The Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality (NMBM) is succeeding to discourage illegal dumping in the Korsten CBD, using a recycling project.
Led by a team of 13 workers, employed through the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) Cleaning and Greening Programme, the Programme is slowly cleaning the Korsten central business district.
At Durban Road, waste collectors hop from shop to shop, collecting waste for recycling purposes and assisting business with waste management.
The project, which has been operating for three months now, is a partnership between NMBM, the DFFE, NMB Business Chamber and East African Business Forum and local recycling company, Noziqhamo.
Thsonono Buyeye, NMBM Public Health portfolio head, said about this, “we have always had challenges when it comes to cleaning the Korsten CBD and it became clear that we needed business owners to play their part too. Previously the owners would just dump the waste on the streets but since the project started, we are seeing some positive change.”
Buyeye said waste management needs behavioural change to secure a long term impact.
” Although there is still a long way to go to change the face of Korsten, the recycling
project is a good start as all stakeholders have committed resources to the project.”
The workers mostly collect cardboard and plastic waste, which is then collected by Noziqhamo at a price. The recycler then shares the statistics with NMBM and pays the DFFE participants for the material as part of the beneficiation legacy of the
project.
Adbiaziz Mohamed, local business owner, said “before the project we were struggling but at least now there is a bit of cleanliness on the street. We used to throw papers and people did not listen they would throw waste near the poles and there would be rubbish everywhere. We are happy, the project started about three months ago and we are now seeing the difference.”