RESPONSE TO SA’S WASTE PROBLEM

Most of South Africa’s waste ends up in dumps, strewn across open spaces or littering streams and oceans. This problem requires a joint effort from consumers, producers, retailers, policy makers, municipalities and waste treatment facilities.

The DG Murray Trust (DGMT) is putting the spotlight on civil society organisations and individuals who are inspiring change in their communities, to show that our actions add up and we can create change together.

South Africa’s waste problem affects everyone, but the poor have fewer buffers. People living in urban areas are more likely to have their rubbish collected than those in rural areas, while informal settlements often have little or no waste removal services and become dumping grounds for waste from other places. Landfills are usually located next to marginalised communities, and living in proximity to waste sites has been shown to put people at greater risk of long-term health problems.

The Zero Waste Association of South Africa is an organisation supported by DGMT, aiming to drastically reduce the amount of waste going to landfill. It uses a model involving separation of waste at source, door-to-door collection, composting and economic incentives to reduce waste to landfill. Separating organic waste at home for composting is an efficient way to reduce methane gas emissions at landfill. Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas produced when organic waste decomposes, contributing to global warming and climate change.

Participation in clean-ups and waste reclaiming can produce social solidarity, a sense of community and opportunities to earn money. In addition, once a site is cleared and recyclable material collected, the area can be turned into a vegetable garden.

In Diepsloot, Gauteng, the Earthly Touch Foundation builds classrooms out of eco-bricks for a social outreach project. It has used 60 000 eco-bricks, which are two litre plastic bottles stuffed with tightly compacted plastic, sweet wrappers and other material to construct classrooms.

These initiatives and others highlighted by the Create Change campaign show how social and economic incentives can foster action, encourage recycling and community clean-ups.

www.dgmt.co.za