Bags given for (poo)ches in Parkhurst
PARKHURST – The Green Pets and Clean Bin projects aims to make sure waste pickers are 'poop protected' and residents have cleaner bins.
A new initiative has been launched in Parkhurst which aims to make waste pickers’ lives a bit easier as they sort through waste in residents’ bins.
The Green Pet and Clean Bin project provides households with buckets and bags to dispose of their pets’ waste. The bags contain pine chips which help to remove the odour of pet waste and allows the waste pickers to collect recyclables without getting their hands dirty.
The project is headed up by Micheal Hook and his brother-in-law John Hunt. They hope that the project will help make the working conditions of waste pickers more sanitary.
Hook said the idea came about when he moved into a property in Parkhurst with a smaller garden.
“I have a Labrador who poops twice as much as he eats and I wanted to find a way to manage the poop. It’s a three-phase project though because there’s the health element, it benefits the waste pickers and it can be a senior citizen employment opportunity.”
He said the project will start in Parkhurst and he hopes it will grow to cover Blairgowrie, Bordeaux and then further into Rand Park Ridge.
Steven Leeu, one of the waste pickers who has been working with the project said, “I think it’s a very good project because as a waste picker I’ve had to go through people’s dustbins touching dog poo and its very unhealthy and unpleasant.”
Leeu said the separation at source projects helps waste pickers and he hopes that this project will also improve the collection process.
Godfrey Mokwaphakedi, who operates the Greenside recycling depot, said there is often a bad perception about waste pickers, however, he said that for many men it’s a hard day’s work to make sure they can feed their families.
There are about 60 000 waste pickers in Johannesburg and it would likely grow because of high unemployment.
Mokwaphakedi said, “I’m so happy about this project, it will really help us a lot because health wise it’s really not good for us. I think we should all just love each other and respect each other more.”
Details: If you would like to get involved with the Green Pet and Clean Bin project, contact John Hunt on 083 733 9816. If you would like Godfrey Mokwaphakedi to help with collecting recyclables, contact 076 791 4948.
Share your thoughts on this initiative on the Rosebank Killarney Gazette Facebook page!
