South Africa produces 108 million tons of waste per year

Recycling and Economic Development Initiative South Africa (Redisa) is passionate about cleaning the environment and believes it is up to all South Africans to take responsibility and ensure a clean environment for future generations.

In line with International Recycling Day’s aim to increase awareness by educating communities about the environmental and economic benefits of recycling, Redisa is driving the message of waste into worth and of how environmental conservation can ensure the effective long-term management of waste.

READ Recycling – SA is behind rest of world

“As an initiative focused on encouraging people to find the value that can be derived from waste, Redisa is committed to educating consumers about the importance of recycling and re-using products. We have seen great success in the tyre industry, by implementing a circular economy approach, which ensures that nothing goes to waste and reduces the reliance on natural resources,” said Stacey Davidson, director at Redisa.

“This can be achieved by looking at consumer products beyond the end of their accepted lifecycle. Re-introducing them into the economy will go a long way towards reducing our reliance on fossil fuels for new product development,” said Davidson.

Many of the earth’s natural resources are close to critical tipping points of depletion or irreversible change, due to high population growth and economic development. If current consumption and production patterns remain the same, with the population expected to reach 9.6 billion by 2050, we will need three planets to sustain our current way of life.

Currently, South Africa produces 108 million tons of waste per year. A total of 90 per cent of that waste ends up in landfills and only 10 per cent of waste is currently recycled.

South Africa’s landfills are rapidly running out of space and it is clear that the only solution lies in recycling and repurposing our waste. International Recycling Day aims to increase awareness by educating all South Africans about the environmental and economic benefits of recycling and help them to understand the difference between recyclables and non-recyclables.

Examples of what you can recycle:

• Newspapers
• Magazines
• Cereal boxes
• Tissue boxes
• Office paper
• Small appliances – such as toasters, irons, pots, pans

Examples of what you cannot recycle:

• Tissues
• Crockery
• Nappies and sanitary towels
• Cigarette buds

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