By failing to take meaningful and sustainable action against recyclers who create a mess in sorting out what is of value to them, the City of Johannesburg continues to neglect the expectations of its residents to live in an environment that is not strewn with rubbish.
Ratepayers are rightfully indignant about the fact that these waste-collectors do as they please, seemingly without consequence, in going about their business.
We need however, to recognise that the city council has equally failed the people who eke out a living by collecting waste to recycle.
The city council has been aware of the problems which were highlighted at the Johannesburg Waste Summit.
While this initiative needs to be applauded, the city council now needs to take swift and sweeping action in regulating this informal sector of business while simultaneously promoting it and assisting the waste recyclers.
With reference to the municipalitys short and medium terms plans – as indicated in the Mayors Budget Speech some three weeks back – financial sustainability and resilience, SMME and entrepreneurship development and support, engaged active citizenry, resource sustainability, and the promotion and development of a green economy framework, inter alia, were all listed as priorities.
Being mindful of the fact that the recyclers are in fact sorting out our rubbish (and being economically viable), while then simultaneously saving the city money by virtue of Pikitup collecting less waste ,(as well as prolonging the life of dump sites), the council needs to prioritise the sorting of waste at source, and introduce bylaws which will enforce this.
It is hoped in due course that this will reduce the fees for refuse collection, promote economic development, as well as provide us all with the ability to participate in and grow the green economy.
The municipality needs to further request the help of the engineering departments of its two universities in coming up with the design of a vehicle which is then cheap to produce and easy to manoeuvre along the uneven footpaths, as opposed to being forced into the roads and hindering traffic. These might be subsidised by the waste collection companies.
By regulating the issuance of these carts (which might be attached to a bicycle), any offender of stealing manhole covers immediately loses their vehicle.
The Citys Department of Economic Development appears to have the budget to afford this to happen.
Lets all appeal for this to become a reality.
