With the City of Johannesburg’s mandatory Separation at Source programme in full swing, many residents have started making an effort to recycle every week.
But the programme’s implementation has not been without its woes, with some not receiving Pikitup-issued bags and others not getting their bags removed.
But residents can still successfully recycle even with these possible limitations. Pikitup has various garden centres across the municipal region where residents can get rid of garden refuse as well as household recycling.
At any garden centre, there is a designated recycling bay where signs for different kinds of recycling will guide residents where to throw what.
Residents can choose to bring their recycling in sorted bags for paper, glass, e-waste and so forth, or they can opt to recycle everything together and hand it over to one of the informal recyclers stationed at these bays.
Although not paid by Pikitup, these informal recyclers rely on tips from the community as they sort the waste into the correct piles.
The programme was implemented on 1 July this year.
MMC for Environment and Infrastructure Services, Nico de Jager, said he had seen a number of filled clear bags placed next to Pikitup bins every week, even though the preliminary figures did not look as good as expected.
Preliminary figures show in Midrand that 70 tons of waste was diverted in the first month. With 48 000 households targeted, this was less than 50 per cent of the target of 200 tons.
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