In an effort to win the war against pollution and safeguard the environment, the City of Johannesburg will roll out a phased approach to make separation at source mandatory from July 1 for households.
This is because the biggest challenge the City of Johannesburg faces is to change human behaviour and get people to understand how they impact the environment in the way they deal with plastic.
This was the message the City of Johannesburg’s MMC for Environment and Infrastructure Services, Nico de Jager shared this week.
On World Environment Day on 5 June, De Jager rolled up his sleeves, donned a pair of gloves, put on his overalls and started removing mounds of refuse around the Glenville Primary School in Lenasia.
The MMC said Pikitup introduced the Separation-at-Source Programme in 2009 and although the participation rate is low, Pikitup continues to roll out more recycling programmes.
“Through education and awareness programmes, we have seen an increase in participating residents. From 1 July, a phased approach to make separation at source mandatory will be introduced,” he said.
Between bouts of back-breaking work, De Jager paused and told learners and residents that Joburg was mindful that a sustainable city requires partnerships with all communities to protect the environment and ultimately humanity. “With the community’s involvement, I’m positive this challenge will be effectively dealt with,” he said.
Lungile Dhlamini, the managing director of Pikitup said illegal dumping and littering cost the City around R60 million a year. He said Pikitup is trying to eradicate illegal dumping spots around Joburg.
“We have around 2 000 known illegal dumping spots within the City. Between July 2017 and now, we have eradicated 110 illegal spots.”
Talk to us about this story by emailing our group editor on daniellap@caxton.co.za
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