Mogalakwena Municipality on a operation for a cleaner town
The aim of the Mayor Ngoako Taueatsoala added that now time for the residents to generate an income from their rubbish.
MOKOPANE – A New initiative has been undertaken by the Mogalakwena Municipality not only to fight poverty, but also to encourage the community to work together for a cleaner, healthier town.
Mayor Ngoako Taueatsoala and several heads of department and councillors handed over the two new motor tricycles on Tuesday in the hope that waste pollution will now become a thing of the past.
Taueatsoala confirmed that the municipality is aware of waste pollution and illegal dumping in town.
“The municipality already started working on the issue of illegal dumping and there is progress with the clean-up work.”
He added that around 2010/11, Mogalakwena was regarded as one of the cleanest and greenest municipalities in the province.
“We have the ability to revive that spirit, so it must be our collective responsibility to ensure that together with our ward councillors and residents, we strive to ensure a clean environment. With the use of these motor tricycles, we hope and believe that the small pieces of litter can now be disposed of for the purpose of a hygienic and cleaner environment. The municipality takes care of residents and we appeal to the communities to work with the municipality to eradicate waste pollution.”
An excited Keitumetsa Malatje, one of the recipients of the tricycles, added to the mayor’s speech saying he is currently working with one of the mines in the area on a recycling project that employs around 600 people.
“It is now time for the residents to generate an income from their rubbish. The process is simple. We set up recycling bins, one for each product such as your plastic, your glass, your cans and your paper at a focal point and hand out bags to households to encourage them to provide their household waste.”
He added that from there on at a weekly basis he sets up a mobile station where residents drop off their recyclable waste and it is weighed on the spot for payment.
“In the Mogalakwena area we have a large percentage of unemployed people, so this is a way of saying you can make money from your trash.”
Malatje added that in future, he wants to focus on a school education programme that teaches children about the importance of recyclable waste.
