By Nangamso Mabindla
21 November 2006

THE East London beachfront and Marina Glen are now cleaner places, making them all the more enjoyable for nature and fun lovers.

This is thanks to the efforts of the Institute of Waste Management of South Africa, DaimlerChrysler, the provincial department of environmental affairs and tourism, the Buffalo City and Amathole District Municipalities, and the West Bank Heritage and Tourism Development Trust.

On Friday, 17 November these institutions and volunteers from the West Bank community went on a cleaning campaign around the beachfront and the braai area, the Marina Glen.

The provincial chairperson of the Waste Management Institute, Deidre Freeman, said that the institute had sponsored 10 bins at the Marina Glen area to be used during braais. "This area was not clean at all. We managed to collect 60 bags of general waste and 15 bags of recyclable waste - and we did that in just two hours."

Since these were two of popular spots for fun lovers, Freeman said that it wanted to ask the council if the institute could clean them monthly. "We would like the council to allow us to clean this area monthly so that we maintain a good hygiene standard in these popular spots."

Turning her attention to the involvement of the West Bank community, Freeman said that the institute aimed to train members of the community's development trust on the difference between general and recyclable waste.

The chairperson of the West Bank Heritage and Tourism Development Trust, Boniwe Gungqa, said the trust was a ward-based cleaning project that worked closely with other institutions to keep the area clean.

"When we heard of the chance to clean the beachfront and Marina Glen areas we volunteered to play our part. When I look at what this area looked like before and how it looks like now, there is a big difference. Our next target is our own beachfront area on the West Bank," she said.