The cross-country Corona Coastal Cleanup Tour headed up by Frank Solomon, has officially kicked off. The trip stretching from Durban to Cape Town, will see Frank visit various NGO’s, marine biologists, shark specialists and other local experts, all fighting for the longevity of our oceans. These local experts aim to highlight the shocking effects of how marine pollution is affecting our coastline’s natural beauty.
Day one saw Frank meet up with Cam Service from MyTrails an initiative that focusses on a litter catchment system to collect rubbish along three rivers in Durban, with the principal setup along the Umgeni river.
Following a conversation and site visit with Cam, Frank with help from the Durban Green Corridor and volunteers from the neighbouring community rolled up their sleeves and got elbow deep in cleaning up the spewed up synthetic guts of the Umgeni river. Although a monumental effort was made on the day, the amount of plastic still left along the banks was enough to make a grown man cry, serving as a testament to the fact that the problem is by far an easy fix.
Unbeknownst to many, the Umgeni is the most polluted river in the country and without projects such as the Litterboom and the selfless act of cleaning up after someone else, the amount of plastic that would make its way out to sea would be far worse. Every bit of plastic plucked from the natural environment and discarded appropriately, goes a long way in making a difference both on a short term and long term scale.
