GEORGE NEWS - To boost the income of the Garden Route Botanical Garden, management embarked on a project of collecting recyclable items from various points in George.
The simple solution has taken a problematic turn.
Miek de Jager, operations manager of Interwaste, the company that has the municipal blue bag recycling tender for George, recently informed the municipality that the company has stopped servicing the Bergsig Retirement Village in Denneoord because, since last year, the recycling bags have been collected by the botanical garden's vehicle and then presumably sold to another recycling business in George.
De Jager asked if the municipality sanctions the recycling collection point at the entrance to the botanical garden.
"Has the correct license been granted? If the answer is yes, it will violate the agreement between the municipality and Interwaste," said de Jager.
Legal requirements
"Council did not give permission for a recycling point at the botanical garden, which is on council's property. This is the botanical garden's own initiative," said Debra Sauer, communications officer at the George Municipality.
Sauer clarified the law: "The botanical garden also does not need permission from Council to have a recycling point and private recycling is encouraged.
"Only when the work surface is larger than 1 000 square meters must people apply for a license to the provincial government. This license is addressed in the National Environmental Waste Act of 2008."
Director of Community Services Walter Hendricks confirmed that an official met with the management of the botanical garden last week.
"The management was made aware of the contract between the municipality and the service provider for the collection of the blue recyclable bags.
"They were informed that it is illegal to collect recyclables from households, including all housing schemes and old-age homes, and specifically at Bergsig Retirement Village, where this complaint originated."
The garden gave the municipality the undertaking that they will immediately stop collecting from Bergsig.
They will continue recycling, but only collect from private companies that do not form part of the recycling tender, said Hendricks.
Finn Rautenbach, the curator of the Garden Route Botanical Garden, said the garden will make the necessary changes to the operation to ensure that it complies with all local government and provincial legislation.
"Not only is it a money spinner for the garden, but the notion of recycling is dear to our hearts and a must for our vision of preservation of our environment."
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