On the 27th February Just One Thing 365 joined Chantal Natival and her Clean Up Crew on the Spruit in Paulshof. We started bright and early at 8 am, equipped with good shoes or wellies, gloves and a gardening tool (those that had that kind of thing available to them).

It was a wonderful morning filled with free coffee from Mug & Bean, fresh air and many wonderful like-minded people who want to do their bit and help our precious planet. The only downside to the morning was seeing the damage that we humans have done. 

We were joined by some wonderful students from Curro school and that sparked a lot of conservation around recycling, takeaway coffee lids and waste disposal in general. These are the types of conversations we need to start having, we need to be responsible for our own waste disposal and put in a little more care.

It was sad to see that, in some areas, plastic has become part of a tree bark or part of the roots, so entrenched that you actually cannot remove it. We found parts of a washing machine on the banks of the spruit, a hose pipe that was about 4 metres long. 

We worked solidly for 2 hours and filled many bags with plastic, clothes, shoes, electronics, rubber, cans…the list goes on and on. 

Until you see the damage caused you won’t realise the extent of it and that is why it’s time for us to play our part. Be mindful of what you consume, how you consume it and where you dump it. We would love our followers to start their own cleanup groups and would also love you to join us on the last Saturday of every month as we help Chantal and the River Clean Up Crew slowly take the spruit back.

UPDATE 19/3/21: If you’d like to help us and do your bit for the environment, join us at the next clean up on 27 March. See details here.

Special thanks to the following Curro Aurora students who got their gloves dirty:

• Ifeoma Ugbobuaku
• Gugulethu Khumalo
• Yanda Zwane
• Thando Kapie
• Thendo Mokgari
• Naledi Monyokolo
• Oratile Mathaphuli
• Akwande Letshwiti
• Peaches Mogotsi
• Sivania Reddy
• Tyler Austin
• Jordan Irons

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