Reduce, reuse, recycle – clothes too!

'For those who wake up on a cold morning, having a torn jacket could mean the difference between life and death'

Renaldo Seltzer, outside his home in Wilbotsdal, separating trash from usable clothing to help homeless passersby.

Sorting through trash seems like a disgusting task, but there are people who have no choice but to seek recyclables in order to generate a small income.

Although many may think plastic and paper are the only things scavengers look for in household refuse bins, there are some who seek more valuable resources, like clothes.

Randfontein experienced its coldest days this year between Monday 25 July and Friday 29 July, with temperatures plummeting to an icy low of -1 degree C at night. And the homeless and less-fortunate had to endure that cold without the refuge of warm homes or the luxury of warm clothing.

The lucky few who do find clothes in refuse bags face an enormous challenge – cleaning off the pieces of leftover food and other trash stuck to the clothes. This why the Herald is calling on residents not to just throw their old clothes into their bins – rather put them in a separate bag.

Kindhearted Randfonteiners can also donate their unwanted clothes directly to one of the many welfare organisations across town that collects clothes to warm the homeless and less-fortunate.

The NG Welfare is one such organisation. Doret Potgieter, their supervisor, believes they have found a way for residents to get rid of unwanted clothes in a much worthier way than just tossing them in the dustbin. Doret said, “For those who wake up on a cold morning like those we experienced last week (25-29 July), a torn jacket could mean the difference between life and death.”

This organisation accepts clothes donations of any size.

Government organisations also do their part in distributing warm clothing to members of the community. Randfontein’s Department of Social Development collects clothing throughout the year to give to families, and receives umpteen calls every week asking for clothing donations. Priscilla Ngakane says they always keep the phone numbers of those who contact them for donations, so that when they do get a donation, they can pass it on immediately.

Joy Hamann, publicity officer at the Randfontein Publicity Association says there will always be people who don’t have clothes, and urges community members not to throw away clothes they think will not be useful to anyone else.

We need shoe donations very badly, especially children’s shoes. You won’t believe how many children walk barefoot in this bitterly cold weather”, she said.

Joy says children grow out of their shoes so quickly and once their feet get too big, they have to walk barefoot again. Your child’s old shoes can become some less fortunate child’s new ones – if you just take the time to donate them.

The Connie Mulder Centre has a need for adult shoes and clothes as some residents don’t have enough money to buy their own.

The contact details for these organisations are:

• NG Welfare, cnr Buiten and Stegman Streets, Randfontein. Contact Doret Potgieter on 011 412 1035.

• Department of Social Development, 11 Fedler Street, Westerloor. Contact Priscilla Ngakane on 011 278 3900.

• Randfontein Publicity Association, Greenhills Sport Stadium, Homestead Avenue . Contact Joy Hamann on 011 412 2878/ 1562 or 082 852 1860.

Connie Mulder Centre, 3 Betty Street, Wilbotsdal. Contact Wendy Khoza on 011 278 9904.

Do you perhaps have more information pertaining to this story? Email us at randfonteinherald@caxton.co.za (remember to include your contact details) or phone us on 011 693 3671.