Few things are as quietly heartbreaking as seeing plastic bags snagged on reeds, takeaway containers bobbing along the water, or old mattresses dumped among the bushes of a once-pristine riverbank. For the Liesbeek River in Cape Town’s Southern Suburbs, that image is all too familiar, but it is also a battle that has been fought with love and persistence for more than a decade. The Taking Rubbish Away, Saving Habitat project—better known by its apt acronym, TRASH—is now appealing to the public to help carry that fight forward. Run in partnership with the long-standing environmental group Friends of the Liesbeek (FOL), the initiative has devoted thirteen years to keeping the river corridor clean, and its supporters are asking residents to dig deep before a fundraising draw closes on Saturday, October 17. This is not simply a matter of tidiness; it is about protecting the health of a waterway, preserving local biodiversity, and giving the community a shared space where nature and daily life can happily coexist.
The story of TRASH is one of steady, unsung service. Since its founding, the group has systematically removed litter and illegally dumped items from both sides of the Liesbeek River, working along the stretch between the Astronomical Observatory and the N2. Over the course of thirteen years, that has meant thousands of bags of waste pulled from the water, the banks, and the tangled roots of indigenous trees. Yet the work has never been easy. Charmaine Smith, the project’s spokesperson, describes a recurring challenge: not enough local volunteers turning up to help get the job done in a single day. That shortage of hands means tasks pile up, and the river suffers for it. But TRASH refused to let the dream fade. Instead, the organisation has turned to a dedicated arrangement: paying a stipend to a team from Friends of the Liesbeek, whose members Smith calls the real heroes of the project. Their daily presence turns periodic clean-ups into ongoing care, and their commitment ensures that the river is not left abandoned between big organised events.
The partnership with Friends of the Liesbeek has become even more vital as the pressure on the river grows. Nick Fordyce, deputy chair of FOL, explains that his organisation’s Liesbeek Maintenance Project still includes litter collection, but the scale and diversity of its work have expanded enormously over the years. FOL now finds itself stretched across numerous environmental management duties, meaning it can no longer cover the entire river corridor alone. In particular, Fordyce notes that the team simply cannot get down to the Observatory area for litter collection anymore; their focus has shifted to the stretch from Newlands to Mowbray. That is where TRASH becomes a serious ally, stepping into the gap and ensuring that the Observatory side of the river is not forgotten. It is a beautiful example of how two organisations, each with their own limits, can combine strengths to cover more ground. Without TRASH, a large part of the river would likely be left vulnerable to neglect; without FOL’s maintenance crew, TRASH’s clean-up events would lack the sustained, weekly follow-through needed to make lasting change.
The numbers speak to the power of this collaboration. Over the past thirteen years, TRASH and its volunteers have removed more than ten thousand bags of litter from the Liesbeek River. Ten thousand is the kind of figure that can feel abstract until you imagine it as a line of black bags stretching along the riverbank, each one holding something that should never have been in the water—plastic bottles, discarded clothing, broken glass, the careless leftovers of convenience. Behind every bag is a person leaning over, reaching into the shallows, pulling twigs and wire and rubbish free. And the work is not just about subtracting waste; it is also about adding life. When funds allow, TRASH buys indigenous plants to place along the riverbanks, helping to restore the natural habitat and make the area more resilient to erosion and invasive species. To continue these efforts into a fourteenth year, the group is aiming to raise R24,000. This money will go toward stipends for the FOL team, protective clothing for volunteers, essential equipment like gloves and rubbish bags, and hopefully enough extra to plant more local vegetation. It is a modest amount when weighed against the enormous value of a healthy urban river.
To make the fundraising process more engaging and rewarding, TRASH and FOL have organised a special draw, running over the past month, with prizes that reflect the community’s generosity. Participants stand the chance to win sponsored items worth up to R12,000, including a carefully curated hamper, a two-night hotel stay at the V&A Waterfront, dining vouchers from a variety of restaurants and eateries, self-care treats, and homeware goodies. The draw offers a delightful way for people to support a meaningful cause while also giving themselves a little treat during uncertain times. Tickets are priced at just R25 each, making it possible for nearly anyone to contribute. Those who want to take part can enter through Quicket before the draw closes on Saturday, October 17. The organisers promise that the process will be independently observed, ensuring that the distribution of prizes is carried out fairly and transparently. All recipients of the gift bouquets will be notified by email on Wednesday, October 21, the official lucky draw date. It is a simple, cheerful transaction: a small donation, a chance at a lovely prize, and the deep satisfaction of knowing your money is helping keep a beloved river alive.
At its heart, the TRASH appeal is not really about rubbish at all—it is about belonging. The Liesbeek River is a thread that runs through the Southern Suburbs, connecting neighbourhoods, parks, cycling paths, and quiet corners of nature. When volunteers pull a tyre out of the reeds or untangle a shopping bag from a willow’s roots, they are doing more than cleaning a waterway; they are restoring a space where children can learn, where birds can nest, and where people can pause to remember that Cape Town is rich with natural beauty. But that beauty requires care, and care requires community. As TRASH faces its fourteenth year, the need for support is as real as ever. There are not always enough volunteers to make the dream of a spotless riverbank a reality, but every ticket sold, every rand donated, and every pair of hands that shows up on a Saturday morning helps close the gap. The river has given us so much—shade on a hot day, a place to walk the dog, a glimpse of herons and mongoose and wildflowers—now it is our turn to give back. By supporting TRASH and Friends of the Liesbeek, residents are not just entering a draw or writing a cheque; they are becoming part of a hopeful, ongoing story about ordinary people doing extraordinary things for a river they love.