PILOT RIVER HEALTH
Sept 2000. 1 month
Mandate: To accurately assess the requirements for cleaning river bed, banks and riparian zone.
50 community members from Alexandra were employed in this 1-month pilot project to clean up 2 kms of the Jukskei River, funded by various corporates
(R380 000).
JUKSKEI RIVER PROJECT. INITIAL CLEAN-UP:
March 2001 to March 2002
Mandate: To remove all solid wastes from the river bed, banks and riparian zone for a distance of 27km from Alexandra downstream, including removal of felled alien trees left in floodplain by others (Working for Water).
Actual: Cleaned up and maintained 48 km of the Jukskei River and its tributaries (over-achieved target by 78%) and completed 3 months ahead of schedule.
- Removed 12,000 tons of solid waste at a cost of R4-million (R1.9M to workers’ wages)
- Employed 144 previously unemployed members of the Alexandra community
- Funding agencies: Department of Environmental Affairs & Tourism (DEAT) and Gauteng provincial Department of Agriculture, Conservation, Environment & Land Care (DACEL)
CHEMSERVE:
Jan 2002 to Jan 2003
Mandate: To clean the Jukskei River at source (Cnr. Queen and Sports Streets, Bertrams) and extend to Bruma Lake. Encourage and educate the community members to stop littering and dumping into the river and open spaces.
Cleaned source of Jukskei River (cnr Queen/Sport Bertrams) and river for 10kms to Bruma Lake. Reduced dumping waste stream from Bertrams catchment from 300>25>2.5 t/month. The heaviest dumping area (from source, downstream for 1.5 kms) produced 6.7 tons of waste.
MUSHROOM FARM PARK (MFP):
May 2003. 1 week
Mandate: To remove all solid waste from the Sandspruit and two dams within MFP including the beds, banks, riparian zone and park. To remove invasive reeds and alien vegetation clogging the river banks and dams. To re-establish the flow of the dams and the spruit as a connected system.
1-week clean-up of Sandspruit River, dams and park: 2.3 tons waste removed, 20 jobs. Removed invasive reeds to open up flow of river and two connected dams, removed alien vegetation clogging river banks.
ABI / DPW / IDT / WITS UNIVERSITY: ALEX RIVER PROJECT.
Oct 2003 – Oct 2004 / 12 months
Mandate: To clean the Jukskei river in Alexandra for a distance of 1km upstream and 0.5 km downstream, including four main bridges clogged with solid wastes and tree stumps felled by others. To establish a community- based waste management system.
Actual:
- Project extended to March 2005 (18 months) due to income generated from waste recycling
- Selected by DPW as EPWP Case Study ref ‘The ABI-Alex River Project’ No. HP05/31, EPWP Case Study Jul-Sept 2006 by McIntosh Xaba & Associates (only 4 from 20000 projects were selected as Case Studies);
- 1 600 tons waste removed from river (1 017 tons in first 3 months in capital clean-up of accumulated waste in river, 583 tons removed over next 15 months as much-reduced return waste flow);
- R5.9M wages/earnings to 400 beneficiaries (previously unemployed Alexandrians recruited via Zivuseni Poverty Relief Program);
- EPWP targets for employment/job creation exceeded by more than 100%;
- 1600 Households, 2 Hostels, 5000 Residents in Alexandra recruited into program for waste separation;
- Training: 6 Environmental Leaders, 6 Project Managers, 8 Community Leaders / Mobilisation;
- Entrepreneurs developed: 15 PDI’s from Alexandra;
- Water Quality: Solid waste removal, community monitoring, reporting, remedial action: E Coli reduced from 24M to 98K/100 ml (Wits Univ.)
- Recycling: 300 tons in pilot scheme, informal buyback at abandoned school, R10 000-16 000/month earned, Goods for Waste coupon system established on trial basis, 15 entrepreneurs developed.
GREENHOUSE PROJECT (GHP):
Jan 2006 to April 2006 / 4months
Mandate: To establish a recycling system for GHP, in-house and for surrounding 1km square area, utilizing a buyback centre built by GHP and training 15 GHP beneficiaries to implement and maintain the system. Supply all relevant equipment and co-ordinate recycler partner participation and purchase of all recyclables.
Community waste buy-back centre established, Joubert Park, Greenhouse Project spearhead, JhB. Cleaned and maintained grounds and surrounds ie: Joubert Park, Johannesburg Station, Taxi rank and vendor area, and surrounding shebeens. Achieved 5 tons per week recyclables sold within first month (glass, cans, plastics and cardboard).
JHB METRO:
Dec 2006 to May 2007 / 7 months
Mandate: Clean and maintain 1.5km of Jukskei River, De Wetshof, Bezuidenhout Park.
1-month clean-up plus 6-months maintenance, Jukskei River: 7.63 tons waste removed from river. Employed 10 Alexandra contractors trained by Soul to implement and maintain system.
FRANCHISE DEVELOPMENT: 2005-2007
- Developed Give & Gain™ licensed franchise for recycling and proprietary equipment line; based on model and feedback over series of 3 stakeholder workshops held 2004-5, incl Sappi, Consol, Nampak, IWMSA, Buyiesa e Bag, PlasFed, WESSA, ARP, WRC, Pikitup,
- Developed River Health licensed franchise for national river-cleaning programmes, with customized Equipment Pack.
Licence agreements prepared by Deneys Reitz (Soul national legal partner).
TOYOTA RIVER HEALTH PROGRAMME:
Established Sept 2006 / SOUL appointed as Toyota SA National Coordinator for River Projects.
River Health licence for Dealer Roll-Out. In current programme from September 2006-date, removed 140 tons of solid waste from:
Jukskei River (Gauteng - Toyota Marketing Head Office);
Isipingo River (KZN - Toyota Prospecton Plant);
Liesbeek River (W Cape - Toyota Culemborg); and
Sterkspruit River (Mpumalanga – Toyota Lydenburg).
TOYOTA WASTE-FROM-HOME
Launched June 2007
Mandate: To establish an in-house “Waste from Home” recycling system with 1000 Toyota employees at Head office in Sandton. Supply all relevant equipment and training. Provide project management, monitoring and reporting.
- Purchased Give & Gain™ licence in June 2007
- Waste-from-Home / in-house waste separation at source
- Corporate Recycling model: 1000 employees, 20% with private transport;
- More than 4 tons waste recycled to date from 200 employees with private transport to work;
- Established in-house communications program with marketing Dept. including e-mail awareness campaign, posters, educational fridge magnets and booklet, and launch competition.
WITS JOINT RECYCLING PROJECT:
Launched 3 September 2007
Mandate: To establish an in-house recycling program through waste separation at source with Wits Medical School and associated contractors of the university. Train contractors in model systems, environmental education and awareness with the 3500 students and 1500 employees and associated income stream to reduce costs of university waste disposal and impact on the environment. Rollout to all faculties in future.
Customized Soul Foundation® Give & Gain™ licensed model purchased by Wits Medical School for pilot scheme for 3500 students and 500 staff, launched September 2007, for roll-out to all faculties subsequently. In the first few months of operation more than XX tons of recyclable waste was recovered rather than being dumped to landfill as previously.
VODACOM
Commenced 20 November 2007
Mandate: To arrange, coordinate and carry out a river-cleaning programme on the Jukskei River, Alexandra, Gauteng, commencing with a river clean-up event 20-22 November 2007.
Over the period 20-22 November 2007, 10.8 tons (3 425 bags) of solid waste and 4.3 tons of alien/invasive green waste was removed from the river-bed, banks and surrounds around Marlboro Bridge, Alexandra in a multi-party collaboration which provides the basis for establishing an Environmental Round Table for the Alexandra area. The aim is to establish a waste recycling system in Alexandra, to prevent river pollution from this source, and to utilise the income from the sale of recyclable waste for a trained group from the community to self-sustainably maintain this section of the Jukskei River.
CURRENT PROJECTS-IN-PROGRESS:
- Developed a rural plan for P.E.A.C.E Foundation in waste management.
- Endangered Wildlife Trust training of conservation leadership group by SOUL Foundation in live projects
ASHOKA
Mandate: Collaboration between Ashoka Fellows to maximise impact of Ashoka Global Water & Sanitation Initiative. The vehicle is WET Africa.
Ashoka is a global (68 countries, currently 2000 Fellows worldwide) organisation promoting social entrepreneurship for large-scale social change. Kim was nominated as a fellow in 2003.
Soul Foundation/ Kim Kieser has been invited by Ashoka as a leading fellow in establishing a new global initiative for water and sanitation, sponsored by Ashoka and linking with Ashoka Fellows worldwide and their associated networks. First workshop held in RSA in March 2008, led by Ashoka global office, collaborators include David Strelneck (global office USA), Erin Fornoff (Global Fellowship USA), Marita Oosthuizen (Regional Office RSA), and Ashoka Africa Fellows: Kim Kieser (RSA), David Kuria (Kenya), Sameh Ghali (Egypt), Osmond Mugweni (Zimbabwe), Isaac Durojaiye (Nigeria), Joseph Adelegan (Nigeria), Paul Cohen (RSA) and Trevor Mulaudzi (RSA). Immediate Action Projects are:
- Scaling up Industrial Biogas Digester (led by Joseph Adelegan, Nigeria)
- Sustainable Communities (led by Paul Cohen, RSA)
- Community and School Sanitation (led by Trevor Mulaudzi, RSA)
- Sustainable Rivers and Integrated Waste Management (led by Kim Kieser, RSA)
- Ashoka Global Water & Sanitation Knowledge/Action/Marketing Model (led by Kim Kieser, RSA)
- Dept Water Affairs and Forestry. Prepared business plan and terms of reference for river health and recyling for Thembisa Township
- Waterfall Development Co. 8km Jukskei River clean-up in preparation for the development of a housing project.
©Soul Foundation® 2009
