Wastepickers take to streets to protest landfill closure

Waste reclaimers, dressed in green overalls, rode their makeshift recycling trolleys through the streets of Johannesburg in protest this week.

- Ihsaan Haffejee

About 100 reclaimers, under the banner of the African Reclaimers Organisation (ARO), are protesting Pikitup's recent decision to stop accepting domestic waste at the Marie-Louise landfill in Soweto.

ARO is a member-based organisation which represents thousands of waste reclaimers.

Many waste reclaimers have been working at the Marie-Louise landfill for decades and have multiple dependants who rely on their income for essentials.

Last month, GroundUp reported that about 140 waste reclaimers had been left with no income since 1 September, when Pikitup stopped accepting domestic waste at the landfill site.