Taking on the plight of waste collectors

NICOLA MILTZ

Melrose North resident Lisa Lowenthal is no ordinary suburban mom. A and the founder of Feed SA, a non-profit organisation aimed at eliminating hunger in Africa, she is determined to make a difference in the lives of the less fortunate.

Lowenthal realised that the derelict state of the James and Ethel Gray Park was the result of “waste collectors” having illegally moved into the area. These men, whom Lowenthal refers to as “urban waste miners”, have become as much a part of our urban landscape as minibus taxis and electric fences. It’s thanks to people like Lowenthal and others that they are finally being noticed.

“These are the nameless, faceless men who trawl through our trash in search of waste to sell to recycling plants,” she says. To assist them, she spearheaded SkeemSaam, a community-based pilot project committed to the environment and the men’s social upliftment.

“I see them as micro entrepreneurs,” says Lowenthal. “They get up before dawn and set to work. They own their business and they work very hard, ensuring that they make money to send back to their families.”

After a full day, they lug their heavy, makeshift trolleys through the traffic – at grave risk to both drivers and themselves – before setting up for the night, living like rats in stormwater drains, vacant parks, behind bushes and under bridges. “They are trash collectors during the week and men with lives on the weekend. They are often too ashamed to admit to their loved ones, near and far [many are migrants], how they earn an honest living,” she says. Their earnings can amount to anything between R1 200 to R2 000 a month.

“SkeemSaam aims to bridge the gap between the ratepayers’ associations and the waste miners by bringing them together and by encouraging a mutually beneficial arrangement. It also aims to legitimise the waste miners and improve their standard of living. People must realise that without them, our city would be in a shocking state environmentally,” says Lowenthal.

However, the public tend to regard them as an urban nuisance and a traffic hindrance, a perception borne out of ignorance. Lowenthal says this is slowly changing as the presence of the men becomes a permanent feature in our parks and on our streets, and people become aware of what they do. “In some residential areas, they are getting some credit for the work they do in cleaning the city’s streets and parks and for waste recycling,” says Lowenthal.

SkeemSaam, which means “working together”, was initiated last year and is fast spreading to numerous parks throughout the city.

Lowenthal, an active member of the Melrose North Residents and Ratepayers Association, started working with the recyclers at the James and Ethel Gray Park in Melrose after concerns were raised about hygiene and security.

“The recyclers were living in the park and sorting their rubbish there. Residents were getting very upset, worried about the influx of vagrants and security. No sooner had police forcibly removed them than they returned the next day.”

Knowing that the men had nowhere else to stay, Lowenthal became determined to try to come up with a solution that would benefit all the stakeholders, from the residents and ratepayers to officials from the city of Johannesburg and, most importantly, these men, who were just trying to eke out a living.

She got to know as many recyclers as possible, and listened to their struggles. Lowenthal soon became a regular visitor to the park, and slowly began earning their trust.

Together with her friend, businesswoman Bendeta Gordon, they devised a waste management and environmental pilot project in collaboration with the community, private security organisations and City Parks, waste buyers and waste pickers.

“It is designed to have all-round benefits for all concerned,” says Gordon.

With environmental specialist Aubrey Masuku, they established a “quid pro quo” agreement.

Lowenthal told the recyclers: “If you stay, you pay.” By that she meant that the men clean up the parks and make the neighbourhood safe and clean. This requires that the recyclers work within certain rules to keep the community safe and the public spaces clean. In return, SkeemSaam negotiates better prices for them at the recycling plants and arranges transport to collect their waste, as opposed to the recyclers having to push their trolleys long distances to the buy-back centres. It also offers workshops on hygiene and money management.

After a few months of SkeemSaam being established, Melrose residents started noticing a major improvement. “The recyclers were cleaning the parks and helping to be the eyes and ears of the community by watching the comings and goings of all those frequenting the park,” says Lowenthal. “In turn, residents have been encouraged to separate their domestic waste at home to make it easier, healthier and more dignified for the men to collect.”

The initiative has spread to neighbouring parks, including The Field and Study Centre in Parkmore, Hamilton Park in Bryanston and parks in Olivedale, Waverley and numerous other open spaces alongside highways.

SkeemSaam now has more than 300 men on its database, at least 100 of whom now have bank accounts and belong to a stokvel-type savings scheme.

“I have requests from so many ratepayers’ associations wanting to come on board,” says Lowenthal, who now needs more partners to help her. Dis-Chem donated R50 000 for uniforms and protective gear, which has given the men a sense of dignity. “The uniforms mean: ‘I have an identity, I have a job, I’m not a beggar on the street, I am someone,’” says Lowenthal.

Nkhosinathi Masuku is a waste collector who hails from Zimbabwe and lives in Cosmo City. He says SkeemSaam has changed his life.

“Before, we were living in fear all the time. The police would raid us and burn our waste and all our documents. Now Lisa has brought everyone together and life is easier. We also walk less because the buy-back centre comes to find us.”

Says Gordon: “Developing the SkeemSaam model has reinforced my belief in the strength of community to grow a business. It has also allowed us to facilitate a dialogue between property owners and the urban waste miners. The combination of big business and small, or even micro, businesses equals economic wellness.”

Gordon adds that SkeemSaam is in the process of securing a permanent residence in Orange Grove which would house a number of recyclers at a nominal rate, offering them affordable accommodation and a permanent roof over their heads.

One of SkeemSaam’s ambassadors, Liora Karpelowsky, became involved with the project after being introduced to some of the waste collectors at a local feeding scheme.

“Once you know about these people and how difficult their lives are, and how important their work is for the environment, there’s no looking back; you can’t ignore them,” says Karpelowsky, a grade R teacher at King David Linksfield.

“I tell my pupils: ‘You don’t have to give money, you can give dignity.’ A simple smile or a hello or a ‘thank you for cleaning our environment’ makes such a difference in their lives.”