Cleaning up after Pikitup
RIVONIA - A community clean-up project has enabled homeless people to make money by removing rubbish off the streets.
Headed up by a Sandton businessman who chooses to remain anonymous, the project started as a way of giving back to the community.
Chief cleaner Moses Khwene has participated in clean-up projects for seven years, and values the productivity of his work. And he has showed other homeless people that they have a chance to earn money and keep their city unpolluted.
“We go through 40 bags a day cleaning the rubbish off the streets,” said Khwene.
He said that people in the area bring their garbage to the concrete street bins, but Pikitup does not collect often enough. The bins on Rivonia Road are overflowing with rubbish. The locks are broken and the rubbish is falling out onto the sidewalk. Khwene said he often finds rodents in the bins because they are never washed.
Ward councillor Stephen Moore approves of the project, and said, “The city is not allocating resources to keep the streets clean. There are insufficient dustbins at the taxi ranks, and the traffic that comes through this business node is making a mess.”
He said it takes a lot of effort to keep the roads clean and the community needs people to push the project.
According to spokesperson for Pikitup, Pansy Oyedele, keeping the city clean is a collective effort. They appreciate and commend the good work done by the resident in question for his support in maintaining the city’s cleanliness.
“We welcome residents who are environmentally conscious,” said Oyedele.
Pikitup employees responsible for clearing the bins are the only ones who have keys to open the concrete street litter bins.
“The bins which are open have been vandalised by criminals, this has prompted us to look at better security measures in order to limit further damage to municipal property,” said Oyedele.
“We are busy investigating the number of bins required to minimise the overflow of litter, especially in areas such as taxi ranks and bus stops. As soon as the new contract has been finalised, bins will be installed. In the meantime we will ensure that the affected areas get cleaned and monitored on a regular basis.”
Khwene, the Business Rivonia Action Group, and Zebra Tactical are working together to clean up Rivonia. Members of the project have asked the public to donate towards the project. Their aim is to get the community involved for a safer and cleaner area.
Details: www.stephenmoore.co.za
