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www.thevillagenews.co.za
18 March 2020
A plan comes together in Kleinmond Writer & Photographer Elaine Davie
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hey registered the community’s unhappiness; they saw an opportunity and they decided: ‘Let’s see if we can make a plan.’ And that’s how Better World Recycling came into being in Kleinmond last week. But not before the Swarts and Beurel families of Beverley Hills had conducted a thorough feasibility study and worked out a careful development plan. After a second attempt at resuscitating Walker Bay Recycling had failed, the environmentally-conscious residents of Kleinmond threw up their hands in despair. It seemed it would take a long time and tangles of bureaucratic red tape before an official solution would be found. And what could they do with their diligently separated recyclables until then? As far as the Swarts family was concerned, the junk was already piling up in their back yard. Fisherman Egon Swarts was brought up in Kleinmond, the last baby to be born in the harbour where generations of fishermen had lived, until they were moved up the mountain in compliance with the notorious Group Areas Act. He had always been a oneman garbage picker-upper, as he walked from the sea up the mountain. Bottles, plastic, papers, tins – nothing escaped his eagle eye. So what was he going to do now with all this recyclable stuff in his yard? He, his wife Brigethe, their daughter Valencia and her French husband, Eric Beurel sat around a table to talk about it. Valencia and Eric had recently returned after several years of working abroad in the hospitality industry and were looking around for a small business opportunity that would benefit themselves and the Kleinmond community in which Valencia, too, had grown up. “So we decided that it would be empowering to ourselves and at
the same time serve the people of our community if we could make a go of a recycling business. If it worked, in time it might also provide job opportunities for more of our people,” explains Valencia. But before leaping into it headlong, they did their homework. They began by asking themselves what they needed to know, like Recyclable products pile up in the Swarts family’s backyard as they search for would the people of another place to store them. From left are Valencia Beurel, her father, Egon Kleinmond support their Swarts, mother Brigethe and husband, Eric. endeavour; what would of the restaurateurs in Harbour they need in terms of space, tools, They set up further formal meettransport; who would buy their re- ings with Grant and Tamsyn at the Road has set up his own bin,” she adds “and all his beer cans and municipality to explore ways in cyclables and would the business wine bottles go in there for us to which they could work together. be financially viable? collect. It would be great if other restaurants did the same.” “I support this project one hunThe next step was to consult various potential stakeholders and dred percent,” states Grant emAt this stage they are mainly phatically. “Unfortunately, when identify a market for their prodcollecting CLEAN plastics, glass the municipality gets officially ucts. They received overwhelmand aluminium, although they will involved, we start talking tenders ing support, especially from the take paper and cardboard, too, if and contracts and budgets and municipality in the person of delays of all kinds, but where I can necessary. “The problem is that ward councillor, Grant Cohen and you have to collect huge quanfacilitate assistance informally, I environmental officer Tamsyn tities of paper products to make will. For instance, they needed a Zweig, as well as Louis Botes and the cost of transport worth it – it collection point for the waste and other members of the NG Kerk’s brings in very little money,” says I suggested the names of some eco-ministry. They identified and contacted two waste processors in local business people who may be Valencia. Bellville and the Strand, who were able to help. They are currently transporting willing to take their plastics and all the bags over the mountain in “They contacted Wynand Bok aluminium tins and they discovordinary cars, so the use of a bakand he has made a large trailer ered that if they registered with kie would be wonderful, she says. Consol Glass that company would available for residents to put their They are also hoping to find a full bags in, as well as allowing fetch whatever glass they were compactor they can use; it would them to park it on his property able to collect. make the packaging a whole lot next to the Sasol Garage on Main easier. There may still be a lot to Road. Now, before the Swarts Another source of invaluable do to get the project running home completely drowns in the information was a recycler based on oiled wheels, but it would be rubbish in their backyard, I am in Genadendal. “No one seems difficult to find a family so full of trying to find a place for them to to know what his actual name is,” energy and enthusiasm for the store and sort it before it goes to laughs Valencia, “but everyone task ahead. If anyone can make a the processors.” calls him Boetie. His business, plan come together, they will! which has been operating sucIn the meantime, though, it’s all cessfully in Genadendal, Greyton For more information, Valencia systems go for Better World Recyand Caledon for three years, is can be contacted on 073 096 cling. Valencia says residents can called Boetie’s Recycling. He gave 6102. place their bags in the trailer any us heaps of useful tips.” day of the week, including weekThe Village NEWS understands ends and they will empty it at the Armed with all this encouraging that an informal recycling project information, they went ahead and end of every day. They encourage has also recently been established people from Betty’s Bay, Pringle registered their company, Better in Hermanus. It is called Ingomsu Bay and Rooiels to bring their reWorld Recycling, as well as listing cyclables through, too, when they Lelethu Recycling and is based at 6 the company with Consol Glass Roman Close. come to Kleinmond to shop. “One as a bona fide recycling company.
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