In Brixton, waste reclaimers tackle illegal dumping, collaborating with residents to transform trash into opportunities and promoting environmental justice and community resilience.
About 70 waste reclaimers from the African Reclaimers Organisation (ARO) came to Brixton, Johannesburg, on 13 December to clean up the streets alongside residents in the rain.
The Brixton Community Forum (BCF) and the ARO began a collaboration in 2018, sparked by a shared concern about waste, environmental justice and community resilience, explained Sophia Welz, from the BCF.
"What inspired this ... is that the waste that was supposed to be properly diverted, after the [Marie Louise] landfill [in Soweto] was closed ... is going to the community right next door. So an illegal dump is actually being created by the city," said the ARO's Luyanda Hlatshwayo.
The ARO encourages individuals to separate tin, paper, glass, plastic and food scraps before disposal. This enables reclaimers to effectively manage waste.
"So collectively, if we're working together, we can find the solution. Then government will come after if they want to," said Hlatshwayo. "Your bin has 80% of recyclables and about 80% of compost. The rest is going to be construction waste. If we manage it from source, then we don't really need landfills.
"Hopefully, we can get the city to come on board -- the city, as in the people, not...
