Media Release: Paperless Inspections by Environmental Health Practitioners continue to reduce GRDM’s carbon footprint

For Immediate Release
11 July 2023

Garden Route District Municipality (GRDM) continues to reduce its carbon footprint. Developed in 2012, an innovative mobile app for Municipal Health Practitioners, combines traditional paper prints, personal computers, laptops, and cameras into one efficient device, revolutionising the way inspections are conducted.

With approximately 8,000 inspections carried out annually, including 6,000 food and water samples, the introduction of the paperless inspection yielded significant time-saving for 32 EHPS of GRDM. Time saved has resulted in a 25% reduction in their workload, equivalent to having an additional eight (8) EHPs.

The app’s effectiveness is also measured by its positive environmental impact. By eliminating the need for thousands of prints, GRDM has taken a significant step towards reducing paper waste. The production of paper involves the consumption of millions of trees, chemicals, and water, with much of it ending up in landfills as it remains largely unrecycled. The Pulp and Paper Manufacturing Industry is responsible for 70% of greenhouse gas emissions. Embracing a digital approach to inspections significantly mitigates these environmental hazards.

In line with its commitment to environmental stewardship, GRDM has also transitioned to electronic communication wherever possible. Feedback to clients is predominantly conducted via email, further reducing the reliance on paper. For clients without access to email services, a short SMS is sent to inform them about inspections conducted and the results thereof.

Environmental Health practitioners using their app to perform daily inspections.

Previously, EHPs conducted a certain number of education sessions annually. However, over the past decade, EHPS have significantly increased their public educational sessions to approximately 500. These informative sessions cover a range of topics, including food safety, chemical safety, handwashing at schools and crèches, as well as door-to-door campaigns aimed at combating illegal dumping in the Garden Route communities.

The development team improves and updates the app frequently, ensuring it stays aligned with 21st-century advancements. The Municipal Health Dashboard, serving as a support system, provides visuals of the region to highlight evolving trends at the grassroots level.

GRDM prides itself on being a frontrunner in technological advances, in particular within municipal health services.

Feature image: An Environmental Health Practitioner using the GRDM Municipal Health App – saving thousands of Rands annually.

ENDS