Over 600 residents of George in the Western Cape have now received their very own compost bins and will help reduce landfill space by composting at home.
George, South Africa (23 August 2023) – The city of George implemented its compost bin project in October 2022, and it has been a great success to date. We got to chat with an avid gardener, Doné Liversage, who shares her joy in being one of the successful applicants of the free initiative.
The George Municipality has handed out more than 600 composting bins to date and feedback from residents has been overwhelmingly positive. There is a waiting list as many eager residents sign-up for the initiative in the hope of reducing their own household waste, preventing perfectly compostable waste from taking up landfill space.
The next handover of the 150-litre and 200-litre compost bins will take place later this year. Residents need not worry if they don’t get their bins just yet; the project is set to run for the next three years as funding allows. Speaking to Ntobeko Mangqwengqwe, Senior Communications and IGR Officer at George Municipality, he shared that residents were excited about the project, and it makes the city proud to see them playing their part.
“George Municipality is very happy with the high demand and wants to thank the community for their part to keep George GREEN.” – Ntobeko Mangqwengqwe
Households qualify for the 150-litre compost bins, while NGOs, churches, schools and other organisations qualify for the 200-litre bins.
The team estimates that around 30% of landfill waste is classed as organic and can be diverted into greener avenues through this project.
Doné Liversage, a George resident and gardener sharing her journey on Instagram, shared that she recently received her household bin and was proud to be getting involved. Speaking to her about her thoughts on the project, Doné said she was passionate about the environment and regeneration, and this step by the local government was in the right direction.
“As someone who is passionate about the environment and regeneration, I am delighted that our local municipality is showing tangible effort to be a good steward of our natural resources. I’ve always been so proud of our Garden Route for its natural beauty, and this composting project gives me hope that George is taking a much-needed step in the right direction to maintain such.”
In discussing the composting system, Doné explained that they already have a worm farm (vermicompost) and cold compost (long-term decomposition), so this will make a great extension of that and speed up their access to homemade, organic compost.
“We already have an active vermicomposting bin (worm farm) as well as a cold composting system, so we plan to use this provided bin for hot composting. We are in the process of creating a food forest at our home, so hot composting provides us with faster compost to feed our crops more regularly. Also, all the food scraps we cannot give to our Red Wrigglers can now be put into a sealed composting system, away from rodents and other pests.”
Doné, like many of the residents in George, has given her thanks to the officials in charge of this initiative. She hopes to see more homes adopting this effort and making a difference in the community’s carbon footprint.
“Kudos to George Municipality on a great initiative; we can’t wait to see this project and future projects gain traction. We’ve already shared it on multiple social media platforms in the hopes that many more George households will grab the opportunity.
Collectively, we can contribute greatly to reducing the volume of unnecessary “waste” sent to landfills, thereby reducing our carbon footprint. As Will.I.Am aptly states: “Waste isn’t waste until we waste it.” Moreover, a fantastic byproduct of folks composting at home means less harmful synthetic fertilizers and pesticides used. Home composting is a win-win for everyone.” – Doné Liversage
Ntobeko Mangqwengqwe ends off by stating that residents are still welcome to register and be added to the waiting list. He says complex residents are also encouraged to apply. There is a small criterion, so we have shared all the details needed below, or you can reach out to the contacts provided for more information. The municipality has also made its composting guide available online, so if you are not in the area but want to compost, you can learn more here.
Minimum criteria
- Must reside permanently in the George municipal area for the project (proof of address must be submitted).
- Must generate kitchen waste, e.g., raw vegetable and fruit waste.
Application forms to participate in the project are available on the George Municipal website here or can be obtained from the George Environmental Services Municipal offices, 82 Meade Street, George.
Submit application forms to gnnotshokovu@george.gov.za or Kvstoffels@george.gov.za or at George Environmental Services Municipal Offices, 82 Meade Street.