After the high impact service delivery operation on November 27 in Emmarentia, long-time Parkhurst resident, and former waste-recycling facilitator, Steven Jourdan is urging Johannesburg to shift its focus back to the people who keep the city’s waste system from collapsing: Its waste reclaimers.

Residents living near the John Mackenzie Drive property, in Emmarentia, reported worsening conditions, including accumulated waste, overcrowding, noise disturbances, and the sale of alcohol and contraband. The state of the property was so bad that it got the attention of urban inspectors, citizen relationship and urban management (Crum), and law enforcement to intervene and confiscate the waste reclaimers source of income.

Read more: CRUM raid at Emmarentia property exposes overflowing waste crisis

Jourdan, who spent eight years running a wastepreneur site at the Pirates Bowls Club in Greenside, before closing it due to sustained public pressure, says the recent raid has highlighted how easily the conversation can drift away from the realities of those who depend on waste recycling for survival. “There are over 6 000 waste reclaimers operating, and they handle just about 80% of all waste that is reclaimed in the city.” Their contribution, he added, is not optional; it is central to Johannesburg’s functioning. Without their work, most recyclable materials would land up in landfill sites that are already perilously full.

The publication previously reported that all four of the city’s official landfills are expected to reach capacity by the end of next year. Spokesperson of Pikitup Muzi Mkhwanazi said one of the four, Marie Louise landfill, was temporary closed, in an effort to assess capacity. “The site was temporarily closed to undertake a feasibility study to explore ways to increase capacity.” The city’s remaining landfills: Robinson Deep, Ennerdale, and Goudkoppies, are now under immense pressure, as rubbish is redirected their way.

He stressed that reclaimers generally collect from more affluent suburbs, because that is where higher-value waste is found. They enter these neighbourhoods early on collection days, sort what can be sold, and return whatever cannot be reused to the bins for municipal pickup. Around 20% of the waste, he said, is unsellable. The rest, everything from paper to pool noodles to components used in auto-repair products, are taken, but reclaimers face a daily logistical strain. “A waste picker can’t live in Soweto and leave at three in the morning with his trolley just to get to the northern suburbs by sunrise.” The need to live near high-value waste often pushes reclaimers into makeshift accommodations in the suburbs, setting the stage for the tension seen in recent weeks.

Also read: Breaking the stigma on waste reclaimers of Johannesburg

However, he noted that there should be a responsible manner in which they must handle their waste. Jourdan believes part of the problem is the breakdown of responsible waste management at the John Mackenzie Drive location. “If you’re going to be responsible, the waste needs to be collected and sold, not left to pile up. The minute it accumulates, you’re violating by-laws.” Jourdan noted that recent heavy rains made things worse, as wet waste has lower resale value and is harder to move, leading reclaimers to store items in the hope they might dry.

At the wastepreneur site he once managed, reclaimers were given space to sort their materials, and unsellable waste was removed daily. “Those were the goals – keep it clean, keep it moving, keep it viable.” The model was meant to prevent exactly the kind of conditions seen during last week’s raid.

Jourdan said workable plans once existed within the Johannesburg council to establish structured recycling units at Pikitup dump sites, but repeated leadership changes meant the proposals never materialised. “There was never continuity, but there are workable plans, and, as a city, we must embrace the reality. Waste reclaimers play an essential role. The challenge is how we responsibly support them going forward – for the good of our city and its residents.”

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