12 | Greenstone life october 2017
12 | Greenstone life october 2017
Guide to recycling in Greenstone
Recycling for your average suburban household in South Africa is a bit of a schlep : the infrastructure for collecting recyclable material isn ’ t really in place – yet . So how can you do your bit to help ?
W hen our 6-year-old son , who is in Grade R at the local Elma Park Pre- Primary School , was recently learning about recycling as one of their weekly themes , he had many questions about our recycling habits – some of them very uncomfortable . Yes , we recycle paper and plastic in our home where we can , but what about glass , he asked ? And why don ’ t we make our own compost from our food waste ?
His curiosity and questions were the inspiration for this article – how can we all do a little bit more to help our planet ? What household waste can actually be recycled , and where can we take it locally ? Read on to find out !
South African households generally have to separate their rubbish and take the recyclables to a municipal drop-off centre or a buy-back centre because there ’ s not much in the way of kerbside collection . Many people just can ’ t be bothered . But , there are also many people out there who would recycle if they knew how to . This guide aims to help you get started .
How good is South Africa at recycling ? The recovery rates for various materials are as follows :
• Cans : 69 percent
• Paper : 59 percent
• Glass : About 25 percent
• Plastic : About 17 percent
Informal recyclers recover much of this material from dustbins and landfill sites . This is not ideal , firstly from the point of view of the health and safety of the recyclers . But also because the recyclable material is contaminated with other waste . First prize would be if households sorted their waste , so that “ uncontaminated ” recyclable material could be collected . Why you should recycle Firstly , the Earth ’ s resources are not infinite so we shouldn ’ t waste them . And , you know
that sign that reads “ Leave this place in the same condition as you ’ d like to find it ”? Well , the same applies to the planet . You ’ d rather see your grandchildren running through piles of fallen autumn leaves than piles of discarded rubbish ( wouldn ’ t you ?). More specifically , the government wants to reduce the amount of plastic , cans , paper and glass going to landfills by 70 percent in the next decade or so . To meet that target , households need to stop simply throwing away rubbish and start implementing the three Rs : Reduce , Reuse and Recycle .
What can be recycled ? Metal
• Cold drink and beer cans
• Food tins
• Metal lids of glass jars
• Aluminium cans ( e . g , Red Bull ), foil and foil packaging
• Paint , oil and aerosol cans ( leave labels on them so recyclers can see whether they contain hazardous material ).
• Rusty cans can be recycled
Glass
• Beverage bottles
• Food jars such as tomato sauce , jam and mayonnaise bottles
The following cannot be recycled :
• Drinking glasses
• Light bulbs – ordinary and energy-saving compact fluorescent lights ( CFLs ) – and fluorescent tubes . CFLs and fluorescent tubes should not be thrown away with ordinary rubbish . They contain mercury , a toxin that can leach into the soil and groundwater if not disposed of properly . Take your old CFLs to the drop-off points at Pick n Pay and
Woolworths stores where they will be disposed of safely . If you don ’ t have this option , place your old CFLs in a sealed plastic bag before you throw them in the bin .
• To dispose of standard fluorescent tubes you can either contact Don ’ t Waste Services on 08610-92783 if you have a lot of them . Also in JHB and surrounds in JHB / surrounds are : Brakpan : Computer scrap recycling – 011-740-4330 ; Kempton Park : Desco electric recyclers – 011-979-3017 or you can contact Ewasa ( the E-Waste Association of SA ) for other contacts .
Good reasons to recycle
• The first step is to try to reduce the amount you consume – if you don ’ t need it , don ’ t buy it – and you ’ ll reduce the amount of waste you generate .
• When you do buy something , choose a brand that has the least amount of packaging or the kind that can be reused , recycled or composted . And look for products that are as Earth-friendly as possible .
• Look also for products that are made from recycled material , if there ’ s a demand for recycled plastic products , for example , more plastic will be recycled and less will end up in landfill or polluting the oceans . Also less virgin material will have to be mined or grown . Remember , what you buy influences what ’ s made .
• Before you throw something away , think first if there ’ s any way it can be reused . Can you grow seedlings in it or use it to hold paper clips or wrap a birthday present ? Can it be given to a charity shop or a children ’ s home ? This may sound obvious , but we ’ ve been living in a disposable culture for so long that some of us forget to ask these kinds of questions .
Reason 1 : Every metric ton of paper recycled saves 17 trees and uses 40 percent less energy , and 50 percent less water . If all household paper / cardboard were recycled 750 000 cubic metres of landfill space would be saved a year , saving local authorities R60 million a year in collection and landfill costs . The energy saved from paper recycling in a year is sufficient to provide electricity to 512 homes for a year . ( Source : Paper Recycling Association of SA )
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Reason 2 : Glass is 100 percent recyclable but it does not biodegrade . The raw materials for glass – sand , soda and lime – all have to be dug from the earth and melted together at very high temperatures . Energy is saved by recycling . The energy saved from recycling just one bottle will power a 100 watt light bulb for almost an hour . Every ton of glass recycled also saves 1,2 tons of raw materials . ( Source : The Glass Recycling Company )
Reason 3 : Cans are 100 percent recyclable . They are melted down to make new steel . This reduces the need to mine new iron ore and saves on the energy used to mine and process it . More than 36 000 tons of high-grade steel is recovered for resmelting a year . ( Source : Collect-a-can )
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Reason 4 : A total of 562 million PET bottles were recovered for recycling in 2007 alone . This removed 19 000 tons of plastic from landfill , but that was only 24 percent of the PET bottles made that year . Recycling a ton of PET containers saves 7,4 cubic metres of landfill space . And 19 x 500ml PET bottles can be recycled into enough fibre filling for a standard pillow . ( Source : Petco )