As the saying goes, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.
Whether understanding the plight of waste pickers or tired of the mess some tend to leave lying next to the bins or on pavements, recycling may be one of the solutions that could benefit residents and collectors.
Several local recycling organisations and buy-back centres, which collect a variety of waste – from paper to plastic and glass and electronics – have spread the word on recycling and are calling residents to step up and take responsibility for waste.
Safe waste disposal
Ilanga Ewaste Management, based in Apex, which collects electronic waste, encourages residents to practice safe waste disposal by avoiding throwing their redundant electronics away.
“Through our recycling initiatives, we aim to combat the issue of unsafe-waste disposal and promote sustainability. We firmly believe that our service plays a crucial role in fostering environmental stewardship within the community,” said Ilanga’s co-founder Maria Rakgalakane.
The company’s primary role is to prevent electronic waste from ending up in landfills or being improperly disposed of.
It recycles old and/or broken electronic and electrical items such as monitors, keyboards, computers, household appliances and more.
“If they are improperly disposed of, they can have harmful environmental and health effects. By recycling e-waste, this helps conserve natural resources, reduce energy consumption and minimises pollution associated with the extraction and production of new electronic devices,” Rakgalakane said.
Environmental conservation
Paper and plastic recycling company, Phepha Recycling based in Benoni South, shared Ilanga’s sentiments about using credible waste collection companies or organisations that help reduce harmful materials ending up in landfills.
“Recycling is one of the most important things for our country. If every person recycles, it will be good for them and reduce waste from ending up in landfill sites. Even if we take only 50%, it will make a huge difference to our economy,” said the company’s operations manager Tertius Koekemoer.
The buy-back centre cited environmental conservation, a reduction in our reliance on natural resources such as trees and keeping paper out of landfills as some of the reasons paper should be recycled.
Furthermore, recycling plastic is important because it’s not biodegradable, can threaten aquatic life, plastic life can last up to 100 years in landfills.
“It’s one of the largest growing concerns in our daily lives. It will make a huge difference to all of us. We can start recycling at home, then go to work and recycle there too where everyone can see and then go back home and keep the cycle going,” added Koekemoer.
Local recycling centres
Recycling centres in the community where residents can drop off waste such as damaged or obsolete electronics, paper, plastic, glass and steel are plentiful.
Lakeside Mall has a centre on entrance five and they take most recyclables while the Cloverdene Tip Site has a glass recycling centre.
The Benoni Lakes Lions have a recycling hub at Belvedere School which collects e-waste, paper, plastic, glass and cans.
There are also several drop-off zones in the community while the buy-back centres purchase the recyclable material you have collected.
To look for local buyback centres go to https://petco.co.za/buy-back-centres/ or www.mywaste.co.za or https://theglassrecyclingcompany.co.za/glass-banks-new/ for a glass bank.
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Also Read: Recycling, good for the environment and economy
