Two recent tours of the Kraaifontein Waste Management facility, one with the Grade 6 learners at Kasselsvlei Primary School, and another with a group of participants from the Western Cape Government Year Beyond Programme, have inspired the youth to be more conscious of the waste they produce, and how to manage it. It is hoped that the participants’ new-found enthusiasm will spread throughout their communities.
The Kraaifontein Integrated Waste Management facility is the first facility of its kind in South Africa. It is the benchmark in our country for an integrated waste management facility – where waste is segregated, transferred, sorted, treated, recovered and disposed of in an integrated manner, with an emphasis on minimising waste that goes to landfill and maximising resource efficiency. Thousands of tons of waste are processed at this facility daily.
With the huge volume of waste that enters the facility and the sheer scale of waste minimisation that takes place there, it is the perfect location to inspire our youth to get involved in recycling and waste minimisation. It shows that waste minimisation at a huge scale is possible, and it is worth making the effort to participate in waste minimisation programmes and systems. Seeing the mountains of waste that are being sorted and processed also encourages visitors to think much more carefully about how they shop and consume to reduce this waste.
This week two groups of young residents took part in tours facilitated by the City’s Urban Waste Management, Public Awareness and Community Education section. The first group comprised participants from the Western Cape Government Year Beyond Programme, also known as “Yeboneers”. This programme aims to provide meaningful work experience to youth while encouraging a culture of service to communities.
I hope that the tour of the facility gave the learners confidence that their City is working hard to tackle the issue and motivated them to increase their efforts to recycle and take the recycling message to their communities,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Urban Waste Management, Alderman Grant Twigg.
‘The City has been working for some time to develop infrastructure and stimulate markets and create an environment where it is easier for residents to recycle/minimise waste. Our focus must now shift to linking residents with the systems that can work for them. Together we can ensure our children and their children have a clean and healthy environment to enjoy,’ said Alderman Twigg.