As South Africa continues to grapple with pollution, a new conversation is emerging that links waste, mental health, and community dignity. Experts and campaigners argue that the way we treat our public spaces reflects the way we see ourselves and each other - and that solving the litter crisis requires more than just bin bags and clean-up drives. It calls for a shift in mindset, dignity, and collective care.
One of the voices leading this shift is Sibonisile Ngubane Cossa, a seasoned public relations specialist and director at Purecoms, a sustainability marketing agency. In her thought-provoking piece, “What Litter Says About Us”, she explores how the state of South Africa’s streets reveals the nation’s emotional and psychological state - and why true change must start from within communities themselves.
She tells the Saturday Star that the state of the streets often echoes the state of minds, pointing to the deep link between waste, mental health, and community dignity.
By connecting sustainability to dignity and mental wellness, Ngubane Cossa calls for a move beyond traditional clean-up drives toward a holistic, community-centred approach.
You link littering to mental health and community well-being; can you explain that connection?
I had never connected littering to mental health until I saw a video showing how depression can manifest in someone’s living space. That led me to research, and I found studies such as one from Canada and the US that showed that women in cluttered, dirty environments had higher cortisol levels (stress hormone) than those in cleaner spaces. The studies also suggested that the more hopeless or stressed someone feels, the less likely they are to care for their surroundings. And then there’s the broken windows theory, which simply means that when people see neglect, they assume no one cares, and so they stop caring too. So littering can reflect both internal apathy and external resignation; either way, it speaks to what someone believes about themselves and the world around them.
How do you think the state of our streets and public spaces reflects our mindset as a society?
I think our streets and our public spaces are a direct reflection of our mental state. I might be too bold in saying this, but I do think we are a depressed nation. I don’t mean this in clinical terms; I mean it more in our state of being and how we feel about ourselves and where we are as a country. I believe that many people feel helpless and hopeless about the state of things. Communities feel let down by the government; they have heard broken promise after broken promise and have ceased to believe in the possibility of a better life. I think by underservicing communities, government communicates that they don’t care, and when people believe their leaders don’t care, they stop caring too. So why not litter? Why should they look after their spaces if the government fails to upkeep hospitals and schools? It’s not right, but I believe that’s where many people are.
What makes this upcoming campaign South Africa's biggest, and how will it stand out from past efforts?
When the team and I first dreamed up this idea, we compared it to the nationwide HIV campaign that the government rolled out when HIV infections and deaths were rampant in the country. They knew that the solution wasn’t just to roll out more ARVs or to make more condoms accessible in public areas; they had to deal with the stigma and shame around the disease and essentially challenge and change what people believed about it and what they believed about themselves in relation to it. What makes our campaign the biggest is that we are taking the same approach, but unlike previous efforts, this isn’t something we plan to do for six months or a year and then pack it up and move on; we understand that it’ll take multiple platforms and channels over long periods of time to get people to really transform how they see the spaces around them and the role they play in restoring pride and dignity to those spaces. We also understand that to really make a change, we need to partner with every willing stakeholder, because when we succeed, everyone benefits.
How will you measure whether the campaign is actually changing behaviour and not just raising awareness?
Fortunately, litter and the cleanliness of public spaces are highly visible and easy to track. But beyond what we can see, we’re partnering with specialised agencies to measure actual waste reduction over time. We’re seeking out community organisations and local champions who will help us monitor progress on the ground, capturing not just data but the lived impact of behaviour changes in real time.
Do you see waste management as a potential job creation opportunity for South Africa?
What I can say is that we absolutely see waste management as a powerful tool for job creation in South Africa. Informal waste pickers, for example, are estimated to save municipalities up to R750 million annually through their recycling efforts. Yet they remain largely unsupported, undervalued, and socially stigmatised, something we aim to change at Purecoms. Waste management isn’t just about cleaning up; it’s about building a circular economy and unlocking opportunities in communities that have long been excluded from economic participation.
anita.nkonki@inl.co.za
Saturday Star