The young environmental champions in Gugulethu that Pristine Earth Collective have been working with have been itching to get back to cleaning up their neighbourhood, which is plagued by illegal dumping. On Saturday 27 February they held their first PEC supported clean up of the year.
It was a successful day. About 13 youths stuck around in sunny and windy conditions to clear up waste from a corner near Gogo’s kitchen, which borders onto the GROW Nonkululeko ECD (Early Childhood Development) centre. In total 44 bags of mostly plastic, paper and glass waste were collected. We did not bag natural and building materials but instead cleared what we could to the side. The weather was not ideal and due to all the builder’s rubble mixed on/into the waste, it was quite laborious work. Illegal dumping of building rubble is a pervasive problem that makes cleaning up an area significantly more difficult.
After the hard work, the youths and volunteers were tired but satisfied with the difference they had made. They were rewarded with a delicious curry lunch cooked by Gogo and supplied by PEC for their efforts. These environmental stewards are making plans to hold a clean up in their community every month!
