Minimise your waste

Today I have started a new initiative with Amore Bekker from RSG a weekly 5min insert on her drive time programme called Green Thinking (Dink Groen). You can listen to it every Wednesday afternoon or alternatively catch the blog on the same day. Here is what we discussed today…. Minimise your waste

Why?
We all know that our little blue planet (fondly known as the third rock from the sun) is in trouble after decades of ignorance and a self-centered shortsightedness.

Me and you now have to step up and claim responsibility for the problem and be part of the solution. But where to start…
Something each one of us can do to assist with project “we did so let’s fix it” is to reduce our waste. It is as easy as separating your waste…

Get a new mantra: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.

It is estimated that SA’s domestic waste generated per annum exceeds 18 million tons that is one huge mountain of waste.
I saw a Collect-A-Can ad the other day and it featured a quote from Paul Hawken; “In nature all waste equals food” and that to me is the short answer on why we need to minimize our waste. Do you want to keep feeding our earth junk?

Why not throw it all in the big black dustbin?
Do you know what happens to you rubbish after it leaves your pavement? It goes to a landfill, yip the rubbish-dump also known as landfills.

Why are landfills bad?
Once an area becomes a landfill it takes decades before the land can be used for anything. And even once you can start using it again there are limitations as the land is unstable as the waste will continue to degrade for hundreds of years; no building, no growing food and no pasture for animals.

Worst of all soon we will run out of space for dumping sites and then what? Burn the waste… thus contributing to air pollution?
By reducing our waste we can extend the life of landfills.

Here are some interesting fact and figures

It is estimated that the average person produces between ½ and 2 kgs of waste daily, this is two bins of waste per week.
Up to 60% of the rubbish that ends up in the dustbin can be recycled.
Recycling an aluminum can saves enough energy to run a TV for three hours
Recycling a single run of the New York Sunday Times would save 75 000 trees.
The energy saved from recycling one glass bottle can run a 100w light bulb for four hours.

Recycling is easier than you think
It isn't very difficult to reduce a family’s waste, all it takes is kicking bad habits a bit of effort and some fore thought. Start small recycle at least 3 things 3 times a day only and your recycling will threefold.

What can be recycled:
Paper, cardboard, cans, scrap metal, plastic, glass, tyres, lubricating oils, was well was unusual items such as cards and appliances.

What cannot be recycled:
Dirty recyclable materials, laminates made of mixed material eg plastic-paper, paper-metal foil laminates, laminates glass such as car windscreens

So here’s how to do it:

Step 1 - Separate
Separate your home waste and teach your children to do the same. Start four different rubbish bins or bags. Colour code them to make it easier.

Dustbin 1:            Glass
Dustbin 2:            Tins
Dustbin 3:            Paper
Dustbin 4:            Plastic
Element 5:            Organic waste - you can dispose of all your organic waste by starting a compost heap or if you are adventurous an earthworm farm.

Step 2 - Take out the trash!

Once you have separated your waste you need to responsibly dispose there of. You have two options here if you live an a bigger city there are few waste management companies who will collect your waste from your door, such as EcoMonkey, Abundance Recycling, Mr Recycle, Resolution Recycling, Mama She’s and Whole Earth. Click here for their contact details

Your second option is to drop it off at an appropriate recycling depot.

These companies collect your recyclable waste, process it at an eco friendly site at which all recyclables are sorted and returned to manufacturers for re-production, re-use or use in recycled goods and products. In the process they also process also creating jobs for unemployed individuals.

So go on do your bit! Let’s minimize our waste!

11/03/2009 | comments (5) |