Six young students from Khayelitsha have started a business of cleaning garbage bins, to raise money for their University fees.
The business started as an idea to make extra money but quickly turned into something bigger than any of then expected. Azola Fatman, 21 came up with the idea after seeing how dirty garbage bins still are after the trash has been collected.
Fatman, 21, founded Bin2Bin Holdings in October 2016. He then recruited friends Qhama Mroleli, 23, Ayanda Yeye, 21, Aseza Kuseya, 22, Siyabonga Yeye, 20, and Lwazi Mbizo, 20, into the enterprise.
To date, they have a contract to clean about 50 bins every Monday morning in J Section in Khayelitsha, at R50 a month.
“The rate of unemployment is too high here so we had to come up with a plan. We also did not want to get involved in ill-disciplined behaviour that some youth end-up in. We were motivated to start a business, but we did not have any business idea.”
“Cleaning the bins then came into our minds and we jumped on it. We went door to door a day after we agreed on the idea, pitching the idea to homeowners, who loved it. We are eco-friendly and we are promoting hygiene,” he said.
The business is helping all of the students pay for their college and university fees.
They said they are studying at different institutions, with Fatman studying Diesel Mechanics at False Bay College; Kuseya is doing Electrical Engineering at False Bay College; Mroleli is doing Photography at Cape College; Siyabonga is studying towards a degree in Human Settlements at the University of Fort Hare; while Mbizo is studying Public Relations as Kingsway College and Ayanda is working for the Department of Health.
“It helps us a lot because we manage to get transport fare and also help with grocery at home.”
“It is really good for us,” he added.
They also have plans of expanding their business to other parts of Cape Town.
“We want to be change makers not just people who talk without implementing ideas,” Mroleli said.
They are busy setting up various channels to get hold of them online… GoodThingsGuy will update this article when we receive all the information.
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