POLOKWANE – Waste buy-back centres and waste processors in the province will be able to breathe a sigh of relief thanks to the Department of Economic Development; Environment and Tourism (Ledet).
The department recently announced a short-term relief programme; The Covid-19 Waste Relief Funding. They say this programme is there to provide relief to small, medium and enterprises in distress.
“The province has seen increases retrenchments due to an economic meltdown which was further aggravated by the Covid-19 pandemic. Therefore, the waste sector remains critical due to the potential it has to secure already existing jobs and create further job opportunities,” a statement by the department read.
The statement added that eligible and qualifying businesses will receive a once-off non-repayable grant ranging from R15 000 to R250 000. The department says the programme has two separate relief offerings.
- Waste buy-back centres – May use the grant for operational cost and have an option to purchase waste bailers, scales and crushers to ensure that waste reclaimers and recyclers are supported. This will ensure that waste pickers are back at the workplace and that recyclers are able to buy the recyclables.
- Waste processors – Must use the grant for their operational costs which include working capital and recyclable stock to revive the waste recycling within the province to mitigate the stockpiling and negative earnings for the waste buy-back and waste pickers.
Qualifying criteria for the programme include being a registered legal entity in South Africa, being a taxpayer with a valid tax clearance certificate, able to clarify how Level 4 and 5 of the lockdown brought about distress and hardship, been trading for more than 12 months and must result in retaining or increasing of jobs.
The closing date for applications is 21 August at 12:00.
