The link between the reduction of waste through recycling and sustainability is clear. We must recycle more and we must do it better. It is also clear that this is a practice in which developing communities are acutely unsuccessful – lack of education, inefficient support and general apathy result in very little material being saved from landfill. Simultaneously, although there are potential employment opportunities created by waste reduction activities, the same constraints are preventing these opportunities from being exploited.

What does Khulani Waste Management do?
We have created a work-in-progress model as a research project for what we call the ‘GreenBack’ program. We already have this model working in developing communities in the Western Cape and want to roll it out as a business unit throughout the country. For this reason we have put a team together that is available as a consultancy unit to conduct feasibility studies in different communities. The idea is to assess the sustainability of initiating the program in each of those communities. The intention of KWM is to work together with Municipalities/ communities toward a ‘zero waste’ goal, by extracting the value contained in waste whilst employing and empowering as many local individuals as possible to do this. We focus on what we feel are the 3 most important functions of waste reduction in developing communities, namely:
Sustainable trade in recyclable waste (recyclate).
This refers to the collection of recyclable materials, basic processing and the on-sale to the end recycler (Mondi, Consol etc.)
Buy-back of recyclate from the public.
The purchasing of recyclable materials from the public for preset prices.
Materials recovery.
Sorting of general household waste destined for land fill in order to remove the valuable recyclable material for on-sale to end recyclers.

Some homeowners have the luxury of being able to choose whether they want to recycle or not, many don’t. Therefore there is a lot of recyclable material that goes into ‘black bags’ and thereafter to landfill. Estimates are that roughly 60 to 70% of all waste is recyclable. (Trials have been done with test sample batches of black bag waste. These have been sorted at our facilities and percentages of recyclables extracted have been recorded, as well as the amount of time needed to sort and the buy-back value contained therein. These tests have proved the viability, and the value of a project like this.)
This creates the opportunity of opening and sorting each and every one of these bags in order to extract the recyclables within. Buy-back centres would facilitate the purchasing of this sorted material on a cash per kg basis. This means that roughly 60% more of general waste would be recycled, reducing the municipal cost to landfill by the same amount – plus it is creating opportunity for employment and direct empowerment.

How the Project works – building a sustainable waste recycling model for developing communities

Key Principles
Apply a monetary value to recyclable waste via a buy-back centre.
Link waste minimisation to the creation of jobs through a Materials Recovery Facility (MRF).
Facilitate a simple system of purchasing waste from the public.
Key Goals
Create a market for waste; take the responsibility away from the municipalities.
Sustainable higher level of recycling.
Job creation and entrepreneurship opportunities.
Businesses &
Households
Buy – back Centre
Trash
Trash
Materials
Recovery
Facility

End Recyclers
Cash
Cash

Objectives and benefits.
Recycle. Separate and recycle as much waste from the waste stream as possible. The primary aim is to implement as many sustainable recycling centres around the country as possible by assigning value to waste and linking waste reduction to job creation. By association we will be working toward systematically reducing waste by increasing the volume of waste recycled in local municipalities and at the same time providing a self supporting system that is pumping cash back into the community and creating jobs.
Financial empowerment. Create motivation and the opportunity to generate financial gain in members of the local informal sectors by providing a buy-back service that actually pays for any recyclable waste that is brought in by any member of the public.
Neighbourhood cleanup. By attaching a cash value to what was previously seen as rubbish, ensure that recyclables no longer litter the environment but rather are delivered in return for cash in hand.
Unemployment. This issue is addressed via the materials recovery facility. Depending on how positively the unemployed engage with the system and depending also on the amount of waste available, there is potential to create up to 300 daily jobs within each community. These jobs are empowering in that the job seekers are in control of their working day, it is effectively their own business. These jobs are also sustainable, the work is potentially available as long as there is waste being generated.
Training and education. KWM has relationships with organisations that are willing to provide training on recycling and the reclamation of waste. These workshops can be held at regular intervals and will be open and free to everyone. Subjects covered will empower attendees with an understanding of the different grades of waste and education in the value of recycling and other environmental issues.

Project roll out – Phase 1.
A community is assessed on its ability to support a recycling and buy-back centre that will successfully include the 3 main functions:
Sustainable trade in recyclable waste (recyclate).
Buy-back of recyclate from the public.
Materials recovery.
A full feasibility study is conducted that will cover at least the following issues in order to ascertain if this project will be viable in this particular location and linked to this particular community:
Location and relevance in terms of distance from end recycler,
Amenities and support available from the local business sector/ municipality,
Location and cost of a serviceable building from which to operate,
Social issues, management and labour force availability,
An assessment of the possibility of setting up small black businesses as collection agents for the recycling centre (This is aimed at local commercial operations that require a valid BBBEE spend.)
Buy-back pricing structure based on location and overheads.
Full budget and cash flow for each location.
Project roll out – Phase 2.
On completion of the feasibility study, if it is determined that the location will support a sustainable recycling project of this nature, the team then becomes available as consultants to implementation. The project is left in the ownership of the communities.

Contacts.
Khulani Waste Management
Cell: +2782 552 3681

I picked up an article in CXpress reporting that Waste2Power.co.za has made a presentation to the Bitou mayoral committee to address refuse and sewerage disposal problems in Plettenberg Bay at no cost to the town’s ratepayers. Profits would be generated from selling electricity created from processing waste as well as selling products made from recyclable materials, such as building bricks. This would be the first green municipal waste power plant in South Africa.

Capacity at the Robberg landfill site is exhausted and the municipal authorities are currently considering various options. They are conducting an environmental impact assessment process for a waste transfer station, and public participation meetings had already been held. It is intended to transport Bitou’s waste to Mossel Bay for disposal at the PetroSA site because there is no suitable land for another landfill in Plettenberg Bay.

One hears a lot about what is environmentally friendly and what is not but what are the facts? Eco-friendly is a buzz word that gets tossed around and particularly in the the hospitality, travel and tour industry. And it begs the question. Who is green? What is green?

As a Knysna resident of long standing I have no idea of who is doing what and why not?  Two or three years ago I had a conscience attack after reading statements by Lauren Warring telling me how much everyone at Council was doing to recycle the stuff we throw way. So much so that I contacted her and asked her why I was the only one being left out of the loop.
I was told curtly that I could fetch bags at their offices and put the clean stuff in a green bag which Council would then take away. No web stuff, no depth, no details. It then took all the intervening years and months and weeks to get my act  together.  To get my boot load of bottles down to their depot behind the fire station because I wanted to see it all for myself. Needless to say it was closed and locked up tight at 3PM on a Friday afternoon. Silly me.
But then I am very typical of what we call one of “the locals”. And this a situation which is perfectly normal. Something we should all get used to. But should we? Is it not also something we could change if we really wanted to? 

Recycling projects in the Garden Route, South Africa. Waste management companies, collection points and landfills. Lisitings of local eco-friendly and environmentally responsible service providers.