Pikitup, the City of Johannesburg’s waste management entity, is to roll out its Separation@Source programme to an additional 107 000 households across the city in the 2017-2018 financial year, bringing to 677 000 the total number of homes separating their waste at source.
The programme is part of Joburg's ongoing and concerted drive to significantly reduce the amount of waste reaching landfills and contribute to a cleaner environment.
The programme requires residents to use separate receptacles to collect waste – a traditional black wheelie bin for non-recyclable refuse, a clear durable plastic bag for glass, cans and plastic; and a white reusable bag for paper and cupboards. This means that only waste that cannot be recycled ends up in landfills.
Member of the Mayoral Committee for Infrastructure and Environment Services Cllr Nico de Jager says the programme, which emphasises the importance of recycling and environment preservation, has at present reached 570 000 households throughout the city.
Pikitup’s target is to reach at least 980 000 homes.
Cllr De Jager says the programme has achieved significant success over the past five years, increasing the amount of waste diverted from landfill sites from 4 956 tons in 2012-2013 to more than 39 000 tons currently.
“The programme has contributed to the City reaching its diversion targets of 14% in 2014-2015 and 20% in 2015-2016. With the success of this programme, the City’s landfilling costs will be reduced and we will be one of the big cities in the world that are increasingly contributing to initiatives aimed at dealing with global warming challenges,” says MMC De Jager.
He says through reducing, reusing and recycling waste, the City will be playing a pivotal role in reducing air pollution levels caused by the emission of greenhouse gases. He also warns that if waste going to landfills is not reduced, the City might find itself running out of space to dispose of the waste, which could result into environmental hazards.
Cllr De Jager says the bigger goal is to have all households, businesses and warehouses separating their waste at source. To this end, he has urged non-participating households to join in and contribute to the new waste management movement.
He says by being a part of this programme, households will not only be contributing to saving the environment but they will also be creating jobs for the unemployed. He says this is a way of turning recyclables into valuable commodities or improving on existing recycling processes. In this way recyclers can make a valuable contribution to establishing a first-rate recycling economy in Johannesburg.
“Separating our waste at source can be the culture of our city and our country and earth will immensely benefit,” he said.
