The longhair and I spend a goodly amount of time in our garages recently as we tried to get rid of all of our accumulated junk so that we can get one more car in the garage in anticipation of renting our flatlet out (See: Private Granny Flat Near Greenacres To Let). So far we have done a sterling job of allowing Cash Crusaders and Big Bucks to cherry pick stuff at a pittance, giving stuff away to the Estate Manager and Domestic Queen, asking Animal Welfare to take the rest (they must have forgotten my phone number as they never phoned back) and now we sit with hordes of stuff like monitors, printers, old toys, chargers, old furniture and the like that no-one seems to want.
I am considering putting it on the front lawn with a sign saying For Sale – I am sure that it will be stolen pretty quickly then.
And then the ever efficient Chuma sort of answered my prayers when she sent this missive out:
Nelson Mandela Bay residents and businesses operating in the Baaken’s River Valley area can take comfort in the knowledge that The Mandela Bay Development Agency (MBDA), an arm of the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality (NMBM), has recently commenced with the MBDA Recyclable Materials’ Programme and is leaving their green footprint in the Bay.
The initiative is part of the NMBM Go Green initiative which is based on the international call to reduce toxic gases, destruction of trees, and promote healthy life styles, tree planting, vegetable gardens, recycling, use of public transport, cycling, walking and less fuel/coal burning amongst others.
“Having, seen that our parent body, the NMBM has launched the Go Green Campaign and that this initiative is also directed at alleviating poverty and promoting economic growth, the MBDA also decided to follow the lead of the NMBM by adopting two of its Key Performance Elements (KPEs) namely, the Out-Reach Programme and secondly, Environmental Management” said MBDA CEO, Pierre Voges.
The development agency’s Recyclable Materials’ Programme commenced in 2010, just before the start of the Soccer World Cup, through the introduction of two colourfully painted MBDA containers that were placed in Govan Mbeki Avenue (GMA) and Parliament Street. We then appointed a Majoka Cleaning Services through a due tender process to manage, run and benefit from the initiative through creating jobs for the unemployed” added Voges.
The development agency’s role in the recycling project is the provision of the necessary infrastructure for the initiative, giving guidance to the service provider, linking the service provider with businesses in the area and to monitor the progress made as the success of this initiative will be used in recycling sites in other areas of the Bay.
Members of the public are encouraged to participate in the recycling project by collecting all recyclable materials such as cardboard boxes, bottles, cans, plastic bottles, plastic, newspapers and printing paper to the MBDA Baakens River Valley site where these will be:
- Sorted
- Separated for selling
- Washed and cleaned in the preparation process
- Prepared for reuse
- Manufacture goods such as bags, candle holders, shoe-bags, placemats, doorstoppers etc
If people would like to participate, they can do so by delivering their unwanted recyclable materials to the Baakens River Valley site or when they have sizeable amounts of recyclable materials they can call Tereza Mbali from Majoka Cleaning Services on 083 569 4472 for free collection. This will assist in keeping their environment clean and with minimal toxic gases.
The site is open between 08h00 and 17h00 Monday to Friday and 08h00 to 13h00 on Saturdays.
“I am encouraging the members of the public to adopt and own this initiative as it will certainly create jobs, alleviate poverty and reduce rubbish, toxic gases in our environment and contribute to the economy of the city, metro and the Nelson Mandela Bay region” said Voges as he emphasised the need to keep the city clean and safe in order to attract tourists and private sector investment.
Do YOU know of anyone who collects ‘hard goods’ such as those typically tossed into a garage and forgotten?
Alan Straton
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Alan, you sure this wasn’t just a ploy just to play “Tjek djou inni garage vannaand” ?
I don’t have the EARS for that!
But I don’t think that we have “christened” that particular part of the home yet.
Will check but WON’T get back to you on that one.
Hi Alan do you still have a printer to get rid of?
A Lexmark Ink Jet