A partnership between the City of Cape Town’s Water and Sanitation Directorate, RethinkTheStink and Save a Fishie is taking the #BinItDontFlushIt message into schools and communities to tackle sewer blockages and plastic pollution. 

The partnership is supported through the City’s grant funding programme and focuses on the Lower Diep River sub-catchment, upstream of the Milnerton Lagoon.

The #BinItDontFlushIt campaign highlights the link between incorrect disposal of waste, sewer blockages and pollution entering rivers and the ocean. It promotes the ‘3 Ps’ – poop, pee and toilet paper, as the only items that should be flushed. Wet wipes, sanitary products, disposable nappies, earbuds and lollipop sticks, among other items, belong in the bin.

Caption 1: Save a Fishie hosted a public display at Edgemead Library as part of the #BinItDontFlushIt campaign.

As part of the project, RethinkTheStink is educating residents, learners and the broader public about responsible disposal, while Save a Fishie is supporting the campaign through community beach and river clean-ups.

The project includes educational awareness programmes at five schools, awareness sessions at three community centres, public bathroom signage, interactive visual displays, community beach and river clean-ups, behavioural surveys and a targeted social media campaign.
'Partnerships are an essential part of our toolkit which helps protect our waterways and requires sustained work both within the City and in our communities. Community organisations bring local knowledge, relationships and hands-on experience that help us reach more residents and encourage responsible waste disposal.
 
‘Through our grant funding programme, we support organisations in turning that shared commitment into practical action. Our partnership with RethinkTheStink and Save a Fishie connects education with community involvement, helping residents understand how everyday choices can prevent sewer blockages and reduce pollution,’ said Alderman Zahid Badroodien, Mayoral Committee Member for Water and Sanitation.

Caption 2: Edgemead Library staff engage with the display set up by Save a Fishie as part of the #BinItDontFlushIt campaign.

‘I’d like to thank the City of Cape Town for its support of the #BinItDontFlushIt campaign, which highlights the often unseen consequences of flushing anything other than the 3 Ps. Through public education and community action, we can all play a role in reducing these preventable blockages and pollution. It starts with our own behaviour,’ said Caroline Marx from RethinkTheStink.