The 240-litre waste bins that are currently being rolled out by the metro means different things to different people.
For the metro, they represent an opportunity to provide environmentally friendly waste management services, while for residents they mean vermin-free bins with less need for the use of plastic bags, among other things.
But for Tsakane-based Bafana Magagula, Kamogelo Sekele and Tshepo Mokoena they mean a business opportunity.
The trio saw the roll-out of the waste bins as an opportunity to start a business.
They are providing cleaning services to the residents and safeguard the bins until owners collect them when they return from work in the afternoon.
“When the roll-out started, we realised there were challenges of theft, and right there and then we saw an opportunity to start the cleaning service, which in turn addresses the theft issues.
“We clean and keep the bins until people come home from work,” said Kamogelo, co-founder of Kasi Bin Wash – as their business is known.
The three entrepreneurs service about 30 bins every week for a fee and collect the money on a monthly basis.
Kamogelo said the business has been growing to the point that they have opened another centre in a different section of Tsakane wherein 15 bins per week are serviced so far.
“We want to continue to enlarge our business so we can employ more young people like us in the township.
“We are also aware of the theft challenge in the suburbs, and we are ready to help,” he added.
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Kamogelo, a marketing management graduate from Damelin, is encouraging young people, including graduates, to look at local business opportunities to improve their situations.
There are various advantages to using the 240-litre waste bins, which include the following:
• Provides more storage capacity than the smaller refuse bin used previously.
• Compatible with the lifting mechanism of metro’s new waste removal trucks, and thus workers do not have to carry bins on their backs.
• Have a longer lifespan (approximately eight years), and are easy to clean.
• Minimises tearing of bags by rodents and stray dogs, and the infestation of rodents.
• Easy to handle with a low risk of being exposed to sharp objects.
• Does not generate water vapour and is made of pest repellent material.
• No need for continuous acquisition of refuse plastic bags thus saving money.
• Promotes uniform service standards and cleanliness in the metro.
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