Johannesburg Picks Up Top Waste Management Award

By Ndaba Dlamini

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, November 4, 2004 (ENS) - Project 100 Spots, a Pikitup initiative aimed at ridding Johannesburg of illegal dumping sites, has won a silver medal at the prestigious Commonwealth Association for Public Administration and Management (Capam) International Innovation Awards. Pikitup is the City of Joburg's waste management service provider.

At the official awards ceremony on Tuesday, mayoral committee member for municipal services, councillor Brian Hlongwa, congratulated the Joburg Innovation and Knowledge Exchange (Jike) for submitting Project 100 Spots to the Association for consideration.

Jike is a council department dedicated to collating, repackaging and disseminating knowledge about the city to visitors, researchers, other municipalities and prospective investors.

"The project was the only entry from Africa and had to compete with entries from established countries and organizations. Despite a lack of resources and facilities, Pikitup managed to sustain cleanliness in the city and that is what warranted an award - our sustainable approach to the problem of waste removal," a proud Hlongwa said.

Managing director of Pikitup, Siva Pllay, said the award, handed out at the Capam conference in Singapore, was an honor for the company. "When you embark on a project of this magnitude, you don't do it for the awards or for recognition - you do it because it is the right thing to do. We were pleasantly surprised when Jike selected us to go forward to the Capam Awards. We were amazed when we were selected as finalists and privileged to receive Silver in the final standings."

Trash litters a Johannesburg street before Project 100 Spots (Photos courtesy City of Johannesburg)

Hlongwa said the award confirmed that Pikitup was on the right track in contributing towards developing the city into a world-class African destination.

"In October 2002, Pikitup took the challenge to clean up Johannesburg through its Project 100 Spots. The initial phase was implemented in Soweto and our main challenge was to change culture, to change human behavior, in order to sustain a clean environment. The project involved Pikitup moving door-to-door and engaging residents in finding solutions to problems of illegal dumping."

The holistic thrust of Project 100 Spots is to address the problem of illegal dumping, vandalism, cable theft, general littering, the erecting of illegal structures, illegal trading, tampering with meters and other bylaw infringements in Johannesburg, "with the intention of providing lasting and sustainable development."

Illegal dumping sites may contain dangerous items like broken used syringes, needles, broken glasses and sharp objects. Owing to a quantity of food and other perishables dumped in these areas, the sites can serve as a breeding ground for bacteria. Rainwater washes germs into neighboring areas and the city's waterways, says Pikitup.

Pikitup sanitation truck at work

Hlongwa, meanwhile, said the success of the project was achieved through a "collective effort" involving other city entities and utilities.

"Pikitup, Metro Police, City Power, City Parks, Joburg Water and the Johannesburg Roads Agency are all involved in raising levels of awareness among residents," he said.

Since its implementation, Pikitup has provided 240 liter bins to Soweto residents, thereby drastically curtailing illegal dumping in the area. "As a result, we have gone a long way in restoring a sense of pride among our residents. We are now in the fifth phase of the project and our target is to ensure that every part of Johannesburg is included in the process," said Hlongwa.

According to Hlongwa, Pikitup collects 1.4 million metric tons of waste from around Johannesburg every year, a large part of which constitutes litter dropped on city streets and parks.

"Singapore, the city-state where the Capam conference was held, is probably one of the cleanest places in the world and Joburg should aspire to reach the same level. Other stakeholders should be harnessed and we are currently working with the Department of Education to come up with a curriculum that will help sustain our environment," Hlongwa said.

He attributed the main cause of dumping in the inner city to informal traders who he said should play a "meaningful role" in helping to keep the city clean.

{Published in cooperation with the City of Johannesburg.}