Waste pickers influence the the nature of recycling

Following the decision from Mpact to terminate their kerbside household collection programme (Ronnie bag) in December, and citing the evolution of the recycling nature as the reason for this, the City Times contacted waste management and recycling company FMSA in Brentwood Park for more information concerning waste pickers (recyclers).

One of the main aims of FMSA is to empower waste pickers by allowing them to generate an income from recycling.

Manager Johan van Dyk explained that the company and Green Deeds Recycling (GDR) identified the opportunity to provide a platform to enable and empower the uneducated and informal “street waste pickers” in South Africa.

He highlighted some of the environmental and enterprise development benefits, as well as socio-economic transformation, social impact and skills development for recyclers.

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According to van Dyk, some of the demographics characterising the industry of recyclers are:

• Little to no education

• Migrants from rural areas

• No formal housing (around 70 per cent sleep on the street)

• Low interaction with, or support from, family

• In general unemployable due to low skill levels

• Unbankable due to lack of means to access financial products

Some of the aims of the initiative are to:

• Create a sustainable micro-business enterprise for the informal street waste picking industry.

• Secure a stable source of income for this sector, thereby reducing poverty, reliance on government aid and criminal activity.

• Enable and protect street pickers by providing sound and safe resources to conduct their waste picking activities through the use of branded recycling trolleys and protective clothing, among others.

• Provide access to financial products, for example Visa/MasterCard payment cards and funeral policies.

• Provide basic training, such as life skills and communication.

• Provide education – basic writing, reading, etc. to be formalised as NQF level courses.

• Assistance with feeding programmes.

“FMSA and GDR have initiated a project to provide regular and consistent street waste pickers with a branded and personalised trolley,” said van Dyk.

“All waste pickers are registered and their performances tracked and monitored.

“Based on their performance and sustainable contributions FMSA and GDR incentivises the individual.

“The outcomes listed above will then be provided to the identified individuals.

“We keep detailed and accurate reporting of the monthly waste brought into our different branches, we currently average 10 000 000kg per year of recyclables and this figure increases monthly.

“Part of our educational programme is to educate and inform our local households how they can assist in recycling.

“It is extremely important that the households and street waste pickers work together.

“It is not only beneficial to the street waste picker to receive recyclable material from the public/houses/businesses because they benefit financially from it, but it also assists the environment, reduces waste and helps the landfills that are already over-extended.

“The amazing thing about this entire cycle is that it is beneficial for all parties involved, there is not a single disadvantage if we all work together.

“The waste pickers follow the route of the Ekurhuleni metro waste collections, knowing the public will have their waste put out for the municipality to collect.

“We urge the public to use the waste pickers and not to see them as a problem, but rather as part of a solution.”