Waste pickers save country millions of landfill space

WORKING with waste is not an easy job. In addition to low, unstable incomes and poor working conditions, waste pickers (also known as micro collectors) are often outcast from society.

The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), says in 2014 waste pickers saved the country between R310-million and R750-million in terms of landfill space.

The job has long been considered ‘dirty work’ in South Africa; however, through the tyre recycling initiative developed by Recycling and Economic Development Initiative of South Africa (REDISA), this is changing.

REDISA Director, Stacey Davidson says, “We believe that the waste management industry offers individuals a means to make a living, regardless of age, level of education or skills set, and it will especially assist us in dealing with the challenge of low-skilled unemployment in the country.”

“It is imperative that micro collectors be considered and included in future waste management plans and that they are given the security and recognition they deserve for the role they play in our economy. Through our micro collector programme we are working on formalising the industry and providing the micro collectors with the support and training they need.”

Each year, the country produces roughly 170 000 tons of tyre waste, which needs to be re-purposed rather than dumped or illegally burnt.

REDISA plans to collect and reprocess all waste tyres by 2017. In the past, however, only 4% of this waste was being recycled and processed and currently 70 per cent of waste tyres are being dealt with. A number of individuals are making money through their involvement in the logistics chain that REDISA has developed to ensure the environmental damage caused by waste tyres is eliminated.

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