Thuleleni Nokubonga Msomi is a “waste-preneur”. She lives in the SWAPO informal settlement in Copesville and collects material for a recycling programme run by the Wildlands Conservation Trust, the Hilton based conservation NGO. The name waste-preneur is borrowed from another of Wildland’s projects, the Indigenous Trees for Life Programme, where “tree-preneurs” are given the opportunity to earn by growing and trading indigenous trees. Within these programmes, each individual becomes an entrepreneur, building an income and learning valuable skills.
“I collect newspaper, bottles, cardboard and tins. I get it from places in Honeyville where people dump their rubbish next to the side of the road.” said Thuleleni. “I had collected about 150kgs the last time Wildlands collected the waste. My first collection was 110 kgs, so it is about 260kg in total that I have collected so far.” Waste-preneurs are given credit for every kilogram of waste they collect regardless of whether it is paper, plastic, cardboard or glass.
Urvashi Haridass of Wildlands Recycling said: “People have responded in an overwhelming way to the concept. The programme is cleaning up the communities of rubbish and especially glass which is found in the streets and which is dangerous for children. In return, people are learning that there is value in clearing waste from their communities and people who earn little or no income can feed their families.”
Thuleleni has three children and earns very little in the part-time work she does, so the extra money she receives from the collecting of waste is making a big difference: “I have bought candles, soap, baked beans, tinned fish and soup already at the waste store,”she said.
The store Thulelani refers to is a market held in the community by Wildlands when waste-preneurs and tree-preneurs have credit to spend. Thuleleni is also a tree-preneur with the Indigenous Trees for Life Programme run in SWAPO, Sweetwaters and Edendale in Pietermaritzburg. In January this year she began planting indigenous trees and now has 300 plants growing in her back yard. When the trees reach a certain height, she will trade them in for credit notes and buy goods such as food, clothing and household items at the next tree store.
Andrew Venter, CEO of the Wildlands Conservation trust, said “This is our latest programme and the community’s response has been amazing. Over 21 tonnes of waste was collected in SWAPO in the first three collections. Simply amazing! The Programme has been made possible by Unilever SA whose ongoing commitment to sustainable development must be commended.”
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