The London Landfill Waste Reclaimers, a group organised under the Gadifeli Trust, comprises of waste reclaimers from the villages of Worcester, Bismark, and Molalane. According to Lauren Booth of Kruger 2 Canyons Biosphere (K2C), the work of the reclaimers is both essential and inspiring. She says that with no recycling facility in Hoedspruit, the only landfill site that serves the entire Maruleng Local Municipality is the London site.
In K2C’s winter newsletter, Angi Ellet writes that while the town of Hoedspruit is known for its dedication to environmental protection, few are aware of the crucial role these reclaimers play in managing waste and promoting recycling. “Many of these individuals have turned to waste reclaiming as a means of survival, driven by limited access to education, job retrenchment, or unemployment.
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“Despite facing societal stigma and often being overlooked, their work significantly reduces landfill waste, contributing to a cleaner and greener environment,” she says. According to her, Capex money received from the TASC Foundation, an organisation focussing on carbon finance and project development, has been allocated and will provide an opening for the reclaimers to expand their operations.
“This money will be going towards buying the necessary equipment to establish a waste beneficiation center, where they will be able to take their efforts further by baling recyclables on-site. This earns value for the materials they collect and also further helps to add new revenue lines for them, by selling directly to the recycling companies,” Ellet states. Booth told the Herald that K2C started a recycled waste dropoff point to support the waste reclaimers at the London site.
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“The reclaimers of the London landfill site are not just waste managers; they are busy cultivating a model of resilience, economic empowerment, and environmental care for all. They deserve the continued support of all people who would like to see Hoedspruit as a cleaner and greener town. “These reclaimers have found a way to generate an income for their families through sorting and removing recyclable materials from the waste.
They then sell it to middlemen who transport it to recycling facilities in Gauteng. “For this group of people to know that there is a community who recognises and supports what they do goes way beyond just waste management. “Receiving clean, sorted recyclables from the K2C dropoff point recognises the waste reclaimers’ contribution to society, their right to earn a living, and their worth. “We collect sorted, clean plastic, glass, tins, paper and polystyrene at the entrance to the market, opposite the car wash at Zandspruit,” concludes Booth.
