Recycling has proved to be one of the most valued forms of self-employment in local townships as residents begin to understand the value this enterprise brings, and how it can be transformed into a business.
In recent years, the number of people who survive through recycling has risen, due to collection of waste in their areas.
The hardships and joys are felt by those directly involved in this kind of trade, such as the Lindelani resident, Timothy Nhamussua, for whom recycling is the only form of employment he can find.
He started trading waste for money in 2001 when a single kilogram was worth only 20 cents. With changing economic times, the price for a single kilogram has fluctuated over the years.
“The price of my stock is confusing at times.
“It goes up and down, but it never exceeds a point where I am satisfied. It started at 20 cents, and now it is R2 a kilogram. Sometimes it is valued at R4, but it just never is enough,” said Nhamussua.
I started this business because there are no jobs. There was nothing I could do to feed my family, so I decided to start recycling to get money.
“The little that I get I use to buy food for my family, in these hard economic times,” he added.
“The business is not easy because there are people who come from different townships to invade the areas where I collect my waste, the prices are also not constant, so it is not guaranteed that I will gain anything from a certain stock.
“When I trade my recycling output, sometimes the big companies rip us off, and that makes me lose hope.
“I used to work with people who collected my stock, but some of them wanted to deprive me of what I deserve, and ill-treated me.
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Nhamussua works from an informal settlement where there are many difficulties including theft, invasions and mistreatment by some people because of his stock of bags of waste in his property.
Not having his own transport is one of the barriers that keeps his business “from moving forward”.
“I have worked with a lot of people who come and go. There is no one consistently buying from me at the degree that I would like.
“I can fill two full trucks with waste in less than a few days, but it takes me time to raise enough money to finance all my needs.
If anyone could help me load my stuff at a lower rate, I can see myself making ends meet, and that will allow me to take care of my family better, provide them a better life,”he said.
He has a piece of land next to his house he works to farm, an enterprise he considers “as a business” with greater potential.
He needs help with fencing, provision of pest control facility and proper equipment, and believes if he combines the two businesses – recycling and farming – he can make a better living to feed his family.
“My problem is with thieves in the neighborhood.
“They steal my mealies, and that costs me a lot when I have my maize milled.
I would appreciate it if anyone can help me to fence my property, and perhaps provide a bigger piece of land to farm so that I can provide adequately for my family.
“The community buys maize meal after it had been processed by a milling company, so there is more hope in this business for me than the recycling business” he added
If anyone would like to help Timothy Nhamussua, contact him on 073 332 7089.
