KNYSNA NEWS - Statistics from the various cleaning teams active in Knysna show that individual sweet wrappers are, week after week, on top of the list of items picked up by the teams.
“From the end of June to beginning of August more than 6 446 sweet wrappers were picked up. Statistics from cleanups east and west of the Knysna Yacht Club by Sanparks honorary rangers mirror this trend,” says Sue Swain from environmental company BioWise.
“The after-dinner sweets that come with your bill at local restaurants are wrapped in these,” continues Swain.
“The fact that these end up littering our streets and estuary is a major concern. Is this not the perfect opportunity to implement the 'refuse' part of a waste management hierarchy – refusing to produce this waste in the first place? The cleanups around the yacht club, Waterfront and angling club area show the highest concentration of sweet wrapper littering, an area with a high concentration of Knysna restaurants.”
Swain says this can be addressed quite easily. “The restaurants have to rethink the reasoning for handing out these sweets. If the aim is to refresh the palate, fresh mint leaves will also do the trick and is a healthier option? Can we challenge them to stop using these?”
Weekly cleanup
Two teams clean up the areas along our waterways, including the channels going inland, on a weekly basis. “They do a fantastic job and sort and monitor what they pick up. Other items that are high on the list are carrier bags, cool drink bottles and lids, glass bottles, chip packets, cans and cigarette buds."
“Over the same period 6 445 chips packets, 6 029 glass bottles, 5 306 cans, 5229 cool drink lids, 4 733 cool drink bottles, 4 366 cigarette buds and 4 047 carrier bags were picked up,” says Swain.
“The statistics help us pinpoint specific problem areas, e.g. high volumes of takeaway coffee cups are found in the station and Fruit & Veg area – 2 234 cups were picked up over the same period, about 55 a day,” she says.
The teams sort the waste once collected, and pass on whatever items can be recycled or upcycled. “They are key to keeping our waterways clean. In addition to sorting they also make their own bottle bricks from the chip packets and other suitable material that are being picked up," says Swain.
"We are fortunate that Knysna Municipality sourced funding to proceed with the service for the last three months. There is now enough support to keep the service running until government funding kicks in again in November.”
Swain says it is a mammoth task. “We have to take responsibility for our own waste. Not just at home but also when we are on the move. Think about how you can reduce and reuse to help stop the tide of waste – it is not a 'nice thing' to do anymore, it is a necessity. We are running out of space and out of resources.”
Article: Nicci Rousseau-Schmidt
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