Zonke Hadebe has spinal cord injuries, but she is more than qualified for her job of dismantling printer cartridges for recycling. Within two years of joining non-profit organisation greenABLE, she received a business administration qualification and was appointed administrator in the collections department.
Later this year Hadebe and 20 of her physically disabled colleagues expect to graduate with an adult education and training (AET) qualification.
GreenABLE employs previously disadvantaged individuals with physical disabilities, enabling them to earn a salary while gaining work experience and furthering their education through AET and learnerships, says the orgainisation's director Carla Higgs.
"GreenABLE closes the 'skills gap' and hopes to be the first step in the beneficiaries' careers. We aim to enhance our employees' socioeconomic well-being through the creation of job and educational opportunities," she says.
Their jobs help clean up the e-waste — consumer electronics and IT equipment, including empty printer cartridges — that amounts to anything between one and two million tonnes in South Africa.
"GreenABLE is an example of the benefits of waste management," says Higgs.
The organisation's core activity is the dismantling and sorting of materials into their recyclable components so they can be reused.
The organisation is the first and only facility in Africa to have a recycling solution for printer cartridge waste.
Higgs says it aims to partner with manufacturers to help them reduce their carbon footprint by providing cradle-to-grave production lines.
Their products can then be recycled into new products instead of being thrown away.
GreenABLE dismantles a monthly average of 16 000 cartridges that would otherwise end up in landfill dumps.
The individual components are sold to an organisation that recycles the plastic into roof tiles and manhole covers, generating an income for the project.
Higgs says it recycles about 250 000 printer cartridges and 12 000 printers a year.
By diverting some 250 000kg of recyclable material from landfills, the organisation estimates it saves some 300 tonnes of CO2 equivalent from being emitted into the environment.
To aid in cartridge collections, staff members are encouraged to start up cartridge collection satellite businesses from their own homes.
This instils business knowledge, brings in a sustainable income and diverts cartridges from landfills.
According to the Integrated National Disability Strategy White Paper, between 5% and 12% of South Africans have a disability. However, few services and opportunities exist for them to participate equally in society.
The policy paper indicates there is a strong relationship between disability and poverty.
There is also a high level of functional illiteracy among disabled adults — an estimated 99% of disabled people are excluded from employment on the open labour market — and disabled women endure more discrimination and exclusion than disabled men do.
"GreenABLE provides an innovative and progressive solution to South Africa's development and environmental challenges," says Higgs.
"This includes the creation of employment, skills development and an environmental benefit all in one. We are leading the way to a sustainable future and empowering the most marginalised South Africans."
Employee Florence Gumede travels a four-hour round trip daily to get to and from her greenABLE office in Durban.
Previously a domestic worker with a grade nine qualification, she says that when her "big dreams" come true she will save enough money to send her child to university.