A project that a student from The Reeds started about two years ago, now bears fruit.
This as her waste management model is being implemented in Rooihuiskraal and The Reeds, Centurion, as a pilot project for other suburbs to follow suit.
Khanyisile Thonga (24) was moved when she “saw how badly informal waste pickers got treated”.
“I thought that a system needed to be put in place that could control the crime element. I thought if residents knew who collected their waste, they would be more amenable to assist informal waste collectors to make a living,” Thonga said.
She approached Hetta Scholtz, secretary of the residents association of Rooihuiskraal, The Reeds and Thatchfield (ReThRo), for assistance.
Scholtz then scheduled Thonga a meeting with community leaders and subsequently she liaised with the CPF and her idea started taking shape.
“But then Covid came and the project, unfortunately, was halted.”
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Thonga’s effort was nevertheless awarded when she enrolled for the inter-university innovation challenge competition last year.
Although Thonga did not win the competition, she was a finalist and her model ended up under the top eight entries.
Thonga is a third year accounting sciences student at the University of South Africa, following her successful completion of a financial accounting diploma at Damelin College.
“The city of Tshwane was looking for innovative solutions that could solve the problems in the areas of water and energy, waste, finance and clean transport.
“Since I was in any event busy with the project in my community, I thought I might just as well enroll for the competition. And for purposes of the competition I developed a model that formalises waste pickers.”
Implementing her model entails 20 recyclers organising waste pickers in The Reeds and Rooihuiskraal.
“We allocated 200 houses to every picker. We requested residents to separate their waste and put it outside their gates on Saturday mornings, when the recyclers would collect it.
“Residents use their own garbage bags, which recyclers return to them.”
Scholtz said the project was rolled out last Saturday, and all residents from Rooihuiskraal and The Reeds were invited to get involved.
She said a list of the streets can be seen on The Recycling Bank on Facebook. Residents will be able to see in which group they fall and who their designated recycler is.
Ward 48 councillor Kingsley Wakelin, who is currently standing in for local ward councillor Casper McDonald, said the metro would support any project residents contributed to their communities to improve the city.
Tshwane’s environment and agriculture management MMC Dana Wannenburg said the metro especially supported projects that reduced littering through recycling.
“It teaches residents and especially children, to take responsibility for the products they use. Among many other benefits, recycling will slow down the filling of landfills.”
City of Tshwane used the inter-university innovation challenge to provide a platform for innovators and entrepreneurs.
It was a collaboration between the metro, Tshwane Eskom, the Innovation Hub, Tshwane University of Technology, University of South Africa, University of Pretoria, Tuksnovation Universities of South Africa and Technology Innovation Agency.
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