Cape Town - Environment-conscious activists and recycling experts have teamed up in Kommetjie and Simon’s Town to give residents a new recycling system that will work to protect their environment and wildlife, while supporting the local economy.
The baboon-proof recycling initiative will see them place their refuse in specially designed cages.
The project, which will be set in a central collection point between the two communities, was initiated as a solution to the residents’ recurring refuse issues.
Justice Tootla, managing director of waste management company Averda, said: “We have been working in the area for many years already and we understand the unique challenges that residents face when it comes to the safe handling of recycling material.
“We wanted to make sure that the environment was protected and that local wildlife was not placed at risk. That’s why we partnered with local groups to make it easy and convenient for people to safely dispose of recycling material. We especially wanted to resolve the situation of attracting baboons that are drawn to our refuse,” said Tootla.
Luana Pasanisi, a spokesperson for environmental awareness organisation the Green Group in Simon’s Town, said: “We created a way to deter baboons from coming out of their natural habitat to access food in refuse.
“The cages will serve a multi-prong purpose. They will mitigate waste being strewn around and from entering our ocean and mountain reserves. Consolidated waste in a cage in an eco-town is a responsible way to manage our waste,” said Pasanisi.
Averda will work to collect the contents of the refuse cages and move them to a materials recovery facility, where employees from local communities receive and sort almost 700 tons of waste each month.
The facility will be able to recover around 80% of the waste and prepare it for shipment to recyclers, bringing economic value back into the waste management process.