Waste not, want not
Recycling can cost one money if it is not done properly, believes Naturally Knysna champion Sue Swain of BioWise.
Anybody who has ever accidentally thrown money into the rubbish bin will know that sinking feeling when one realises what’s happened. Some may also be familiar with the relief of finding the lost cash again. Those who do not recycle at all or who do not recycle properly are throwing away money every day.
According to Swain, waste actually has value. “Waste, if properly sorted, can contribute to the development of our local economy in a big way. And of course, treating waste as a resource is one of the key Naturally Knysna principles.”
She explained, “Our waste is currently transported, by truck and at great cost (both financial and environmental) for dumping at PetroSA. If we were to separate our glass, cans, plastic and paper from our general waste, we will significantly reduce the volume of waste that needs to be transported and save costs on that transport. But this is only the beginning. By sorting our waste at source (at home, school and work), and keeping our recyclable materials separate, we have the very real opportunity of stimulating local job creation.”
She further said, “Once we have a better idea of the volumes of recyclable material generated locally, we can investigate the establishment of decentralised recycling plants that are specifically designed to deal with our locally generated volumes.
Creating local recycling factories creates jobs. At the moment we are bleeding our recyclable resources out of our system with all recyclables being sent to Cape Town or Gauteng, and losing out on job creation opportunities as a result.”
“We also need to realise that, before we start recycling, we have to find ways to reduce our waste and to reuse objects before they become waste,” Swain continued. “This ties in very nicely with Nature’s lessons on always using the least amount possible and to be as efficient as possible with what we do use.”
She explained, “A lot of energy, materials and resources are needed to manufacture packaging materials, and a lot of energy and precious water are used during the recycling process,” said Swain. “So not only do we need to be more conscious of what we purchase, but we have to be diligent about reusing wherever we can. Only when something cannot be used anymore should it be sent for recycling.”
Swain further said that it is also important to remember that food waste can be recycled. She said, “Anyone can make compost at home by ‘recycling’ their kitchen waste. By treating food waste as a resource and using the resultant compost to enrich our soils, we adhere to another key Naturally Knysna principle – helping to restore our environment. And, of course, this enables us all to grow our own herbs and vegetables, which means we don’t have to deal with the packaging of store-bought goods.”
Executive Mayor Georlene Wolmarans said that the recycling drive has come a long way since it started in 1989, but that there is still a lot of work to be done before the results will be sufficient.
It is currently estimated that up to 70% of what residents put into their black bags can be recycled. “We can and must do better than that. We need to aim to reduce the volume of black bag waste by at least 50%. I believe that this goal is attainable if all our residents fulfil their responsibility to the well-being of our town.”
She emphasised that it was necessary for residents to familiarise themselves with what can be recycled, and what cannot be.
Wolmarans added, “There is often confusion surrounding transparent bags and blue bags. The transparent bags are for all recyclables and the blue bags are for garden waste. Transparent bags are available from the solid waste department, and the blue ones are available from customer care. Once we have sound knowledge about recycling, we will see just how easy it actually is to do our bit for the planet, while stimulating the local economy,” said Wolmarans.
About a year ago, recycling bins began popping up around town, most noticeably in Knysna’s Main Road. These bins, part of the Naturally Knysna initiative, encourage residents and visitors to take recycling to the streets. The bins recently received eye-catching new signage, which has made it even easier to do things Nature’s way.
Tourism CEO Shaun van Eck said that the new signs have been designed by a local company and explained that the bins were constructed with various Naturally Knysna principles in mind. “Waste was treated as a resource, as the bins were constructed from old packaging crates. We kept it local as the bins were made by a Knysna-based company and we were life-friendly as the bins were painted with a plant-based, non-toxic varnish.”
He concluded, “We live in an exquisite part of the world, and not only do the bins provide a receptacle for responsible waste disposal while in the town centre, they also remind us of what we need to do in our homes and ensure that our streets are kept litter free. There is nothing better for a tourist than to walk through the main road of a town and see how the locals keep it neat and tidy. With this in mind, let us all do our bit to create a destination that we can all be proud of.”
Here is a reminder of what can go into those transparent bags, and what should stay in the black bags:
Suitable for recycling (to go into transparent bags):
- Copy machine paper
- Laser printer paper
- Computer printout paper
- Miscellaneous white paper
- Coloured paper
- Lightly inked / printed paper
- Letterheads
- Envelopes
- Books
- Leaflets
- Newspapers
- Magazines
- All cardboard boxes
- Cardboard displays
- Packaging cardboard
- Plastic coldrink / milk bottles
- Clean plastic shopping bags
- Plastic containers (household cleaning agents)
- Clean wrapping
- Packaging plastic
- All beverage and food cans
- Empty paint and oil cans
- All glass bottles and jars.
Not suitable for recycling (to go into black bags):
- Any wet, smelly or soiled material
- Carbon paper
- Chemically treated paper (facsimile / heat sensitive)
- Food and sweet wrappings
- Used paper towels and serviettes
- Waxed paper
- Poly- or plastic-coated glossy paper
- Milk/ juice cartons
- Rubber bands, metal paper fasteners etc.
- Tinfoil
- Clingfilm plastic wrap
- Polystyrene
- Nylon
- Cellophane
- Safety glass
- Laminated glass
- Light bulbs#
- Neon tubes
- Crockery (pottery, plates, cups etc.)
- Batteries.
Please note that the CFL light bulbs and batteries are considered hazardous waste (they contain harmful chemicals) and need to be disposed of responsibly. Pick n Pay has a bin inside the supermarket where one can safely discard old batteries and CFL bulbs.
Source: The Knysna-Plett Herald