WINDHOEK – Employees of ship repair company Elgin Brown & Hamer (EBH) has cleaned up the beaches of Walvis Bay as part of the company’s efforts to promote environmental stewardship by focusing on cleaner beaches and healthier oceans.
“Dirty beaches drive away tourists, injure bathers and harm wildlife. Whether we live near a beach or hundreds of kilometres from the coastline, we all have a profound stake in an ocean that is healthy and abundant,” says Leeanne Salpeter, Commercial Administrator of EBH Namibia. The company’s 73 employees descended on three beach sites, gathering hundreds of kilogrammes of refuse, and leaving a pristine shoreline in their wake. The areas the cleaned included the road sides north of Narraville Bridge until the end of the tree line, Dolphin Beach towards Langstrand, and Independence Beach.
During the four-hour clean-up operation, which took place on the 8th of January, EBH volunteers managed to fill 200 refuse bags, which had been donated by the Walvis Bay municipality. Most of the trash collected originated from land-based sources, including plastic bottles, cigarette butts, rusty tins, broken glass bottles, aluminium beverage cans, Styrofoam containers, food wrappers and plastic grocery bags. “At EBH Namibia we continuously strive to create a culture of safety, and a safe environment is one that is free of litter and toxins, which pose a health risk to people, marine life, and ultimately to our economy. Plastic bags and bottles are among the top five items of debris most often found our beaches,” said Salpeter.
“Like almost all single-use disposable plastics, it tends to be used for a few seconds but lasts forever. Their durability and buoyancy make them especially harmful to marine life when washed into the ocean. Other common items include broken bottles and rusty tin cans, which can be a serious hazard on a beach, posing a risk of injury while also releasing toxins as they decompose. We all deserve to walk on the beach without worrying about cutting ourselves on litter, or health risks as a result of pollution,” she said.
By Staff Reporter