WASTE MANAGEMENT INTERVENTIONS

Most communities living adjacent to nature reserves face challenges when it comes to implementing waste management and recycling strategies. These challenges include poor municipal service delivery and a lack of commercially viable and environmentally sustainable recycling initiatives to address environmental problems. As part of an integrated solution that dovetails conservation and poverty alleviation, we train and register waste management cooperatives in communities next to game reserves. These cooperatives make use of customised donkey carts to collect waste. Our approach is environmentally friendly, helps cut down waste collection costs and gives economic value not only to waste, but to donkeys as well which are often regarded as second class farm animals and are often ill-treated on this basis.

Ntshabeleng waste Management Cooperative is an example of a cooperative that is currently mentored and supported through our poverty alleviation model. The cooperative currently collects and sells an average of 50 tonnes of mixed waste per annum. The cooperative is an all women constituted and managed social enterprise that also offers marketing services to smaller and less established waste collectors throughout the Blouberg Municipality in Limpopo. To this end, it works with 29 casual waste collectors on an ad hoc basis. We recently introduced a ‘Food for waste’ programme where we also promote the importance of a good and well balanced diet among waste collectors we work with. In this regard, the cooperative has started a vegetable garden, where they all access fresh vegetables atleast once a week. In addition, where possible, we provide waste collectors with e’Pap, which is a food supplement containing over 20 nutrients. This is also to benefit some of these collectors who may not have access to a balanced diet at home.