Mr Zami Nkosi, MD of Pikitup addressing members of the media
Pikitup, the City of Johannesburg’s waste management company has announced an ambitious campaign aimed at enhancing the cleanliness of the City ahead of the Confederations Cup, the 2010 FIFA World Cup and beyond. The campaign will kick off with a Clean Up Day on 06 June 2009, when the public will be invited to assist Pikitup in cleaning some of the most prominent ‘dirty spots’ in Johannesburg. It is expected that the cleaning of these sites will be the first step towards facilitating a long-term mindset shift amongst Johannesburg residents and businesses towards littering and illegal dumping, whilst also ridding the City of many of the dirty spots that may be encountered by tourists and the global media during the aforementioned major sporting events when the City will be in the world spotlight.
The overarching goal of the campaign is to change the mindsets and attitudes of residents and businesses towards littering and illegal dumping permanently. “Through the Clean City campaign we will engage with Johannesburg residents and businesses with one objective in mind, to create awareness of the fact that the cleanliness of the City is the responsibility of both the City and its residents and that we will only succeed if we work together,” stated Mr. Zami Nkosi, MD of Pikitup.
The campaign’s theme, “Pitch in and we’ll Pikitup” is a clear message to residents and businesses to play a part in keeping the City clean and is also indicative of the underlying issue at hand, that ideally, Pikitup should only be collecting refuse that is appropriately disposed of in the refuse receptacles provided by the City. “Litter thrown on the ground or illegally dumped by residents and businesses costs the City much more to collect. By simply doing the right thing and putting waste in the provided litter receptacles, residents will be contributing significantly towards our efforts of creating a clean City that we can all be proud of,” added Nkosi.
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70/80 Soccer Legends at the Clean City Launch |
It is Pikitup’s intention that the Clean Up Day becomes an annual event that can be built on each year, similar to other ‘clean-up’ days that take place in other parts of the world. The campaign’s eye-caching logo, a hand that represents the City’s landscape will form an integral part of Pikitup’s integrated communication strategy. “The logo reflects our call to action. It says, ‘I’m in’ but it also represents a zero tolerance attitude to littering and illegal dumping,” said Thabiso Taaka, Pikitup’s Chief Operating Officer. |
Pikitup is mandated to collect refuse in an area covering approximately 1625km² ranging from Midrand in the north to Orange Farm in the south, bordering Mogale City in the West and Ekurhuleni in the east. Clean Up Day will see this geographic area divided into 11 sub-areas, with residents invited to support clean-up activities in the areas they live or work in. Each clean-up site will have Pikitup staff and independent marshals allocated to it, to coordinate and assist in the clean-up operations.
The proposed clean-up sites will be announced in mid-May after Pikitup has engaged with Johannesburg residents through the media to determine the most appropriate sites. Schools, businesses, NGOs and interest groups can register their own clean-up sites on the Pikitup Website after which Pikitup will provide them with the necessary support
“Our intention is to clean the more prominent dirty spots that may reflect badly on our image as a City,” added Nkosi. “We only have one chance to make a good impression to the world during the Confederations Cup, let’s show them the best version of Johannesburg possible.”
Schools, businesses, NGOs, interest groups and individuals can also register their own clean-up sites on the Pikitup Website. Pikitup will provide the support and resources to aid residents in the form of rubbish bags, bins and collection points. The campaign will be promoted in the media leading up to this event.
Clean Up Day will be followed by the Clean City Summit in September which will bring together business, waste management operators, community associations, NGOs, schools and other interest groups together to discuss and find solutions for the problem of litter and illegal dumping in Johannesburg.
Information on Clean Up Day can be obtained on the Pikitup website www.pikitup.co.zaor by contacting the Pikitup call centre on 011 712-5200. Residents wishing to take part on Pikitup Day are invited to visit this site and register.
05 May 2009
