Zero Waste to Landfill initiative launched in Soweto
The Adopt-A-Community programme aims to promote recycling, reduce illegal dumping and build a cleaner, greener community.
A Zero Waste to Landfill initiative called Adopt-A-Community (ACA) was launched at Dube, Soweto on March 4.
The initiative aimed at bringing together ward leadership, local businesses, waste collectors, community organisations and the CoJ to promote responsible waste management, recycling, and community participation in keeping our community clean and safe.
Zero Waste to Landfill is a philosophy of reducing the amount of waste that ends up in a landfill.
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As part of the initiative, an app was created called BinPack which aims to create a sustainable future by revolutionising waste management practices and promoting a circular economy.
Duduzile Ntuli, founder of ACA, shared that her interest in waste is what motivated her to start the initiative.
“I noticed that we have an issue with illegal dumpsites in our communities and I wanted to create something to solve that.
“Along the journey, I picked up that there is a human behavioral problem because there would be a clean-up of the sites and people would dump again, and I needed to find solutions to address this and that is how everything started,’’ said Ntuli.
She shared that the idea of ACA is to bring recycling into the community and ensure that it is understood.
Amongst making the community greener the initiative will bring opportunities into the community such as employment and growing local businesses.
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A recycler, who wanted to remain anonymous, shared that such initiatives and events are needed in communities as they are not aware of the value behind waste. She further elaborated that although the app is a great invention, they need to accommodate senior citizens like herself who are not technology savvy.
Another waste picker and environment enthusiast, Thozamile Litye, from Mofolo, shared that it is encouraging to see other people who are passionate about protecting the environment.
“The one thing I learnt is that collaboration is important and that there are other initiatives within our communities that are here to support other organisations like ours,” he said.
The session ended in a Q&A where community members got to interact with the ACA team. For anyone looking to access the website they can visit www.adoptacommunity.co.za.
