Food for Waste feeds thousands

Poor people in 30 municipalities throughout the country are putting food on their tables by reducing waste in their communities. Government’s Food for Waste Programme helps municipalities to provide waste collection services, while creating jobs and fighting hunger and poverty.

The programme also promotes a clean environment through reducing waste by recycling and reusing. So far, it has created over 3 000 job opportunities.

The programme was initiated and implemented by the Department of Public Works as part of the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) in partnership with the Independent Development Trust. 

Food vouchers

Explaining how the programme works, Public Works spokesperson Lucky Mochalibane said members of communities collected waste, which they handed over to their municipal offices in exchange for food vouchers. He said the waste was weighed and community members received food vouchers accordingly. The programme is run in collaboration with local grocery stores and food chains.

EPWP

Apart from Food for Waste, the EPWP has created thousands of other jobs. Minister of Social Development, Bathabile Dlamini, said since the beginning of 2011, more than 300 000 work opportunities had been created through the EPWP.