AFRICANUS Vol 30 No 2 ISSN 0304-615X - University of South Africa

the metal was obtained, one collector indicated the landfill site, two answered
``anywhere'' and two did not respond. Scrap metal, despite a low price per
kilogram, is a valuable commodity because of its mass. It is not uncommon to
see a collector pushing a trolley loaded with old car exhausts, refrigerator doors,
other car parts, or even old lead plumbing pipes to a scrap metal merchant. Of
particular concern, however, is the continued and rapid disappearance of items
such as steel manhole covers and bridge railings, presumably removed for their
worth as scrap metal. Aluminium in particular is highly valued, with some
dealers paying up to R3.00/kilogram. At this stage, the perpetrators responsible
for dismantling public structures have not been identified, as much of this activity
takes place at night. It is probable, although there is no evidence forthcoming,
that some informal collectors may be involved in such activities. If this
is indeed the case, the blame lies not with the collectors per se, as many barely
exist above the poverty line, but with the unscrupulous scrap metal dealers who
indirectly encourage theft by purchasing the merchandise, fully aware of the
origins.
Table 5 Earnings per day, in relation to the number of recyclable items
collected
Recyclable items Male: female Number with Earnings per day
(maximum = 7)
trolleys
1 5:2 2 R12.71 ‹ 6.99
2 6:0 5 R16.67 ‹ 8.16
3 2:3 1 R20.00 ‹ 10.00
4 2:0 1 R18.50 ‹ 16.30
Not a single collector recovered plastic or glass. Initially, the buyback centre in
Williams Road, where collectors hawked their cardboard, also bought plastic,
cans and glass. Poor support by collectors for these commodities and difficulties
experienced by the owner in disposing of them had forced him to collect only
paper products. Collectors gave three main reasons for not hawking particular
items: the selling price was not sufficiently high (50%); the commodities were
scarce (30%); or they were unaware that these materials could be traded (15%).
A comparison was made between the income generated per day and the
number of recyclable items collected (table 5). Those collecting cardboard only
earned considerably less than those collecting at least two commodities (mainly
newspaper or other paper or scrap metal).
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