KEEP RECYCLABLES ASIDE FOR COLLECTORS
The informal recycling sector has experienced significant growth over the years and in the case of recyclable products, the value is in the material that can be sold for re-use. Fibre Circle is the producer organisation for the South African paper and packaging sector.
In a country with high unemployment and poverty, recycling is a source of income for many people. The informal collection and trade of recyclables by people hauling trollies every day provides a living for thousands of people countrywide. Covering significant distances on foot every day, collectors weave through suburbs and cities to retrieve waste in return for cash.
This material is sorted and sent to recycling mills and factories for converting into usable and commercially viable products. In the case of paper, the fibre is extracted and repulped to make new paper products such as packaging and tissue.
Collectors will understandably only take items they can earn money from, so find out what your specific neighbourhood collectors will take, as this may differ from area to area. The following are items people should keep out of their bins and separate for waste collectors: used office paper, brown cardboard boxes, food packaging such as cereal boxes, grocery delivery bags, take-away bags, milk and juice cartons, plastic milk bottles, aluminium soft drink cans and tin cans.
In the case of other recyclables:
*take glass bottles and food jars to bottle banks at community centres
*visit websites such as PlasticsSA, Polyco and Petco for information on plastics that can and cannot be recycled;
*remove plastic tops from bottles for wheelchair initiatives such as Tops and Tags for Wheelchairs;
*contact EWASA to find your nearest e-waste drop off centre.
According to the CSIR, only 10% of urban households recycle their waste, but everyone should help to divert valuable materials away from landfills, which are rapidly reaching capacity.
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