Cleaning up after waste pickers
Businesses in Burgershoop and Boltonia pay to have the area cleaned up of the refuse waste pickers leave behind.
A growing problem in Burgershoop and Boltonia is turning some of the roads, sidewalks and a field into a rubbish dump. It has become somewhat of an eyesore for the residents and businesses in the area, including a nearby home for the aged.
Krugersdorpers have become used to seeing waste pickers dig through the content of their refuse bins after they have placed them on the sidewalk once a week for collection. This practice provides many with a source of income and assists in general recycling efforts.
The problem comes in when waste pickers dump their finds by the side of the road around the Burgershoop cemetery or in the field across the road where each one sorts the items he or she has found. They take the items with value to SF Recycling down the road; however, the problem is that those items that cannot be sold for recycling are often left there.
SF Recycling can by no means be blamed, as they have taken steps to assist these gatherers inside their premises. They’ve designated a space where garbage can be sorted, and unwanted items can be disposed of in a nearby bin before selling the valuable items to them. SF Recycling then transports the unwanted waste to a proper dumping site.
Businesses in the area have taken it upon themselves to clean the area from time to time. Because some of their customers and staff park across the road, and because impressions are everything in business, they’ve been cutting the grass at their own expense for quite a while.
On Thursday, 3 June Rubicon Autobody Repairs and SF Recycling came together, hired 10 workers, organised for a large bin and started cleaning Halgryn Road, an unnamed side road connecting to it, and the field across from the cemetery.
Nick Mostert, owner of Rubicon, said he didn’t mind cutting the grass every now and again, but added that they won’t be able to continuously clean the garbage piling up in the area. “We have to resolve the cause of the problem,” Nick said. He raised another concern regarding safety, as children are unable to walk on the sidewalk to and from school, and run the risk of being hit by passing cars.
Brendan Jansen, marketing representative for SF Recycling said, “We don’t want to work against the community; we want to help. When we see them outside on the sidewalk, we tell them to come inside and that we have a place for them to work.”
