Cape Town - Hanover Park residents are now able to access free recycling collection services at a newly launched, decentralised recycling hub at Crystal Secondary School.
Run by waste management enterprise Regenize, the project aims to make the recycling process easier and more beneficial to those in the area.
Regenize has been working to bring recycling to local communities that would otherwise never receive a free, all-inclusive recycling service.
Regenize marketing co-ordinator Chelsea Ogilvie said their mandate was driven by making recycling and sustainability initiatives accessible, inclusive and rewarding for all – with a focus on lower-middle income communities.
As reward for their recycling efforts, residents and learners would be receiving Remali, or Recycling Imali (money in Xhosa), a virtual currency created by Regenize once they sign up, that encouraged and rewarded environmentally sustainable behaviour.
This could be used to buy groceries, airtime and electricity at collaborating spaza shops in the area.
Ogilvie explained: “The decentralised recycling hub functions as a central point wherein all recyclables collected from the community are pre-processed. It is an important local infrastructure for local waste pickers to work from.
“Waste pickers go out and collect recycling on Regenize trolleys at the homes of registered community members. The community members’ data is captured and the recycling is taken back to the hub.
“At the hub, recycling is sorted into their different groups: Plastics, paper, cardboard, glass and soft metals,” she said.
Ogilvie said this allowed a dignified collection process for waste pickers, job creation in the local community, increased revenue for spaza shop owners, access to more foods for households and a greener Cape Town.
Yaseen Johaar, School Governing Body (SGB) chairperson and community activist, said one of the ideas that the SGB and teaching staff looked at was how the school’s needs could be sustainably addressed.
Johaar said the school faced numerous challenges as a result of being under-resourced and thus it did all it could to make things a bit easier for students and parents by running a feeding scheme and the Crystal Cares campaign, which offers sanitary pads and other items to learners.
This was how the idea of connecting with Regenize and having a recycling hub on the school premises came about.
Community leaders said there was dirt and rubble lying on almost every corner so the project was welcomed and residents eager to participate. However, more ground would have to be covered to completely eliminate the scourge of dumping in the area.
kristin.engel@inl.co.za