The city of Tshwane partnered with the National Department of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment (DFFE), to donate personal protected equipment (PPE) to nearly 300 informal waste recyclers at several City-owned buy-back centers in Stinkwater, Hammanskraa including at Ga-Rankuwa, Atteridgeville, Soshanguve, and Hatherley landfill sites.
The PPE from the DFFE’s Covid Relief Fund package consisted of one set of work overalls, a pair of gloves, and two masks.
According to the statement released by the office of the MMC for Environment and Agricultural Management, all of this comes after informal waste recyclers were not regarded as essential workers during the hard national lockdown.
Informal waste recycles collect re-usable and recyclable materials from residents and commercial waste bins and landfill sites to generate an income.
Many informal waste recyclers only depend on recycling to generate their income and require long, physically demanding hours on the streets to collect recyclables and convey them to their nearest buy-back location.
“Recycling is an important part of waste management in South Africa and the city, recognizing the value of informal waste recyclers is in the process of finalization through our Waste Management By-law and recycling policy to incorporate informal wasted recyclers into the waste management stream and thus ensuring further sustainability in this sector,” said the MMC’s office.
