Picking it up

Pikitup rolled out the second phase of its Separation at Source Project to the Zondi-serviced depot areas in Soweto during October. The project encourages residents to recycle the household refuse they usually toss away and promotes job creation through the exchange of money for recyclable waste.

Essentially, it requires residents to use separate receptacles to collect their waste – a black bin for non-recyclable household waste; a clear durable plastic bag for glass, cans and plastics; and a reusable white bag for all paper materials.

“We aim to reduce waste, educate people about the benefits of recycling and create jobs for Joburg,” said Matshidiso Mfikoe, member of the mayoral committee (MMC) for environment, infrastructure and services department.

Separation at Source will be extended to the Diepsloot, Ivory Park and Orange Farm areas. The initial roll-out in the Waterval area (covering the Johannesburg suburbs of Northcliff, Cresta, Westcliff and Fairlands) began in 2009, and had huge buy-in
from residents.

“Not only does the project contribute towards a sustainable environment, it also creates business opportunities for the city’s reclaimers and recycling cooperatives, the members of which make a living from selling discarded recyclable items,”
said Mfikoe.

The idea is to get residents to start turning trash into treasure, promoting a change in mindset by proving that value can be extracted from what was previously viewed as waste.

Pikitup’s efforts were highlighted at WasteCon 2012, a biannual waste management conference and exhibition.