ON August 24, Glenwood residents were invited to an informative zero-waste gathering at the KZNSA Arts Gallery entitled, Towards Zero Waste: Working with Waste Pickers in Your Neighbourhood.
The event honed in on the value of waste pickers in our communities and was hosted by the Warwick Zero Waste Project’s Africa Zero-Waste Hub, in partnership with the South African Waste Pickers Association (SAWPA) and science and technology university ETH Zurich. The Warwick Zero Waste Project is a collaborative three-year (2021–2023) project that works with informal workers in Durban to support sustainable and inclusive zero-waste practices. The project is implemented by the Urban Futures Centre (UFC) at the Durban University of Technology in collaboration with various non-governmental organisations (NGOs) such as non-profit environmental justice and development organisation Groundwork (GW) and Greyville-based non-profit organisation Asiye eTafuleni (AET).
The KZNSA Arts Gallery event was important to promote ways in which local residents can work with waste pickers to better manage household waste, to divert it from our overburdened landfills and lessen the negative impacts of climate change. Asiphile Khanyile (Groundwork UMI Waste Project Campaigner) explains:
“The purpose of this event was for local waste pickers and residents to learn more about separation at source, ie, the separation of dry and wet waste. In addition, it was to show the positive contribution of waste pickers in diverting waste away from landfills and how this is linked to climate-change mitigation. We also wanted both waste pickers and residents to be aware that SAWPA is an organised and recognised organisation of waste pickers, which has achieved a great deal since it was formed in 2009. Finally, the event helped both waste pickers and residents to get to know each other and to talk about how they can support each other and remove the negative perceptions of waste pickers.”
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The campaign has up to 20 local waste pickers involved, and although they have kickstarted the initiative in Glenwood, they have hopes of expanding. “We were looking at Glenwood as it is the community area that borders the markets of Warwick, but we were not restrictive. It is important to note that waste pickers are mobile due to the nature of their work, and so others even collect in Musgrave as well as Glenwood. We would love to expand, especially because it will increase awareness of waste and climate change and the importance of understanding, learning and working with waste pickers. In addition, we want to highlight the environmental benefits, such as diverting waste away from landfills and thus reducing harmful methane gas emissions.”
The project campaigner says they hope to enhance sustainable practices of waste management at a local level, where waste is generated, and to show that when working collectively or in partnerships, zero waste can be achieved.
“We hope to have residents and waste pickers working together on ‘separation at source’, for example, by putting recyclables aside or in a clear bag. We also hope that waste pickers will be perceived in a positive manner and be supported by their work being made easier,” said Khanyile.
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Local waste picker Khunjulwa Mzimba got into waste picking in 1990 and feels there are many misconceptions about waste pickers: “I have come across people who think we are drug addicts or criminals and who chase us away and scream at us from their homes. But we are trying to make an honest living, and what we are doing helps the entire community because we separate waste and take it to be recycled – those are our only intentions.”
To help make their work easier, Mzimba says that putting recyclable materials into orange bags and even using clear or slightly opaque garbage bags can make the work they do much more efficient. “It is about us all working together – that’s the only way we can make a bigger difference,” said Mzimba.
