Pikitup launches festive season campaign
Pikitup encourages residents to minimise waste generation during this time, and to practice the three Rs: reduce, reuse and recycle.
PIKITUP encourages all residents to take the responsibility to ensure that waste is managed responsibly over the festive season.
The City of Joburg’s waste management entity, launched its festive season campaign on Wednesday, December 9. The campaign is aimed at raising awareness and educating Johannesburg residents on positive waste management practices that encourage cleanliness during the festive season.
Holiday season waste that is not responsibly managed usually manifests in illegal dumping, overloading of bins and the degradation of open spaces and all of this can lead to health hazards caused by rats and flies. Pikitup encourages residents to minimise waste generation during this time, and to practice the three Rs: reduce, reuse and recycle.
“We have found that in most cases, despite the increased daily waste, the cause of the festive season waste challenges is usually associated with residents’ levels of awareness of basic things such as the Pikitup refuse collection schedule during the festive season and December holidays. In addition, it is an important reminder that 60 per cent of us throw away food because it has reached its expiry date when we could have actually given it to someone in need prior to the expiry date. Also, let’s introduce ourselves to the practice of buying according to what we need at any given time,” explained Amanda Nair, Pikitup managing director.
Pikitup’s waste services (household refuse collection, recyclables, garden sites, bulk, dailies and landfill sites) will be in full swing in the inner and outer City during the festive holidays and public holidays except on December 25.
Residents whose waste collection falls on Christmas day are requested to keep their bins in until Friday, January 1.
Pikitup also encourages residents to familiarise themselves with their local charity networks so that unwanted items such as furniture and clothing that have been replaced with festive season purchases can be donated to good causes instead of being thrown away.
