Roadhouse Crescent Recyclers, who collect and sort recyclable waste under the Connaught Bridge in Durban North, have been sponsored Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) by Green Corridors funded by eThekwini Economic Development Unit.
To help formalise and control the safety, efficiency and neatness of the collection of recyclable materials at this site, and discourage illegal dumping, several stakeholders including civil society organisations, government structures, businesses and the collectors themselves, continue to work towards solutions. Leading the formalisation with practical and logistical support is Green Corridors NPC with Triecomvelo under the leadership of Siphiwe Rakgabale who is also the Green Corridors’ litter-boom and clean up coordinator.
“These collectors work in and around Durban North and North Coast Road collecting plastic, paper and cardboard waste, and local businesses and residents also bring waste here,” explains Rakgabale. “It is important that as we move towards formalising the operation, the safety of the collectors is ensured, and this PPE is an important step in the process.”
The kit includes a branded shirt so they can be identified as being part of a formal and legitimate operation, a sunhat, protective gloves, safety boots and overalls, as well as 3 heavy-duty waste bags in which to place their collections.
The waste is sorted, compacted, and then collected by various Material Recovery Facilities, including Green Corridors research and development division – KwaMashu Materials Beneficiation Centre (KMBC) – which provides technical support for this complex “eco-system” and also repurposes the waste.
Jonathan Welch, technical consultant and project manager of the KMBC says. “It is important that these waste collectors are validated, supported, and respected as they provide a valuable service to the waste eco-system. Part of this includes developing mutual respect for the work they do, and for the services and support provided that enables them to earn an income.”
This waste at the Connaught Bridge is sorted and it then goes to recycling and repurposing projects such as the KMBC which creates products from plastic waste that can be monetized.
Rakgabale goes on to say, “Our work here is part of an ongoing process of support, training, and bringing an informal economy into a more organised environment which benefits all stakeholders.”
Other partners in this waste eco-system include Adopt-a-River, WESSA and Umgeni Estuary Conservancy (under which the site falls), DUCT’s Amanzi Ethu Nobuntu programme, the eThekwini Municipality’s Economic Development Unit, Solid Waste and its Parks Department, and working with the local ward Cllr Shontel De Boer, and businesses and other sponsors such as SAPRIPOL and PETCO to clean up and remove waste from green spaces, and waterways.
