Harveston Retirement Village celebrates 10 years of environmental partnership with Honeydew Metal Recycling
Village has raise almost R60 000 simply by being mindful of where they dispose of their refuse.
An easy altering of decisions becomes a habit that reverberates beyond the trash can.
Searching for a sustainable solution to household waste disposal, Harveston Retirement Village began its recycling journey in 2012. Graham and Agnes Elliot happened upon a Honeydew Metal Recycling (HMR) collection site on a nearby plot and the wheels began to turn. Several months later, following discussions with HMR, 20 colour-coded bins were delivered and sorting began.
This month marks 10 years of partnering with HMR which first collected recyclable waste on March 5, 2013. The first collection weighed 408kgs and from it Harveston earned R185. Across the decade of enviro-consciousness, Harveston has collected just short of 110 tonnes of garbage including 45 tonnes of glass, 17 tonnes of cardboard boxes, and five tonnes of steel cans.
Through this recycling project, Harveston has raised just over R57 000 which had helped purchase multiple village-enhancing items. Most recently they purchased a solar borehole pump and 5 000 litre water tank worth R13 000 while back in 2018 they purchased an industrial composter which allows them to resell the product they create.
“There is no planet B,” stated Graham, who forged on with the project despite pushback from some fellow residents in the early days.
Also read: Young Helderkruin recycler a whirlwind of eco-friendly action
“It took some time to educate all the residents bout what goes in what bin,” Graham laughed. Recycling has become a way of life and residents divide their trash into glass, aluminium, and plastic, which HMR collects weekly.
Lisa Steenkamp started HMR in 1996 and has grown the company to the point where a vast staff compliment handle in excess of seven hundred tonnes of recyclable material per month.
“Ten years is most certainly a remarkable achievement, you have helped save so much landfill space. Thanks to Graham and the team for driving the project with such enthusiasm and taking action to care for the environment. This is not a dress rehearsal, we only get one planet,” said Lisa, winner of the Top Woman in Recycling Award at the 2022 PETCO Awards.
As well as recycling, HMR works to improve the social conditions of those sorting through household waste for extra cash. Describing them as foot soldiers, Lisa describes how HMR works with waste pickers, noting how one man pulled in a cart weighing almost 250kgs. HMR has provided waste pickers with gloves and high-visibility jackets made of recyclable material and has reverted to using a debit card system that helps the waste pickers keep their earnings safer.
Recycling projects take dedication, persistence, and meticulous attention to detail as even an unrinsed mayonnaise jar can clog the recycling machines.
Getting the youth on board is a notoriously difficult task but the residents of Harveston Retirement Village have proven themselves role models with a blueprint for environmental success with economic rewards.
