With the ongoing Environment Week activities, government officials are all over the country to create awareness on environmental issues that may pose serious threat and harm people's wellbeing and health.
To seek solutions to these threats, the Gauteng Department of Agriculture and Rural Development officials will gather in Munsieville Stadium, Krugersdorp, West Rand District Municipality, on 13 June, to create awareness on waste management. The objective of the campaign is to raise awareness and help to implement the plans to improve management of both hazardous and general waste in Gauteng.
Waste is a major problem in Gauteng and the province produces the highest amount of waste in the country. It is estimated that the province generates approximately 42% of the total waste produced in South Africa. Though Gauteng is the smallest of the nine provinces, it produces more waste. The department has, between 2007 and 2010, developed with the assistance of all Gauteng Municipalities and all Gauteng waste management stakeholders, plans and standards to improve waste management throughout the province.
According to the department's Waste Management Unit, waste management in Gauteng is accompanied by numerous challenges including the following: illegal dumping, non-separation of waste at household level, economic constraints which lead to insufficient budgeting for waste services, limited refuse removal services in poor areas, inadequate enforcement of national, provincial and municipal laws and regulations, no encouragement to minimise waste and recycle it in the general public, and littering in residential areas and public areas.
The awareness campaign will be characterised by source separation, cleanups and demonstrations of separation at source. The involvement of private company Ecobin will facilitate job creation in the area as community members will be employed to be responsible for recycling bins even after the awareness campaign ends. Buyback centres in the Mogale City Local Municipality will be involved in the awareness campaign as separated waste will be collected from bins and taken to buyback centres.
Enquiries:
Zingisa Smale
Tel: 011 355 1900
Source: Gauteng Agriculture and Rural Development
Gauteng to embark on Waste Management awareness
Province
