Eco Minute 13:30

BULLETIN 13 March 1:30 pm

Good afternoon, here is your Eco Minute:

# Communities in KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, and Mpumalanga have been warned to be extra vigilant as tropical storm Filipo makes landfall. The tropical storm has already caused damage to buildings in the southern parts of Mozambique. Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs’ spokesperson, Legadima Leso, says minister Thembi Nkadimeng has directed the National Disaster Management Centre to work with all stakeholders to ensure the safety of communities that might be impacted by the tropical storm:

# The African Reclaimers Organisation has established its own sorting centre for recyclable materials in Selby, Johannesburg. This comes after almost three years of stalled talks with the City of Johannesburg on the integration of informal waste pickers. The organisation’s Recycling With Reclaimers Programme collects from nearly 100 residential areas around the city. The city’s waste management entity, Pikitup, says it is looking at how best they can assist waste pickers with sorting facilities, but budget constraints are a challenge.

# And finally: Save a Fishie founder, Zoë Prinsloo, is currently representing South Africa at the international Helen Storrow Seminar in Switzerland. The seminar is a leadership programme for youth focusing on environmentally sustainable projects for their communities. Save a Fishie is an initiative that raises awareness about marine conservation and the dangers of plastic pollution. Prinsloo says thanks to this initiative, she has organised more than 260 beach clean-ups, visited more than 111 beaches across South Africa and collected over 20 tonnes of litter.

Stay tuned for more news………….