The Cape Town Central City Improvement District’s (CCID) pilot bin project alongside Khulisa Social Solutions on Long Street is continuing until June 2018.
The pilot bin project, which began last December, provides work opportunities while enabling better management of the urban environment along portions of Long Street in the CBD, the heart of the Central City’s entertainment district. With the current expansion, which commenced in early April, the Long Street block between Wale and Strand streets has also been included, increasing the number of businesses participating in the area.
Through the pilot bin project, participants who come via Khulisa Social Solutions’ Streetscapes initiative, micro manage the waste collection process along Long Street, helping to prevent litter ending up on the streets when people rummage through bins for recyclable materials in waste collections areas. This, in turn, ensures that the urban environment is clean and works at its best for all Central City stakeholders
The pilot bin project originally covered the Long Street stretch between Hout and Church streets, and a total of 15 buildings and 38 retailers were the initial participants. On 22 January, coverage was extended to include the block between Hout and Castle streets resulting in an additional 15 businesses participating. With its most recent expansion, the tally has increased.
Says Richard Beesley, manager of CCID Urban Management: “Since its inception, this pilot bin project has been well-received by both members of the public and businesses who previously had to contend with litter and their bins being vandalised or stolen. So, I am pleased that ̶ after it was initially meant to come to an end on 2 March ̶ we were able to secure the necessary resources to enable it to continue and be expanded so that not only more businesses could benefit in terms of a clean urban environment, but Khulisa participants as well.”
According to Jesse Laitinen, manager of strategic partnerships at Khulisa Social Solutions, Farouk, one of the Khulisa participants, “screamed out loud out of joy when he heard the project is continuing.” And this speaks to the significance of the pilot bin project: not only does it create work opportunities for street people while at the same time combatting litter in the CBD, but Khulisa Social Solutions also provides participants with valuable social services. These include daily sessions with a counsellor, psycho-educational training, as well as assistance towards accessing health services and to ultimately move off the streets.
Image by Scott Arendse