Having your own municipal recycling facility is the latest trend gaining popularity across South African cities. A bonus is that such projects promote the creation of green jobs which benefit communities as residents learn about good waste management and climate change initiatives.

Tembisa launch

The Sethokga Waste Minimisation Facility is such an initiative that was launched in Tembisa last week by the City of Ekurhuleni.

The event was attended by members of three recycling cooperatives including, Matshupela, Minenhle and Tiyisatsane.

Ndosi Shongwe, a member of the mayoral committee, handed over the facility. He was accompanied by members from the European Union (EU), which included Bart van Uythem who heads the EU’s economics and infrastructure sector.

Shongwe said the city was proud to have created jobs through the recycling project and indicated that the total budget of all three projects cost R17 million. He added that the EU provided 80% of the budget, and that Ekurhuleni and Oxfam footed the remaining 20%.

The formal strategic partnership that the EU has with South Africa is one of only 10 in the world and the only one in Africa.

Green economy

Van Uythem said that addressing climate change and promoting a “green economy” was a top priority for the EU.

“South Africa for its part has been taking some serious steps to move its green agenda forward and in some aspects, is even more advanced than the European Union,” he said. “A good example is South Africa’s tyre industry where the public-private initiative, the Recycling and Economic Development Initiative of South Africa (REDISA) has been successful in recycling tyres while creating opportunities for small enterprises.”

The project in Tembisa “is aimed at promoting sustainable environmental development initiatives and contributing to South Africa’s priority toward a transition to a lower carbon economy,” the City of Ekurhuleni said in a statement. “The local cooperatives are expected to significantly contribute in the reduction of gas emissions through recycling,” it added.

Trend analysis

This initiative feeds into a larger trend that is picking up steam nationwide. For example, City of Cape Town has allowed for the zoning of a new large recycling, biogas and waste-to-energy facility.

The state-of-the-art waste-to–energy and recycling plant is being commissioned by New Horizons and Waste-Mart in Athlone. The facility will cost R330 million and will provide several services including a green coal alternative and compost.

The plant’s materials recovery facility (MRF) was commissioned at the end of October this year, and the MRF will be handed over to the developer in February 2017, and the biogas train in April.

Ethekwini example

Another large “recycling park” has recenlty been unveiled in eThekwini. Costing about R245-million, the Atteridgeville recycling park was built by New GX Capital Holdings, and it will create upwards of 300 green jobs.