South Africa produces about 42 million tonnes of household waste a year, of which only about 11% is actually recycled. This includes an estimated 70% of cans, 42% of glass and 30% of plastic – much of which is collected by trash pickers directly from dumps and landfills. That’s pretty good by international standards, but there is still a huge amount leftover and this is largely due to the fact that many are unsure of how to correctly dispose of waste.
Recycling is not purely for the good of our environment. As it is currently an R25 billion industry in South Africa, it’s good for jobs too. When you sort out your trash and properly dispose of it, you’re increasing the “grade” of your rubbish. This makes it more valuable to collectors and recyclers. Your behavior change at home thus incentivises the industry to grow!
What can I do?
Pledge #4 of the 28 Day Challenge asks you to make a best effort to sort and recycle your waste
Pledging to recycle has three parts:
- Investigate what the services in your area accept for recycling.
- Separate these recyclable items from your general trash – bin it right.*
- Try and reduce your use of non-recyclable items.
*Dirty items CAN be recycled – just give food packaging a quick rinse when you do the dishes and don’t recycle paper that has been contaminated with food waste.
Separating your home rubbish at home allows for more efficient reuse and recycling at the processing centres. By doing this simple action, you make it possible for more to be recycled. Plus, it helps recycling businesses to stay more profitable, which is essential if we want to see the sector grow.
Knowing whether or not an item is recycled locally can be difficult. The “recycling logos” people are familiar with are actually just indications of what the product is made of, not whether or not they can actually be recycled. This issue has been reported on in South Africa, and brands are slowly shifting to packaging that more clearly indicates if the materials used are recyclable – so its always worth checking.
The key message is: It might be a small initial inconvenience to look up the recyclability of items, but once you know the status of your most commonly purchased products, this becomes quick and second-nature. Google is your friend – a search of “is X recycled in South Africa” turns up most answers quickly.
Why does it matter?
By recycling, you are reducing the amount of plastic that ends up in landfill. By reducing what goes to landfill, you are also minimising the opportunities for plastic to make it into the environment, be it on land, rivers, or the sea. And you are reducing the pressure on our already overflowing landfills and the natural environment they occupy.
Ever wondered what the number inside the triangle on your packaging really means? Contrary to popular belief, it is not an indication of how many times the plastic can be recycled. The resin code (the number in the triangle) indicates the type of plastic polymer of a product. What a product can be recycled into is determined by this code.
Myth-busting: Recycling is the “end-goal”
There is a common misconception that if we recycle, our waste and environmental impact vanish. In some instances, like with PET plastic, recycling is the way to go. But in reality, there are many plastics and materials that aren’t, or simply cannot be, recycled.
The reasons for this are complex. Extracting materials made from a combination of materials proves challenging and some processes can’t handle items that are contaminated with food, oil, soil, etc. A further factor is that of economic viability. Recycled waste often gets “downcycled” rather than recycled as virgin materials are typically cheaper and easier to process. An excellent example of this is the PET plastic bottles that are used to make roof insulation.
Who can I follow?
CRDC (Centre of Regenerative Design and Collaboration) is inventing a process that can turn any plastic into building blocks for sustainable development. We look forward to them launching in the Western Cape soon!
Waste pickers collect 90% of the plastic and paper that gets recycled in South Africa! Watch local surfing hero Frank Solomon, tell an inspirational tale about South Africa’s true recycling heroes.
