Informal waste pickers in Bellville are to be kitted out with new and improved trolleys to do their jobs safely and more efficiently!
Bellville, South Africa (01 October 2024) — Ever seen a waste picker struggling through busy roads with a massive bag of goods hanging on for its life atop a makeshift cart? Most of us have. For many informal waste pickers, managing the load carefully in this way is just another day at work. But, what if there was a better way to set their work in motion? The good news is, there is, and it’s happening in Bellville!
The better.bellville.together initiative has, since last year, been working equal parts creatively and tirelessly to improve the lives of the Bellville community.
We’ve highlighted many of the initiative’s success stories (often featuring fabulous community art) before on Good Things Guy. Beyond the art that inspires public pride, the better.bellville.together initiative is a big pioneering effort dedicated to revitalising Bellville in three main ways: community engagement, business investment and sustainable practices.
Thanks to the initiative, taxi ranks have been revamped, more jobs have been created, more gardens have been grown and more bins (including protea-inspired ones) for recycling have set up shop.
Now, it’s the waste pickers’ turn to benefit from community upliftment.
Recently, better.bellville.together teamed up with eco-empowering community Waste-Ed and worked with other businesses as well as government departments to bring fresh trolley designs to Bellville! This, in an effort to help informal waste pickers do their important work for their own livelihood and the environment in a better way.
With a bicycle built to pick up speed, a safer area for collections and an extended top area for more capacity, the cleverly designed ‘Wheels of Change’ trolly helps tackle a lot of problems with a single pair of wheels.
As the Greater Tygerberg Partnership shares:
“The trolleys are tailored specifically to meet the needs of waste pickers, offering a user-centred design that enhances both work efficiency and safety.”
Moreover, they are designed to help reduce the number of trips waste pickers traditionally have to make, thanks to fantastic engineering.
Meanwhile, in news where waste made headlines, an incredible series of Mona Lisa masterpieces are showing us all the power of upcycling. You can read all about it here.
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