The innovative project, in which used, non-hazardous intravenous infusion (IV) drip bags and tubing made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) are recycled into soles for school shoes, saw roughly 1,000 school shoes handed over to learners of the Masakhane-Tswelopele Primary School in Zandspruit by Mayor Mashaba.This forms part of an Adcock Ingram Critical Care and Netcare partnership with the City of Johannesburg to initiate collaboration on the impact of the environment on human health, with the aim of creating more sustainable solutions for the benefit of the city and its citizens.
“This fantastic initiative is aligned with the A Re Sebetseng mayoral project, a clean-up campaign encouraging all citizens to take pride in their environment, community, and city,” said Mashaba. “I am a strong believer in public and private partnership. We, as government, have no chance of doing it on our own so it’s incredibly exciting to be part of this project that is built on a joint effort between a pharmaceutical company, a private healthcare provider group and local government, to benefit impoverished children. This is the way of the future.”
The donation of school shoes was of personal significance to Mayor Mashaba, who did not have shoes for school as a child. “When you have shoes, you have pride”, stated Mayor Mashaba; a quality he believes is lacking in the poorest communities due to the conditions in which people are forced to live. “We are promoting a culture of reducing, re-using and recycling waste to ensure Joburg becomes one of the cleanest cities in Africa”, added Mashaba.
Colin Sheen, MD of Adcock Ingram Critical Care, highlighted the ground-breaking aspect of the initiative. “It’s an honour for us to be working with the Mayor, the City of Johannesburg and Netcare on this extremely important project. This is an example of what can be achieved when the private and public sectors work together for the benefit of our environment and the upliftment of communities in need.”
“Netcare is delighted to be a part of this worthy initiative, which not only speaks to our commitment to reducing our environmental footprint but also to our spirit of investing in the communities where we operate. By participating in this project we are embracing a more sustainable approach to healthcare which, at the same time, is benefitting local school children” said Richard Friedland, CEO of Netcare Ltd.
“This project is just the beginning of a partnership in which the three parties have come together to all play a part in reducing waste, pollution and landfill sites, ultimately benefitting all citizens, who can look forward to a cleaner, greener, and better city. We look forward to the meaningful difference this recycling initiative will make in the lives of individuals and communities as we expand it in the coming years,” added Friedland.
To read the full story, visit https://www.da.org.za/municipality-news/recycling-project-turns-used-medical-waste-school-shoes-disadvantaged-children/.