Jozi declares an all-out war on waste

27-03-2015

 

The City of Johannesburg has declared an all-out “war on waste”.

The message about the planned offensive against waste was delivered by Pikitup Chief Operating Officer Ika Magasa on the second day of the 2015 Johannesburg Waste Management Summit at the Sandton Convention Centre this week.
 

Magasa told delegates that the “massive and ongoing campaign” would mobilise a “collective response” from all stakeholders, including ordinary members of the public, in an all-out bid to win the war against waste and keep Johannesburg clean. 
 

The lekgotla, hosted by Executive Mayor Parks Tau, attracted the “Who’s Who” in the waste management sector.

The need for innovative and sustainable waste management solutions in Johannesburg was a key message at the summit.

Recently Pikitup, the City’s waste management entity, took delivery of R90 million worth of equipment. The new gear includes six trucks with 12 recycling bin trailers for use at major events in under-serviced areas, as well as an assortment of caged trucks, garden or wood chippers and machines used for crushing building rubble.
 

The municipal-owned entity – which boasts 17 000 commercial businesses and serves roughly 3.2 million residents – is responsible for the sweeping of 9 000km of roads and the general upkeep of an area 1 625km2 in size, from where it presently collects and disposes of over 6 000 tons of waste a day.
 

Magasa said the City could potentially run out of available landfill space “within the next eight years” and warned that “failure to act individually as well as collectively” could lead to dire consequences in the future.

She said the time had now come for the residents to “please join the conversation”,
 

Magasa further stressed it was essential for the various roleplayers in the waste management value chain to work closely together to tackle issues related to waste management.

Dr Washington Nyabeze, chairman of Pikitup’s board operations committee, said there was a need to “eliminate illegal dumping completely”.
 

He added that Johannesburg’s waste management strategy was also aimed at job creation and poverty alleviation in line with key outcomes for the period 2014-2019 as outlined in the National Development Plan.

Nyabeze said Pikitup was determined to take the whole city to “level one cleanliness”.

But he acknowledged the daunting scale lying ahead.

“The City is moving. The City is at work,” Nyabeze said.