The metro will move so-called “informal recyclers” operating on the side of the road to more formal places.
This was recently revealed during the State of the Capital Address last Thursday by Tshwane mayor Steven Mokgalapa, adding that recyclers would now be able to conduct their business without harming the environment.
He also said they had allocated R9.2-million for the provision of waste recycle sites in Tshwane.
“We are a capital city and waste removal is thus crucial,” he said.
“It is against this background that we allocated R9.2-million for landfill sites or waste recycle sites in the draft integrated development plan,” he said.
This was part of the metro’s efforts to keep the city clean as the informal recycling hubs often caused littering.
Part of the plan would also see the provision of waste containers and the development of waste water transfer stations.
ALSO READ: Pretoria West ‘squatters’ actually recyclers
Residents in the west of Pretoria have been up in arms over recyclers operating just across the street from the Zandfontein cemetery.
Owner of this specific property, which was just around the corner from the Zandfontein cemetery, Aron Abram said that the people were there with his permission.
“They were previously using metro grounds in Lady Selbourne,” he said.
“After they were evicted, I gave them permission to use my property with the condition that they keep it in a controlled environment.”
Abram said that this was his way to “contribute to the society to empower others”.
“They are making an honest living and could have easily turned to crime to generate an income,” he said.
“We are living in a very harsh climate.”
He was letting them use the property free of charge.
Local ward councillor Frik van Wyk said that he was aware of the recyclers.
ALSO READ: Recycling centres launched
“Because illegal squatters remains an issue in the west of Pretoria, some tend to jump to the quickest conclusion,” he said.
“Once you let one person live somewhere, there is always the chance that a squatter camp can form.”
He said the moment a form of a roof was erected as a house, a court order was needed to evict them.
Van Wyk said he supported recycling, but added that the metro needed to make these types of facilities available.
Owner of a recycling business, Simon Mulhaui told Rekord that there were no people staying on the property and that it was only used for work purposes.
“We only use plastic and card boxes to recycle,” he said.
“The sorting of the garbage also takes place on the property, which could be what residents saw as garbage.”
ALSO READ: Happy recycling day – What to do with your rubbish
“After we are done sorting, we throw away the garbage we do not use.”
He said people, such as trolley pushers, brought their garbage to them.
Mokgalapa said the metro would always consider its obligations to the environment.
Do you have more information about the story? Please send us an email to editorial@rekord.co.za or phone us on 083 625 4114.
For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord’s websites:
For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram
