Being Green - 01 September 2017

Recycling is one of the many ways we can help to protect the environment. Among other benefits, it saves energy and raw materials, and reduces the amount of harmful chemicals and greenhouse gases produced in landfills. According to 2011 figures, an average South African produces about 3 kilograms of waste per day, but only 10% of this is being recycled annually. iThemba Phakama, a small organisation on the Cape Flats, is trying to change this, and create jobs at the same time. It gives informal waste pickers safety gear and specially made tricycles for transporting what they collect to buy-back centres, allowing members to become individual micro-entrepreneurs. The project was one of the 2017 winners of the prestigious United Nations Switch Africa Green Awards. In this edition of Being Green, we speak to iThemba Phakama's Operations Manager, Stephen Volanie, and Ronald Mukanya, Director Sustainability in the Western Cape government, which is a partner on the project.