The African Reclaimers Organisation (ARO) was the recipient of the 2021 World Wide Fund (WWF) Living Planet Award for Organisations.
South Africa (27 August 2021) – The African Reclaimers Organisation (ARO) has been honoured for its work with reclaimers and the change it is having in South Africa, not only for the reclaimers themselves but the planet as well!
African Reclaimers Organisation is a non-profit that was formed after reclaimers demanded to be included in the waste management system.
The WWF Living Planet Award recognises excellence in environmental or conservation action. It is awarded annually through nominations by WWF South Africa staff and stakeholders, and the final award is made by the WWF South Africa Board.
The award was given to ARO to recognise the role reclaimers play in a truly circular waste economy and for being the voice of reclaimers, who are often the most vulnerable and exploited group of people in the waste and recycling sector.
The individual WWF Living Planet Award was received by the late Professor Bob Scholes’ family. Professor Scholes passed away in April this year. He was a distinguished Professor of Systems Ecology and the Director of the Global Change and Sustainability Research Institute at the University of the Witwatersrand.
“It is a privilege to be acknowledged for the work that we do and as ARO – representatives of reclaimers – we are honoured to be part of a global economy. It shows that our work is being recognised and we are happy to play a huge role in building our economy and saving the environment.”
Acknowledging that reclaimers collect between 80-90% of the used packaging collected for recycling in South Africa, WWF’s citation of the award to ARO read as follows:
“We generate more than 55 million tonnes of waste a year and only recycle around 35%. Critical to this recycling process are informal reclaimers who do the bulk of the work…In performing this service, they bridge the gap between the municipal service and recycling value chain and play a key role in the waste and recycling economy. Ultimately, this contributes to the circular economy where products are kept within the system rather than sent to landfill.” – Eva Mokoena, Chairperson of ARO.
Being recognised by a global organisation such as WWF is a huge victory for recognising reclaimers as a whole. It not only validates the important work that reclaimers do in diverting materials from the landfills, but it also validates the work of ARO as an organisation representing the struggles of reclaimers.
Reclaimers’ struggle for recognition, integration and compensation has been a decades-long fight.
“Receiving such a prestigious award solidifies in our minds and in the minds of the public that a truly circular waste economy cannot be achieved without reclaimers.”
This award is also a step towards closing the gap between environmental non-profit organisations and environmental workers who work tirelessly to earn a living and protect the environment.
“We are at a crucial moment in our struggle as reclaimers. The policies such as the National Waste Picker Integration Guidelines and Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) regulations mandate both private companies and municipalities to integrate and work with reclaimers.”
“We hope that the increasing recognition of reclaimers will lead to a transformation of the recycling system to a reclaimer-based separation at source model that works with all stakeholders to achieve higher recycling rates and improve living and working conditions for reclaimers.”
“We would like to thank WWF South Africa for recognising reclaimers as environmental heroes and inspiring others to do the same.”
You can find out more about the organisation here.
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