JOHANNESBURG – Johannesburg is widely known as one of the most influential economic powerhouses on the African continent.
In-fact, the City of Gold is home not only to South Africa’s biggest corporate head offices, the city also houses the local head offices of a number of multinationals like McDonalds, Nokia, Toyota and Coca-Cola. After the Johannesburg Stock Exchange moved its operations to Sandton, it rapidly became the continent’s richest square mile.
With such a healthy profile, the City of Joburg needs to take the lead in terms of waste management and championing the green economy to improve its image and secure a prosperous future.
Pikitup, the City of Joburg’s waste management entity, is proud to announce the roll-out of the Separation at Source (Trash to Treasure) Waste Recycling Programme in the Alexandra Township, Sandton and Marlboro communities. Pikitup has already implemented a pilot Trash to Treasure project at its Zondi Depot and other regions of the city with some success. In this second phase the entity will be intensifying its efforts in getting the entire city to recycle. From February 2014 Pikitup will roll-out the project to the rest of the city.
The campaign will be extended to these new areas as of December. Field Workers, the ‘Treasure Team’, will be visiting residents’ homes from November 25 to provide them with more information on the project and how they can get involved. The teams will leave the residents with an educational leaflet and a ‘Trash to Treasure’ bin sticker. Residents must be on the lookout for them, dressed in their lime green ‘Trash to Treasure’ T-shirts.
The project will contribute towards minimising waste and maximising job creation. Pikitup has been tasked by the GDS Mayoral team with the immediate responsibility of reducing general waste to landfills through waste minimisation and recycling initiatives, with emphasis on the separation of recyclable waste at source. The main objective of this initiative is to divert 15 per cent of the city’s waste away from landfill sites by 2016, which will automatically lead to a creation of green economy for Joburg, ultimately leading to new jobs and business.
