Durban North environmentalists are warning that plastic pollution continues to move unchecked from streets into stormwater systems, rivers and the ocean, despite sustained community clean-up efforts across the area.
Elyssa Entwistle, from the Durban North Conservancy, formerly known as Enviro Fixers, said plastic waste remains one of the most persistent environmental challenges in the community, particularly during heavy rainfall when litter is washed into drains and carried through river systems into the uMgeni River and estuary before reaching the ocean.
She said volunteers continue to recover large volumes of single-use plastics during clean-ups, including shopping bags, bottles, food packaging and polystyrene, which she described as particularly problematic due to its tendency to break into small fragments that are difficult to remove and easily spread.
“We also regularly remove polystyrene packaging, which easily breaks into small pieces and is extremely difficult to clean up,” she said.
She added that stormwater drains remain a critical concern as direct channels into natural waterways, with blockages also contributing to flooding risks during heavy rain events.
“Stormwater drains lead directly to rivers and eventually the sea: they do not filter rubbish.
Every piece of litter kept out of a drain is one less piece entering our oceans, where it threatens marine animals and contributes to the growing global plastic pollution crisis. To keep stormwater drains clear, we ask residents to remove excess litter from the drains, which will in turn prevent the drains from becoming blocked during heavy rains,” Entwistle said.
She said despite increased awareness and ongoing clean-up initiatives, the volume of waste entering the environment continues to outweigh what can be removed. She emphasised the importance of small, consistent actions by residents, businesses and the wider community in reducing environmental impact and supporting ongoing conservation efforts.
“Residents can pick up litter when they see it, carry reusable shopping bags, recycle at home, report illegal dumping and avoid unnecessary single-use plastics. If every household adopted even one habit, like consistently using reusable bags, it would immediately reduce demand for single-use plastic. Businesses also have a major role to play by reducing unnecessary packaging and making sustainable choices easier for customers. We encourage the whole community—residents, schools and businesses—to take part in clean-ups, tree planting, education and greening projects, because environmental change happens when small, consistent actions are taken together,” said Entwistle.
The uMgeni River Conservancy said the impact of plastic pollution is intensified by upstream waste moving through the river system and ending up along Durban’s coastline.
Margaret van Zwol of the uMgeni River Conservancy highlighted how pollution moves through interconnected river systems before reaching Durban’s coastline, noting that much of the impact is driven by upstream waste carried through the estuary.
“Everything that is upstream of the estuary lands up on our beach. Plastic bags move through stormwater drains and river systems, and often get trapped along the way before reaching the ocean. You need to be able to stop these plastic bags from going down the stormwater drains. By the time waste reaches the coastline, we don’t always find intact plastic bags, as much of it has already broken down or mixed with other debris,” Zwol said.
Zwol added that the scale and variety of waste being collected during clean-ups reflects a broader and escalating pollution challenge across the river system.
“Waste collected during clean-ups is far more varied than people expect, including shoes, general plastics and even hazardous items like medicine. More than 10 years ago we could clean up the estuary in a week, but that is no longer possible. The scale of pollution has increased to the point where it is now found throughout the river, estuary and beaches, driven largely by upstream waste,” Zwol said.
Both organisations said lasting change depends on continued community action and simple daily habits that reduce plastic waste, helping to protect Durban North’s rivers, coastline and natural spaces.
