Whatshot
Durban recycling project to convert rubbish to rands
Durban recycling project to convert rubbish to rands
Residents of the Quarry Road West informal settlement in Durban will be converting rubbish to rands with the launch today of a recycling project led by Coca-Cola Beverages SA (CCBSA).
Dubbed Project Hlwekisa, which means "to clean" in seSotho, the initiative will establish a sustainable green economy at community level, drawing in residents as waste collectors, while keeping the Umgeni River and its lagoon waste free.
It is the result of a partnership between CCBSA, Durban Green Corridor and Trashback, who set out in May to design a system that would enable Quarry Road West residents to participate in the waste management of their area and the local recycling economy.
While most middle-class suburbs enjoy the benefits of regular refuse collection and access to recycling opportunities, many peri-urban and informal settlements do not, leading to dumping in and near rivers and the burning of waste.
Researchers and waste specialists from Trashback studied the feasibility of creating a green economy for the informal communities and waste pickers of the Umgeni Business Park Corridor over two months and found that large amounts of plastic and waste that end up in the Umgeni River lagoon - and eventually in the ocean - came from the Palmiet River.
This was due to the lack of waste management systems, infrastructure, resources and recycling knowledge in the Quarry Road West and Silver Pipes communities, which are on the banks of the Palmiet River.
The project partners decided to focus on the cleaning of the river and ensuring it remains waste and plastic free by involving members of the community in waste collection and as beneficiaries of the green economy.
At the same time, the plan is to build community awareness about pollution and the value of waste, changing behaviour for the long-term.
"We hope to inspire other communities to follow the Quarry Road West example so that the whole Durban area develops a sustainable green economy to become waste free," says Tsholofelo Mqhayi, Head: Enterprise and Community Development at CCBSA.
"Project Hlwekisa is another great example of our commitment to finding innovative ways to take responsibility for our post-consumer waste while contributing to the development of communities, and we look forward to more partnerships like this in future," says Mqhayi.