KOUGA residents are turning waste into worth in an exciting new project aimed at eradicating waste in the region.
The municipality has stepped up its environmental conservation efforts by launching its first waste management and recycling programme, at KwaNomzamo in Humansdorp, on Tuesday, March 2. They have partnered with Maru Ciberconnect, as well as Chisomo Incubation Hub, National Lotteries Commission and the national Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries.
“Phase one of the programme will initially employ 20 women from three wards to work for three months, getting a stipend from Maru,” said community services portfolio councillor, Daniel Benson.
“The recruited friends of the environment, who were trained on sustainable waste management and recycling, as well as community-based education and effective communication, will pick up waste (now seen as a valuable resource after the training) within their wards. They will, furthermore, embark on door-to-door education and awareness campaigns with the focus on sustainable waste management and recycling. Special recycling bags for the separation of waste at residents’ homes will also be distributed.”
The Kouga Municipality will assist in collecting the recyclables and transport them to an allocated site for further sorting and bailing, where possible.
“To determine the effectiveness of the programme, the current amount of waste ending up at the specific landfill site will be monitored and compared monthly to see the impact,” he said.
With assistance from Maru, the participants will sell the recyclables to assure the sustainability of the programme beyond the three months.
Other activities linked to the programme include the planting of trees, as well as river and coastal cleaning.
To this end, the national Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries has donated 500 trees, which will be planted across the region – of which the first were handed over to Mzingizi Primary School, in KwaNomzamo.
“Our children must be able to play under trees, and not on heaps of rubbish,” said Benson.
According to Benson, the programme ties in with the Municipality’s Keep Kouga Clean and Green campaigns – established to not only keep the environment clean, but also to raise awareness about climate change and how to respond to global warming.
It focuses on communities by promoting positive environmental behaviour and facilitating the sustainable growth of these communities.
“We need to look after the environment – for ourselves, as well as for generations to come,” said Benson. “We cannot just take from Mother Nature; we also need to give back.”
