Vodacom staff gear up to volunteer at the Reagile Primary School in Tembisa as part of National Clean-up and recycling week

JOHANNESBURG - With National Clean Up and Recycle Week kicking off between 9 and 13 September, Corporates and individuals across the country are gearing up to do their bit to preserve the planet. 

In this regard, Vodacom, has made a commitment to reduce its environmental impact by the year 2025, so that its business performance does not come at the cost of the environment. In addition to driving digital inclusion, Vodacom is promoting the protection of the planet by investing in climate-smart networks and solutions, developing water-wise practices for its operations and customers, and minimising waste across its value chain. 

The organisation recognises the role of employees in creating a culture of sustainable business and called on the help of its staff to actively take action, in a collective effort to protect the planet, both within the organisation and in our communities. 

Vodacom is encouraging its staff members to invest in renewable energy and energy efficiency, practice water-wise initiatives and reduce waste.
To do this, the mobile network operator has called on its staff to:

• Reduce, reuse and recycle, by using waste separation bins, skipping bottled water and opting to use a water filter tap instead (reusable bottle or cup)
• Be water conscious, and participate in water-wise practices and initiatives. Always turning taps off, completely, and ensuring that they don’t drip. Using hand sanitizer and reporting any leaks in buildings and offices.
• Unplugging cellphone and laptop chargers, and computer screens when not in use or when the battery is full. Efficiently making use of natural light, as it reduces the amount of energy required for artificial lighting and opening windows rather than using the air conditioning.

Takalani Netshitenzhe, Chief Officer: Corporate Affairs at Vodacom, expressed the mobile network operator’s stance regarding environmental preservation, saying, “We are extremely proud of the fact that in 2019, Vodacom prevented 38 tonnes of waste from being sent to landfills by implementing a polystyrene bailing operation at our head office in Midrand. We have also banned the use of plastic bags in our stores replacing these with recyclable brown bags and installed rainwater and ground water harvesting at our offices. Furthermore, we’ve planted water-wise and indigenous plants at all of our facilities and introduced smart meters in some of our base stations to optimise generator runtimes and improve the accuracy of Vodacom’s energy billing. Through these investments, we can realise our goal, which aims to mitigate our own environmental impact, and facilitate a transition towards a low-carbon future.”

To kick things off this Clean Up and Recycling Week, Vodacom will be dedicating an entire day, which will be spent at Reagile Primary School in Tembisa on Wednesday, 11 September. The mobile network operator will engage with the learners, educators and community members about the importance of sustainability, and encourage them to start preserving the planet from a young age.

 Vodacom will, on the day, be planting trees and engaging with learners and community members through a range of activities focused on instilling water-wise, waste management and energy efficient practices within the Tembisa community.

Special guests at the school will include Shobana Singh, Managing Executive of National Facilities at Vodacom, the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and the Vodacom team of volunteers.

“By preserving the planet, we are not only creating a sustainable future for ourselves, but more importantly, we are safeguarding the environment for our future generation. It is with this vision in mind, that we have made this commitment towards creating a sustainable planet, and the only way to ensure that becomes a reality is by empowering our youth, who are the future generation, with the knowledge required to preserve their future environment,” concludes Takalani Netshitenzhe.

 

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