“We applaud the residents of Richmond Hill for taking the initiative of educating the youth on recycling and by doing so also assist the municipality in obtaining its goal of reducing the amount of waste being landfilled.”
This was the reaction of Sizwe Mvunelwa, executive director for public health of the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality, on the joining of forces between the residents of Richmond Hill, The Waste Trade Company and the Packa-Ching Mobile Recycling Unit to maximise recycling efforts in this beautiful suburb.
The Richmond Hill Packa-Ching Community Recycling Project was launched on Wednesday 18 May. Several eager residents brought their recyclables on the same day to be weighed in order to earn their Kilorands.
Ed Richardson, director of the Richmond Hill Special Rates Area, welcomed The Waste Trade Company and Packa-Ching to Richmond Hill.
“This initiative is sustainable because it puts a value on what we think of as worthless rubbish.
“The SRA encourages all residents of Richmond Hill to embrace this opportunity to make our suburb the greenest in the metro.
“If you cannot make it on a Wednesday, then please give your recyclables to one of the children in your neighbourhood – they can earn pocket money while learning to save the planet.”
On its website (packaching.co.za) Packa-Ching explains its nationwide project is aimed at offering a solution to cleaning up the vast amounts of visible waste in many areas.
“Packa-Ching’s solution to this problem is an enterprise-operated mobile separation-at-source recycling service. It collects used recyclable packaging material from these communities which results in a cleaner environment,” the website states.
Norah Beukes was the first Richmond Hiller to be registered with the local Packa-Ching project when she brought a big bag full of white paper. “I used this Packa-Ching opportunity to clear my drawers and shelves of heaps of paper,” Beukes explained.
Another resident also started clearing her house and donated plastic, loads of white paper and tins to Ethan and Riordon Brewers, two very keen junior recyclers from Richmond Hill.
From now on the Packa-Ching Mobile Recycling Unit will be parked every Wednesday from 12:00 to 15:30 on the corner of Stanley and Mackay streets in Richmond Hill to receive recyclables handed in by the community.
The recycling concept is simple: Packa-Ching uses the recycler’s cellphone number and date of birth to register him or her. The weight and type of recyclable material determine the Kilorands paid via e-wallet.
The registered recyclers receive a welcome SMS from Celbux with a once-off user number and password, which are to be kept safe, as they need the password to access the e-wallet.
The Kilorands can be redeemed at, among others, Usave, Clicks, Dischem, Shoprite, Checkers and Pick n Pay.
One of the most wonderful advantages of the Packa-Ching Mobile Recycling Unit is that all the recyclables will be loaded on the truck and trailer and transported away, leaving no trace of any trash, says Richardson.
Megan Swart from Polyco and operations manager of Packa-Ching, told those present at the Richmond Hill launch that since Packa-Ching started operations four years ago, almost 5 million kilograms of recyclables had been handed in and an amount of R4 million has been paid to customers.
The Packa-Ching Mobile Recycling Unit coming on Wednesdays to Richmond Hill is the 9th mobile recycling unit launched in this project.
“In the same manner that we care for our homes, we have to care for our planet,” Emmy Nxayeka from The Waste Trade Company and local co-ordinator of the Packa-Ching initiative, told guests at the launch.
“Thanks to Packa-Ching which brings recycling to communities, we can divert this monster called waste from the landfills and put recyclable materials to new use. There is a group of mamas from Zwide who started a saving collective from the kilorands they earn through Packa-Ching,” Nxayeka said.
- If you’d like the Packa-Ching mobile recycling unit to come to your area, contact Emmy Nxayeka, local co-ordinator on behalf of The Waste Trade Company, at 041 486 2204, send an email to schools@thewastetradecompany.co.za or whatsapp to 084 028 5734.You can also visit the website www.packaching.co.za for more details.
