Cape Town - The SA Maritime School has gone out of their way to clean the streets of Cape Town and instil a sense of cleanliness in its learners by organising regular Wednesday clean-up events in the Woodstock and Salt River areas.
Fifteen clean-up events were held since March, in which the students hauled 1 470 bags of litter off the City’s streets.
The City recognised these efforts with a special ceremony on Friday last week at the Maritime School campus in Woodstock to thank the school and its students for their commitment to keeping the streets of Cape Town clean.
Urban Waste Management Mayco member, Grant Twigg said: “When members of a community come together to pick up litter, it helps inspire others to join the fight.
“Many communities in Cape Town have simply accepted that dumping is their reality, but when leaders in a community mobilise their resources against the problem, it gives hope that this is a battle they can win.”
Joining Twigg at the ceremony, ward councillor Ian McMahon said: “I was thrilled to join Twigg and other councillors and officials to celebrate a year's worth of volunteerism last week.
“The SA Maritime School approached the City to offer help in keeping the Woodstock area clean which they did over the year.”
McMahon said each learner was handed a certificate of thanks. Half way through the year, McMahon arranged a visit to the Two Oceans Aquarium where the learners got to meet Bob, the turtle - and see first hand what happens when plastic and rubbish gets into the oceans via the storm water drains, and the disastrously bad effect it has on wildlife and sea animals.
SA Maritime School and Transport College operations manager Qiyaam Marshall said: “We set the lead. I am super proud of every student who showed commitment throughout. Thank you, City for the support. We are not done.”
Twigg added that not only did these effort inspire others, but the 1 470 bags of litter removed also made a tangible difference on the ground.
“I encourage all schools and colleges to follow this example. If we instil a concern for the environment and community health in the youth, we can eliminate the majority of littering and dump sites that plague our communities within a generation,” Twigg said.