The small lives
Aquatic insects and other small animals are part of river food webs. Clean water helps protect the life we often overlook.
OUR STREETS. OUR RIVER.
A little sign.
A cleaner
Spruit.
A chip packet in the gutter doesn’t stay in the gutter. Let’s keep litter out of the Braamfontein Spruit, one small reminder at a time.
Meet the stickersHelp make it happenFOR THE SPRUIT.This is
not a bin.
PLEASE PUT YOUR LITTER IN A BIN.
not a bin.
Akuwona umgqomo
kadoti lona.
PLEASE PUT YOUR LITTER IN A BIN.
FOR THE SPRUIT.This
is a bin.
OUR RIVER CLEAN.
is a bin.
Lona ngumgqomo
kadoti.
OUR RIVER CLEAN.
Two messages. One shared responsibility.
THE SPRUIT STARTS AT YOUR STREET.
01 / THE IDEA
The gutter is
part of the journey.
Rain can carry discarded food packaging from our streets, through stormwater drains, and into the nearby river.
For the Spruit is a neighbourhood initiative started by Robert Skelton. The aim is simple: put a clear reminder where litter is dropped, and a welcoming message where it belongs.
No lectures. Just a small, visible invitation to care for a place we share.
Why I started this
I’m Robert, a local resident and plant physiologist. Seeing food packaging in our gutters made me want to do something practical for the river nearby. These signs are a starting point. I hope this becomes a place where neighbours share what they love about the Spruit, and help look after it together.
Robert Skelton · Founder- Street litterA packet is dropped.
- StormwaterRain washes it into a drain.
- The SpruitOur river receives the rubbish.
02 / A REMINDER IN THE RIGHT PLACE
Same campaign.
Different message.
English and isiZulu together.
Big enough to notice. Simple enough to remember.
This is not a bin.
A blue reminder for the concrete beside a stormwater drain. The second line makes the connection to the river clear.
- Sticker size
- 180 × 120 mm
- Placement
- Visible concrete face beside a drain
- QR destination
- https://fortheriver.org
Both designs include a QR code linking to fortheriver.org. The isiZulu wording has been reviewed by a first-language speaker. Please test a printed QR code at its actual size before a print run.
Download both designs + PDF proofs + printing notes
Printing and placement notes
Ask a printer for exterior-grade vinyl, UV-resistant ink and a protective laminate. Rough, dusty or damp concrete may need a more durable mounted sign instead of a sticker.
Arrange permission with the owner or relevant authority before installing signs. Keep drain openings, pedestrian surfaces, road markings and existing safety signs clear.
Start with a small trial. Check readability, adhesion and whether a usable bin is nearby. Revisit the signs after rain and replace damaged ones.
03 / HELP THE MESSAGE TRAVEL
Your street.
Your river.
Take the message to your neighbourhood.
Across cities, provinces and borders.
Bring the campaign to a place you care about.
Request stickers to put on suitable drains and bins in your own neighbourhood, wherever you live. Choose the language pair that people around you will understand. We’ll confirm printing and delivery options with you before you commit.
Arrange permission before placing signs. Keep drain openings, walking surfaces and safety signs clear. The river message should suit the location you choose.
Choose your languages and request stickers
Make the message local.
Choose quantities for the blue drain sticker and green bin sticker. Both use your selected language pair.
English + isiZulu is our initial design. Other pairs are requests for translation and printing; wording will be checked with fluent speakers before production.
Requests from other cities, provinces and countries are welcome. Shipping availability, postage, any international import charges and delivery times are confirmed individually.
Help fund the next print run.
Illustrative sticker budgets. Amounts below assume R10 per sticker and exclude postage and installation. Final printing and delivery costs are confirmed with your quote.
Explore a sticker budget
Adjust the assumed unit price to see how far support could go.
Sticker-only illustration, rounded down. Excludes delivery, installation and plaques.
Back into the river.
After printing and delivery costs, all remaining proceeds will go back into caring for the Braamfontein Spruit. This may include paying for clean-up services, funding practical river-cleaning activities, or contributing to PRABOA membership. The aim is simple: turn support for the campaign into a cleaner Spruit.
Built on trust.
This campaign is operated by Skelton Consulting Pty Ltd, trading as PlantBeat.
- Registration number
- 2024/604091/07
- Enterprise number
- K2024604091
The company was previously registered as PlantBeat Pty Ltd. The bank account is listed under that former name. The plan is to share printing costs, receipts and where signs have been installed as the campaign grows.
Contact: plantwateruse@gmail.com
Support by EFT.
You can support the campaign by EFT. For sticker orders, please wait for an agreed printing and delivery quote before paying.
- Account holder
- PlantBeat Pty Ltd
- Bank
- Standard Bank
- Account type
- Business Current Account
- Account number
- 332776077
- Branch code
- 5609
- SWIFT / BIC
- SBZAZAJJ
For campaign contributions, use RIVER SUPPORT as your reference. For sticker orders, use the reference supplied with your quote.
For payment queries or to send proof of payment, email plantwateruse@gmail.com.
THE INFLUENCE BEHIND THE IDEA
A river runs
through the family.
Prof Paul Skelton
Ichthyologist and freshwater fish biologist
My father, and an important influence
My father, Prof Paul Skelton, has had a profound influence on how I think about rivers: as living systems, and as places on which people depend.
His work with freshwater fish has helped shape my concern for the life beneath the surface. It has also shaped my thinking about everything a river means to the people around it.
We depend on rivers for food and water, for health and sanitation, and for livelihoods. We seek them out for relaxation and recreation. For many people, rivers are also places of religious practice, reflection and belonging.
That is part of what motivates For the Spruit. Looking after a river means caring for biodiversity and for the people whose lives are connected to it.
Robert Skelton
04 / LIFE ALONG THE SPRUIT
A river worth
caring for.
The Spruit is more than the water flowing past. It’s the plants along its banks, the birds feeding nearby, and the small creatures that make a river a living place. Share a moment that helps someone else see it, too.
A place to belong
Vegetation provides cover, shade and places to feed. Caring for a river also means caring for its banks.
A shared responsibility
Keeping litter out is one practical contribution. A healthy river also needs attention to pollution, habitat and the wider catchment.
From our neighbours
05 / GATHER BY THE RIVER
Good conversations.
Shared action.
Guest talks, public events
and opportunities to learn together.
Suggest an event or guest presentation
EVERY WALK IS A CHANCE TO CARE.
If there’s no bin nearby,
take your litter with you.
A cleaner street is a kinder place to live.
And a better beginning for our river.