Image: Centurion Rekord
The registration of waste pickers across Johannesburg is underway, with 1,200 already recorded in Region D by the City’s department of environment and infrastructure services, in conjunction with Pikitup, reports Randburg Sun.
The registration is conducted to afford waste pickers training opportunities and to benefit from waste minimisation value chain projects. MMC for environment and infrastructure services Nico de Jager said waste pickers are one of the key stakeholders in increasing the yield of recyclable materials diverted from Pikitup’s landfill sites – which is the ultimate objective of the city’s waste minimisation efforts.
De Jager said the waste pickers’ contribution to saving the remaining landfill airspace could not be quantified due to the informal nature of their business activities. The department has also established a forum where waste pickers are registered. “We will, therefore, consolidate these lists to better engage with waste pickers in the future. We will engage in how we can assist with protective clothing, tools of the trade, and inoculations through corporate sponsorship.”
Some of the objectives of the registration process included:
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