Termination of the household collection programme, a frustration to 83-year-old recycler

Petra Olesen (83), of Rynfield, has been recycling for decades but now finds herself at a loss with paper recycling due to the recent termination of the household collection programme by Mpact Recycling.

The company placed an advert in the City Times late last year to announce it’s terminating its kerbside household collection programme on December 13.

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“The kerbside programme was initially established to collect magazines and newspapers from households and the famous green ‘Ronnie Bag’ has made a positive impact on the environment, as well as created a culture of recycling for residents since the programme began almost 30 years ago.

“However, as the recycling industry has evolved over time, it has become necessary for Mpact to make changes to its collection processes,” John Hunt, MD of Mpact Recycling, was quoted saying in the advert.

The City Times has received several enquiries from the public about the service as people became aware their green bags filled with paper recycling were simply no longer being collected.

Petra explained it is not only her paper waste which is now just sitting in boxes, she has also recently noticed the trolley recyclers are no longer taking the plastics she diligently sorts for them and hangs on her gate each week.

“I hang the plastics on my gate on Fridays, which is our refuse removal day, and the trolley guys would always come and take them for their own recycling, which made it very easy for me.

“But they have not been coming past of late. I have no idea why; they are just nowhere to be seen, and now I also sit with all my plastics at home,” she said.

“It was working so well and they were always so grateful for me having already sorted the recycling, which prevented them from having to dig in my bin.”

While Petra is aware there are various places to take recycling in Benoni, as a pensioner it is not as easy for her to get into a car and do this.

“Also, I would not want to have to use petrol to go recycle a bag or two of waste products or paper; it just doesn’t make sense.

“It is really quite frustrating, as I believe recycling is very important and will obviously continue to do it,” the pensioner said.

Petra has lived in her Rynfield home for 50 years.

In the 80s, she was involved with the Benoni Consumer and Housewives League, where she met Pat Tilley, who founded, chaired or was involved with many local clubs, such as the Benoni Citizens’ Advice Bureau, Benoni Women’s Bureau and the Benoni Consumer League.

The two became firm friends and Petra still speaks fondly of Pat, who died on October 31, 2018.

“The Housewives League was an avid promoter of recycling, even way back then, and this is where I learnt about recycling and how important it is to repurpose household waste,” Petra said.

“We used to collect glass bottles for senior citizens at retirement homes to use when making jam, for example.

“I have been recycling ever since, especially plastic, because this is the scourge of the earth at the moment, so we all need to be very conscious of what it is doing to our planet.”

Petra said she does take glass recycling to the Northmead dump site once a month, but has no idea where to recycle paper in Benoni.

According to Mpact communications officer Donna-Mari Noble, the closing of the kerbside programme should not discourage residents from recycling.

“While we sympathise with residents because of the inconvenience caused, we encourage residents to find out what programmes are running in their communities and to continue recycling,” said Noble.

“As the recycling industry changed over time it became necessary for Mpact to make changes to its collection process.

“Support the local collectors in your area on refuse day as well as the local schools and communities running recycling programmes with the green Ronnie bags.

“Many shopping centres also have drop-off sites.”

Noble added that while kerbside collections ceased, all other collections under Mpact are still operating.

Where to recylce paper in Benoni

These are the Mpact paperbanks in Benoni listed on www.mpactrecycling.co.za:

• St Francis College, Park Street.

• Benoni Central Methodist Church, Bunyan Street.

• NG Kerk Benoni North, corner 11th Avenue and Kerk Street.

• Benoni Van Rhyn Lions Club, O’Reilly Merry Street.

• Benoni Presbyterian Church, Miles Sharp Street.

• Gereformeerde Kerk Benoni, Miles Sharp Street.

• Benoni SPCA, Klein Street.

• Jatniel Gemeentesorg, corner Benoni Road and Krige Street.

• St Dunstan’s Cathedral, Woburn Avenue.

• Norton Park Retirement Village, Umtata Road.

• NH Gemeente Kempton Park Oos, West Road, Brentwood Park.

• Nederduitsch Hervormde Kerk Benonryn, corner Struben and De Mist streets.

• The Old People’s Home, Woburn Avenue.

• Victory Church, corner Chaucer and Wells streets, Farrarmere.

• Rynpark Retirement Village, corner Parker and Struben streets.

• NG Kerk Rynfield, corner Sarel Cilliers and Moodie streets.

• Methodist Homes (Fairleads), corner Pretoria and James roads.