Minister Creecy leads clean up campaign in City of Tshwane, Gauteng
In recognition of Earth Day 2022, Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Barbara Creecy, led a Good Green Deeds clean-up campaign in Tshwane on Friday, 22 April 2022. Three illegal dumpsites in Wards 3 and 62 were identified along the tributaries leading to the Apies River.
Minister Creecy says for Earth Day 2022 – we should focus our attention on the major threats that confront our environment which are climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution. The clean-up also supports this year’s theme of “acting boldly, innovating broadly and implementing equitably”.
“On this particular day, it’s important we focus our attention on cleaning up the environment; understanding how environmental degradation contributes to worsening the effects of climate change that are natural phenomena that are with us anyway,” says Minister Creecy.
Interacting with community members – Minister Creecy recognised some of the challenges faced by residents. These included urban degradation, informal recycling efforts as well as inadequate waste removal services.
“We have to understand why people dump here. Normally dumping is a result of inadequate household refuse collection. So, the city does have a rotational process to clear [illegal] dumpsites but what we are wanting to do across the whole country is improve the level of household waste collection particularly from households that are living in the backyards of formal dwellings and informal settlements because we know that it is those communities that often don’t have adequate waste removal services and then engage in illegal dumping activities,” the Minister added.
The joint outreach and awareness with City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality, on Earth Day, aimed to provide another platform for the Department to execute its Constitutional mandate of ensuring everyone’s right to an environment which is not harmful to their health or well-being.
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