Bloemfontein’s Fichardt Park Neighbourhood Association is making big strides with its household separation-at-source initiative, with community members, and even residents in other neighbourhoods, supporting it.

On the second and last Saturday of every month, an average of 74 households bring their recyclables – including e-waste – to the local recycling station.

A few community information sessions have been conducted on how to implement separation-at-source, which is essentially separating recyclable materials from non-recyclable household waste and placing them in separate bags for collection or drop-off.

Petco sponsored colour-coded wheelie bins for the recycling station at a local retirement village, while another station is strategically placed at a Shell service station next to the local Pick n Pay hypermarket. Both stations are serviced weekly, but the association is still working on educating the public about placing their materials, such as paper, plastic and glass into the correct bins.

Between April and July this year, the various recycling hubs throughout Fichardt Park, including schools, library, hospital and shops – which are serviced by a range of service providers as well as waste pickers working in the area – reclaimed over 62 tonnes of recyclable materials. A Petco-sponsored trailer facilitated the collection of 4.24 tonnes, of which 1.26 tonnes was PET.

Fichardt Park’s efforts show how separating household waste into recyclables and non-recyclables connects us with the waste we create and instils a recycling-conscious ethos and diverts valuable recyclables from landfills.