Cola-Cola keen to ‘muck in’ to clean up Durban beaches

28 July 2016 - 10:36 By TMG Digital

Coca-Cola wasn’t to “blame” for the mess‚ but when it came to removing it from KwaZulu-Natal’s litter-ravaged beaches‚ the beverage giant said: “Yes‚ we are in.” After seeing the state of his city’s beaches in the wake of the week’s extreme weather‚ Durbanite Richard McLennan took to Coca-Cola South Africa’s Facebook page to appeal for help.Welldone Richard McLennan with this initiative and also to coca-cola for agreeing to spearhead this clean-up!Posted by Police pics and clips on Wednesday, July 27, 2016“Dear Coca-Cola South Africa‚” he wrote‚ “as you are no doubt aware we have had some serious rain and flooding in KZN. Besides the loss of lives‚ damage to homes‚ schools and roads‚ we have also seen our rivers spilling huge amounts of plastic waste into our oceans.“A lot of this waste is actually your empty bottles‚” his post‚ which was accompanied by a photo of a plastic-strewn coastline‚ said.McLennan noted that “much of this plastic waste will end up far out at sea where it takes hundreds of years to decompose‚ if it’s not consumed by marine animals‚ either way this is bad for our planet and your brand”.The Northwood Boys High old boy said that as the local authority has “insufficient resources to deal with this quickly and effectively”‚ he wanted to know if there was “any chance Coca-Cola can muck in and help us clean up their bottles?”He stressed that there is a “short window to clean up” the beaches.Team Coca-Cola South Africa replied promptly that: “We appreciate citizens who are actively involved in the community and care about the environment. :) Yes‚ we are in‚ we would like to meet with you asap so we can make this happen.”The Facebook reply continued: “We are planning a coastal inspection in the morning.”McLennan later noted “to clarify‚ I DO NOT blame Coke for this litter‚ short-term I am asking them to assist in cleaning up our beaches‚ medium- to long-term I am asking them to put top of their corporate responsibility: recycle initiatives‚ education around recycling and the development of environmentally friendly packaging and maybe even to create employment opportunities around recycling and waste collection”. ..

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