Pikitup is running out of land for dumping waste, therefore they have introduced a new programme called Separation@Source. From 1 July, all residents are requested to adhere to this programme..
“Only 10 per cent of recyclable materials are currently being recycled, meaning that 90 per cent of waste that should not reach landfill sites ends up there. Therefore, there are sufficient recyclable materials that can be recouped by all stakeholders to ensure that only insignificant amounts of waste are deposited at landfill sites,” Pikitup spokesperson, Muzi Mkhwanazi said.
According to Mkhwanazi, participating in the programme will also ensure that the environment is protected from harmful waste. He said Pikitup will furnish households with a clear or a blue recyclable bag for disposing of their recyclables – free of charge.
The programme has already been running in some areas of the city, and the latest initiative will not include the entire city yet. Pikitup will not enforce compliance at this stage, but will continuously engage and educate residents about separating at source. Depending on compliance, there might be a possibility of section 22 of the City’s Waste Management By-laws (2013) being enforced
Residents are encouraged to ensure that plastics, paper, metal and glass are disposed of in the plastic bags. Households will also be required to recycle their garden waste by disposing of it at Pikitup’s garden sites.
Waste pickers will still be able to collect recyclable waste and generate an income. In fact, it will be easier for them to collect the separated waste.
Over the last 10 years the Paper Recycling Association of South Africa (Prasa) has trained 6 000 waste pickers, enabling them to start thriving businesses.
The four-day training, free of charge to people working in the informal sector, includes introductory business training, working on finances, business communication as well as understanding the different paper grades – from cardboard boxes, office paper, news and magazines, to milk and juice cartons and paper cups.
Last year, SA reached its 2020 paper recycling goals, all thanks to programmes like this one. For more information about its programmes you can email anele.sololo@pamsa.co.za or call 011 803 5063.
Here are some simple tips to recycle more effectively at home:
– All sorts of cardboard can be recycled, including toilet paper and paper towel tubes. Flatten cardboard boxes so that you can fit more recyclables into the bag.
– In addition to newspapers, also recycle wrapping paper, envelopes, birthday cards and phone books.
– All plastic bottles can be recycled, from water bottles to those for salad dressing.
– Most metallic items in the home can be recycled, such as empty spray cans, tin foil, cold drink and other food cans.
– Glass can be recycled endlessly.
To keep down foul odours, rinse all food containers before putting them into the recycle bag.
Source: https://www.reusethisbag.com.
Make recycling part of your life and teach your children how important it is. If you are not sure about what you can recycle, visit the Pikitup website.
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