Vegetation in Kingston Frost Park is rapidly transforming. The indigenous Dombeya rotundifolia (wild
pear or inhlizya enkulu) burst out in white flowers, followed by the pink blossoms of Bauhinia
variegata, which stems from northern India. The barks of both have medicinal uses, as do the
flowers of the Bauhinia.

 ​ For the past few weeks we have been gathering data. We have completed the research with reclaimers and key informants and are now focusing on gathering data from residents. The fieldwork with reclaimers included a survey of approximately 50 participants and a number of in-depth interviews with some participants to gain deeper insights into their experiences, reflections and ideas. We have also conducted interviews with six key informants. 
We are using three methods to access residents’ reflections on the pilot and suggestions for the future.  We have conducted four key informant interviews with residents who are leading the implementation of the pilot on the ground.  If you looked out of your window early last Tuesday, you might have seen some of your neighbours walking through the streets with cell phones or maps in hand, recording each bag of separated recyclables that they found. This will help us to create maps that show how many residents are participating in the pilot and where they live. This part of the evaluation is being led by Brixton resident Mark Schaerer who is generously donating his time to design the method for gathering the data and to creating the maps. We could not have done this without Mark or the residents who were out on the streets when you would normally have been sleeping or enjoying a morning coffee. We are deeply appreciative that you made the time to assist in gathering data, which itself is an indication of resident support for the pilot. 
The resident survey is the main way that we are accessing resident’s experiences, insights and recommendations for the future.  Many thanks as well to those of you who have completed it. It is very important that we get residents’ perspectives on the pilot. The number of completed surveys is still relatively low and we would be greatly appreciative if you could take time to complete it. You just need to follow this link - forms.gle/RRkwDg7NBMjiR2AU9
We can’t share much information yet, but from the perspective of the reclaimers, the pilot has been an overwhelming success in transforming relationships between reclaimers and the community.  Prior to the official start of the pilot, 75% of reclaimers felt welcome in Brixton and 72% felt they were part of the community.  In Auckland Park, 66% of reclaimers felt welcome and 57% felt part of community. Preliminary survey data indicates that taking both suburbs together, these numbers are now approximately 95%!