ENVIRONMENT
When I was in primary school we had
to bring some cans, cardboard boxes
and many more recyclable goods. We’d
go to dump sites and sift through tons
of trash to find anything recyclable;
all while having no clue why! All we
knew was that the school requested
them. Now that I think about it, I was
essentially doing the same job that
these exceptional recycling men do; I
was a Captain Planet in training!
Who. What. When. Why. How.
The reality of unemployment and the
scarcity of jobs along with the alarming
and often understated challenges
fuelled by serious underemployment
means that for many people recycling
is a viable near-last resort. And so
we have a booming industry of men
and women keeping Gauteng clean.
We've dubbed them Captain Planets.
IMBO/ ISSUE 32/ '14
The risk of health and safety is
real and it is not a job that comes
with medical cover. I decided to
unpack the mystery behind the
guys who live off collecting waste.
They form part of a critical and
forgotten conglomerate of dedicated
and focused, entrepreneurially aware
individuals in our society.
The first person I approached was
James, an elderly man in his late
50’s if not early 60’s. After explaining
who I was he had no reluctance in
divulging the ins and outs of what his
work involves. He explained how he
got into this business back in 2008.
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