Gauteng Smallholder February 2018 | Page 45

From page 41 humus in the ground. rather, over time you will If you run a home office all accumulate sufficient not to your waste paper can be end up in a landfill. recycled. If security is a Toilet roll tubes (and those of concern, purchase a cheap kitchen paper towels) are also shredder before emptying the paper into recycling bags. made of cardboard and can be flattened and recycled. Or, Small amounts of waste if you grow your own paper, particularly the softer seedlings you can use toilet varieties such as tissues and roll tubes as seedling starters. paper towelling, can be Cut them in half, and fill an composted, although such icecream tub with them, fill items when used for medical with seedling soil, add seeds purposes should perhaps be and water. When the safely discarded municipally. seedlings are ready plant K Plastics – Although two them out together with the litre cooldrink bottles have toilet roll tube, which will many uses around the plot, gradually rot and turn into they, and all other plastic items, are also recyclable. K Glass – It is well-known that glass is eminently recyclable and should never be thrown into the rubbish as a result. Be aware, however, that to do the job properly the glass should be sorted into colours first. That's because glass cannot be “bleached” of its colour when ENVIRONMENT molten. Thus, clear glass needs to be kept aside if it is to be reused as clear glass, and similarly with green and brown. Spent light bulbs and fluorescent tubes should not be recycled as glass, however, as they contain noxious gases which should be recaptured under vacuum first. This is done by reputable electrical 43 www.sasmallholder.co.za contractors who have the necessary equipment to do so. K Metals -Tins and cans are another well-known recycla- ble, with aluminium cans fetching a much higher price when recycled than metal cans. As a result it makes sense to separate these two types when discarding them. Continued on page 45