South Africa is a developing country with a relatively young population but it is also one of the most economically unequal countries in the world. This country also has one of the highest unemployment rate globally. While 29% of South Africa’s youth are unemployed, more than 60% are unskilled meaning that there is a high number of unskilled, uneducated and unemployed citizens. Job creation in South Africa should therefore, ideally cater for low skills. Waste generation in South Africa is generally high while there is minimal education and management of waste. As a result, high volumes of litter in residential areas are evident, particularly in townships and informal settlements. This debris eventually ends up in streams which lead to rivers and oceans where they become available to organisms. There is evidently an urgent need for education on the value of recyclables as well as a mechanism to enable revenue while ensuring recyclables are collected.
Buy-Back Centres are one such mechanism as they allow consumers to exchange their recyclables for profit. While buyback centres provide a platform for individuals and companies to profit from their recyclables, they are however, often situated too far from consumers and there is often lack of education around their functionality. A lot of people are not aware of the value of their recyclables or how they could benefit from them. As a result, recycling is viewed as a job for waste pickers only and is often viewed in a derogatory manner. For the man on the street, there is often no differentiation be between recyclables and waste. It is important that more education is conducted around the importance and benefits of buyback centres. More so, it is imperative that buyback centres be made accessible to make it easier for consumers to contribute to the recycling value chain. This will not only provide consumers the opportunity to recycle but will also result in a cleaner and heather environment.
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