when the town started to look a bit shoddy. There were weeds and litter everywhere. And being an upmarket holiday destination, we can’t afford it. We need to attract people to our town which in turn creates jobs and keeps our economy going,” Bryant says. “It started with a call on Facebook. I just appealed to people who wanted to do their part in making the necessary changes.”
After a few meetings the Keep Plett Clean Campaign was established in February 2014 and since then Bryant, her volunteers and staff members have been monitoring the town, picking up litter and beautifying the area as they go along.
Several Plett residents gather every Tuesday to help the Keep Plett Clean Campaign to clean the town and keep it in tip top condition. Photo: Supplied
Every week a group of volunteers meet at The Grand in the town’s Main Street from where they venture out with bibs and pickers.
What is remarkable is that it is not a funded initiative. “We purely keep going through the generosity of our volunteers and some donations here and there.”
Several Plett residents gather every Tuesday to help the Keep Plett Clean Campaign to clean the town and keep it in tip top condition. Photo: Supplied
Local business on board
Local business owner Duncan Brown, who owns the Beacon Island Spar, came on board about two years ago to pay the wages of the two permanent staff members.
“These two, Joseph and Benson, cover about 15km every day picking up litter as they go.”
Another volunteer, David Scott, who Bryant refers to as her right-hand man, drives around Plett in his bakkie monitoring the litter situation and communicates which areas are in need of TLC. He also assists in collecting the rubbish that was picked up.
Since starting the campaign, they have also placed blue branded dustbins across Plett to encourage locals and visitors to dispose of their rubbish responsibly.
Bryant also ensured that all parking attendants in Main Street have “uniforms”. “Not only does this make the area more attractive, but each attendant is responsible for ensuring that the area in which he or she works, is clean.”
Bryant says one of the reasons she decided to do something about the litter issue, was that she realised that authorities “just did not have the manpower” to handle the situation. “If you don’t do anything about it, who will?”
Broadening their scope
The scope of the initiative goes beyond just picking up litter. They recently also started painting the walls along Main Street. “They were beginning to look a bit run down,” Bryant says.
“What we try to do through the campaign, is inspire locals and visitors to take ownership of their surroundings. We strive to educate and to create awareness around the importance of making sure the town is clean.”
She adds that this passion for cleanliness was clear for her from a young age. “I’m a bit of a neat freak. I like law and order. I can remember as a little girl straightening the carpets in our house.”
This passion followed her as her day job involves running Plett Carpet Cleaners.
“Things have really changed over the past four-and-a-half years. The town is much cleaner and people seem to care a whole lot more about keeping it that way.”
If anyone wants to know more, want to become involved or want to donate to Bryant’s cause, she can be contacted on 082 572 1027.
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