If all goes according to plan, it won’t be long before residents in Jozi face fines for improperly managing their waste. While the move will definitely result in a fair amount of complaining, it’s arguable that recycling has been happening around the world for ages. In fact, it should be a habit and duty for all of us.

New waste management bylaws are currently being drafted and should be available for public comment in roughly four months’ time.

The new measures will be put in place to ensure the city meets its obligations in respect of the domestic waste collection standards, which were inscribed by the National Waste Act earlier this year.

According to the City of Johannesburg’s spokesman, Gugu Mathibela, the new bylaws will be a part of a give-and-take approach the city will adopt.

Although not yet clearly defined, residents will stand to benefit from doing their duty for the city and for the environment, and can probably expect some kind of kick-back in respect of council rates.

The bigger picture, says Environmental Affairs spokesman Albi Modise, is that less waste is produced and cities across South Africa become mandated to have recycling systems in place.

The new bylaws are based on a pilot project that has been run for a few years by waste management company Pickitup.

Similar projects have been run in Durban and Cape Town, but all have had varying degrees of success, with the overall outcome being that residents need to become more proactive in their approach to waste management.

This, from Joburg Advocacy Group’s Lee Cahill:

Many consumers … don’t realise what a huge effect waste has on the environment. The need for a collective effort to address this issue can’t be overemphasised.

If you have the time, read how seriously the residents of Neustadt an der Weinstrasse in Germany take their recycling.

[Source: TimesLive]