Waste Oil Association of SA to assist keeping Mogale clean
A local waste company based in Kagiso has done several projects towards environmental safety.
Environmental safety on the West Rand has always been a concerning matter. In many parts of the district, residents drive past areas where they are met with either rubbish being dumped in open spaces or litter in streets, parks and residential areas.
The Waste Oil Association South Africa (Woasa) was established in 2018 after their founders left their daily jobs for a bigger cause. The founding members of the organisation saw there was a need for a collective voice of accountability to ensure environmental safety in the community as well as educate the public about the devastating impact of oil pollution.
According to Olga Moji, the chairperson of Woasa, they are an organisation representing and promoting the interests of community members and regions that are heavily impacted by pollution on the West Rand. The organisation collects and disseminates waste and recycles it.
“To be a united and independent mouthpiece in the industrial sector is what we are here for. We facilitate the sustainability and increase the competitiveness of members nationally and regionally. We also empower members via training, workshops, conferences, trade mission, and organising community programs in schools and public space.”
He added the organisation ensures environmental safety by taking part in various clean-up projects where they engage with community members and collect damaged objects that contain oil and ensure that these materials are recycled.
“We engage with big companies such as the mining sector, mechanical workshops, car dealerships, and your typical backyard mechanic from townships and collect all the damaged materials and objects they don’t use. We then ensure that they do not get disposed of or thrown out to the fields in the communities. Many people do not know what to do with their leftover oil and other objects, we are here to ensure that they are assisted with that,” Moji said.
According to Moji, there is a lack of information regarding the used oil in rural communities. Used oil disposed of in the wrong way can harm the environment and agricultural activities. Many small-scale farmers lose their crops due to the pollution caused by oil. Companies have a bad habit of throwing away materials with oil in open spaces and green belts which leads to the oil spilling over the soils which eventually kills the plant life.
However, the organisation has done various programmes in the past year to provide communities with an understanding of how they can ensure that this is not the case.
“We have organised various programs starting from schools as children will be our future leaders and we engage with NGOs and NPOs and communities at large so they can assist us in collecting these objects that are no good to them,” Moji concluded.
To find out more about the organisation be sure to contact them on 067 091 5502 or email them at office@woasa.org.za.
