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Members of the public will be given whistles and red cards to hand out to litterbugs as part of its Pitch in and we'll Pikitup campaign.
Households are to be supplied with bins that make recycling easier
PIKITUP is using modern technology to promote its new campaign, Pitch in and we'll Pikitup, which was inspired by next month's Confederations Cup.
The new campaign was launched on Tuesday, 5 May; at the same time, the utility's upgraded website was reactivated.
"Facebook will be used to market the campaign and make it known to many people, especially the youth as most of them are found on Facebook," said Thabiso Taaka, Pikitup's chief operating officer.
As part of the campaign, Pikitup would hand out red cards and whistles to the public. If you see someone littering, you will be encouraged to blow your whistle and give that person a red card. This will mean that they must pick up their rubbish and put it in a bin.
"With this funny and enthusiastic way of blowing whistles and dishing out red cards, we will be raising awareness about illegal dumping," he said.
Former Orlando Pirates, Kaizer Chiefs, Moroka Swallows and Benoni United players, who were on duty in the 1970s and 80s, attended the launch in support of the campaign.
New blue 140-litre bins have been designed to mark the campaign. They sport a new logo, a hand bearing the words "Clean city clean game", that was again inspired by the upcoming football tournament.
Success
Getting off over the next two months, the campaign will run for four months and will be reviewed for its progress. It will be reviewed again after two years to gauge its success.
Soccer legends from Orlando Pirates, Kaizer Chiefs, Moroka Swallows and Benoni United came out in support of the campaign
The campaign will focus on education, awareness and law enforcement. Other stakeholders are the Global Marketing Communications Agency; Absa, the banking group; and BP, the fuel company.
Another aspect of its aim to polish up Joburg is a mass clean-up on 6 June. On this day, everyone in the city will be encouraged to join Pikitup in picking up rubbish. Other small operations that will be run are clean-up days and a clean city summit, focusing on illegal dumping, recycling, and environmental education.
"We want to do away with landfills in the coming few years. It is also important that we visit schools to encourage and educate kids to take care of the environment and to use the bins provided," said Zami Nkosi, the managing director of Pikitup.
The campaign targeted the youth, Joburg residents, staff, businesses and Pikitup stakeholders. Nkosi urged Joburg media to help make it successful. His company would use radio and television broadcasts, billboards, print and the web to publicise its efforts.
Awareness
Initiatives to raise awareness among residents and educate people about keeping the city clean, waste management by-laws, and litter cops would be rolled out by September.
Pikitup MD, Zami Nkosi, said the company would embark on a publicity campaign targeting young people, to spruce up the city
Some R20-million has been budgeted for the campaign, which will operate in 56 000 households.
During a question and answer session after the formalities, it was asked whether people would take the red card and whistle seriously. Taaka responded that they would make people feel that they were being watched when they littered, and this would create awareness of keeping the city clean. France used this method, too, he said.
Nkosi said that there should be 100 rangers before the end of the year, keeping an eye on litter. At present, there are 43 rangers.
To find out how to pitch in on Pikitup cleaning days, visit the Pikitup website or call 011 712 5200.
Pikitup serves 3,8 million customers through weekly refuse collections. It has 60 underground bins in Soweto and 1 000 will be installed in the city. It also has 495 trucks working around the clock. It has 49 garden sites and 11 depots across the city where residents can dump their green waste, which is then recycled and turned into high quality organic compost.
About 1,7 million tons of waste are generated in Joburg each year.
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