STATEMENT BY EXECUTIVE MAYOR OF STELLENBOSCH MUNICIPALITY – GESIE VAN DEVENTER
The Stellenbosch Municipality has launched a Swop Shop initiative in the Klapmuts area. This initiative helps the community to keep the area clean and teaches the residents about recycling and environmental awareness.
The Swop Shop takes place twice a month in the Klapmuts area. The Municipality sets up the shop and stocks it with basic needs items like coffee, sugar, tea, soap, toilet paper, fruit, clothes and shoes. Items like clothes and shoes are donated by the public or municipal staff. Items such as coffee and sugar are budgeted for and bought by the Solid Waste Department. All items are assigned a coupon value. Residents bring their sorted recyclables to the swop shop in standard size clear plastic bags. One bag of recyclables is worth one coupon. As residents trade in their bags, they are issued with coupons which they then use to trade for the goods in store.
The turnout for the swop shops is incredible with residents bringing up to 30 bags of recycled waste. The benefits of the initiative are really worthwhile. It keeps the environment clean and encourages the community to recycle and look after their environment. All the material turned in by the community is processed by our local recycling centre. The benefit for the Municipality is that all this material, which would have ended up on our landfill, is now diverted and recycled, extending the life cycle of the landfill site. It also curbs illegal dumping and limits pollution of water sources. To date more than 1.44 tons of waste has been recycled and diverted away from the landfill.
The community is very keen to participate in the project. Some residents bring up to 30 bags of recycled waste! Their enthusiasm is for this project wonderful and their efforts are rewarded with the coupons which they can trade for household items, clothes or sweets. The Municipality has conducted swop shops in Khayamandi and Groendal as well. The Klapmuts area however shows the greatest amount of interest and participation.
Residents who are interested to learn more about the initiative and how they can contribute to it can contact Charlotte Nell on 021 808 8216 or charlotte.nell@stellenbosch.gov.za.