Problems to be addressed

The first and main problem is an environmental one -If one goes to most shopping malls, hotels, filling stations, airports, in fact any area where there is a lot of parking spaces, there is usually a spot/s on the floor surface where cars may have leaked their oil. Leaking car oil on parking lots, even though it might not look significant to many, poses a serious soil and water pollution risk. This could have been happening for many years, with the oil seeping through into the soil or getting into our water sources through water run off during rains. Research shows that it takes only a small amount of oil to contaminate many litters of water. How much pollution of this 'insignificant' oil leaks has caused through the years? New developments mushroom on a daily, all with parking lots. With the plan that we have, these new developments should not be contributing to this pollution. With many more cars still going to leak oil at parking lots, we see this an great sustainability point for our services. Our services will also give our clients a sense of responsibility and pride in that they are addressing an environmental issue, which in most cases, is hardly addressed in most environmental risk assessments. For instance, ISO 14001:2015 entails that an organisation should consider all environmental issues relevant to its operations - air pollution, water and sewage issues, waste management, soil contamination, climate change mitigation & adaptation. So, by employing our services, an organisation that wants to make a positive impact on the environment, will be able to achieve that goal.

The second one, also very crucial, especially in South Africa, is unemployment -with about 53% youth unemployment rate, we see our organisation being able to assist many individuals. Our cleaning services have a potential of employing more than 50 people within a short space of time. This could be in that the majority of the work force do not, initially, have to be skilled individuals. The organisation does not only want to focus on unskilled individuals. Mr Xolani Sizani (CEO- Servest), in one of his articles stated "This is not just a "Mop & Bucket" industry" - this could easily be interpreted as - cleaning is a serious business. We will also look at getting tertiary students and seasoned professionals e.g. marketing, health and safety, engineers, financial, human resource, further reducing the frustration of many tertiary students finishing their studies and going home and sitting on their qualifications. This will also apply to our used oil collection (recycling) wing. More job opportunities.

The third one is simply, aesthetics - first impressions lasts. Parking lots are usually the first area a client or guest sees when they get to a particular facility. Old car oil spills/leaks, depending on the amount, may be an eyesore to many. This could give a good impression e.g. our target market will involve hotels, office parks and shopping malls.  An oil free parking lot would not only look good to the eye but will also be impacting positively on the environment.