In an era where environmental consciousness is at the forefront of global concerns, businesses are increasingly seeking innovative ways to reduce their ecological footprint.
One such initiative involves forging partnerships between companies with shared sustainability goals.
Greener Pastures, a leading waste management company, has entered into a strategic collaboration with Emira Property Fund to manage waste.
Managing director of Greener Pastures, Thabiso Hlongwane, said he established the company in 2013 right after high school due to not having an opportunity to go to university.
“We started the business in the hope of being able to reduce the amount of waste that was seen in the community,” he said.
He added that people can utilise the waste buy-back centres to make money.
Hlongwane said recycling also creates job opportunities and promotes the diversion of recyclable waste material from landfill sites.
“As Greener Ppastures we have done waste management for malls, including Mabopane Square, Quagga Centre and also Wonderpark Shopping Centre,” he said.
He urged the youth to recycle to bring dignity to communities.
“There are a lot of recyclable material in our communities, but people don’t see that as an opportunity. This is the biggest challenge we have, we want people to see these recyclable materials as a way to have money,” he said.
Adriaan Groningen from Emira Property Fund said they started setting targets for themselves on the amount of waste that they divert from the landfill.
“We needed to find a partner that is committed and interested to work with us to achieve those goals,” he said.
This project with Greener Pastures in Centurion worked so well that they decided to bring them to a much bigger space, he said.
Sandile Mnguni, one of the youths who was employed by Greener Pastures said he is grateful for the opportunity that he got because not only did it change his life but it also taught him more about recycling.
“Many people don’t know about recycling; that is the challenge that we are facing right now. We need to educate people on how to recycle and make our communities a better place to live in,” he said.
It is important for children to also learn about recycling at a young age, he added.
Pretoria News