Recycling centre gets revamp

THE Mariannhill Recycling Centre has undergone a complete revamp, after Bev Fowles, of the KZN Recycling Forum, took the centre under her wing.

The centre located on the grounds of the Marianhill Landfill Site was in danger of being closed down.

According to Fowles there was no proper infrastructure at the centre.

“I built stands, signs, set up covered containers as well as a shaded sorting bay where the staff can sort the recycling waste, such as cans, glass, plastic and paper. The place was very messy. There was a lot of non-recyclable stuff that needed to be taken away. A recycling centre needs to look tidy, otherwise people will just use it as a rubbish dump,” said Fowles.

Fowles also believes that a successful recycling centre also needs to collaborate with good contractors to bail and buy the recycled waste. Two companies, Rollback Transport and Wasteplan KZN have contracted with the Mariannhill Recycling Centre.

“Recycling centres fulfill two important roles: they create jobs and they keep recyclable waste from ending up in landfill sites. We hope that the municipality will replicate the blueprint of this recycling centre in all of the landfill sites, because if managed properly a successful recycling centre can be implemented at every landfill site,” said Fowles.