Mayoral Committee Member for Urban Waste Management, Alderman Grant Twigg, visited Bloekombos Primary today to talk to learners about how a cleaner school can benefit them as part of the Cleaner Schools, Safer Schools Project.
The City of Cape Town is working towards changing residents’ mindset around litter and dumping, starting with the youngest. As part of this effort, the directorate is running a project providing education and awareness-building at selected schools. This is being supported by donations of paint, cleaning supplies and toilet paper to help them create an environment that discourages littering.
The project, known as Cleaner Schools, Safer Schools, aims to highlight how litter can contribute to increased crime, or conversely how cleaner environments can deter criminal elements. Libee the library mascot also attended to help emphasise the message, and promote reading.
The aim is to highlight the importance of cleaning to children and to motivate them to play their part in their communities, by keeping their schools clean. A total budget of R50 000 has been assigned to the project.
‘Keeping Cape Town clean requires a partnership between residents and government. It is key that we reach the children with this message as early as possible if we want to change the culture around waste in communities where littering and dumping is a challenge. They can be agents of positive change.
‘Dumping can become a vicious cycle. It can degrade an area, and lower property values, which then can cause more dumping and attract crime. It is important we show residents from a young age that these things are interconnected, so they are more motivated not to litter, and to address littering and dumping in their surroundings,’ said Mayoral Committee Member for Urban Waste Management Alderman Grant Twigg.
To report illegal dumping in your community, contact:
City Call Centre: 0860 103 089
If you have the culprit’s vehicle registration number and/or can identify him/her: Call: 021 444 6231/ 021 444 6224 / 021 444 6223.
Caption 1: (Left to right) Heinrich Magerman, Director: Western Cape CDW, Alderman Grant Twigg, Mayoral Committee Member for Urban Waste Management, Thula Batyi, Principal: Bloekombos Primary School, Themebela Sebezo, Teacher: Bloekombos Primary School and Luzuko Mdunyelwa, Acting Director: Area Central.
Caption 2: Alderman Grant Twigg, Mayoral Committee Member for Urban Waste Management addresses the students of Bloekombos Primary School.
Caption 3: Conette Koorts, Librarian: Durbanville Library with LiBee the library mascot
Source: City Of Cape Town