South Africa has close to 60 000 waste pickers who play a substantial role in the country’s waste management industry. As part of the country’s informal waste sector, they help recover recyclables from household waste streams, as well as waste materials sent to landfill sites. With the country in a national lockdown due to the COVID-19 outbreak, these waste reclaimers … [Read more...]
Bring Your Own Bag campaign aims to keep the seas trash free
Every year South Africans use approximately 8 billion plastic bags, and less than 1% are recycled. Most end up in landfills or the ocean. With the support of A Rocha “Christians in Conservation,” South African Churches have launched a campaign to reduce the use of plastic shopping bags. At the launch, Rethink The Bag campaign founder Hayley MacLellan shared stories of the … [Read more...]
Recycle Swop Shop helps local community
Why a Recycle Swop Shop should be coming to a school near you. I was invited to take a look at a Recycle Swop Shop project in the settlement of Du Noon, Cape Town, by project manager Mariah van der Westhuizen. When I arrived the atmosphere was buzzing with excitement and anticipation. Women, old and young, as well as children were queued outside Inkwenkwezi Secondary … [Read more...]
No recycling depots in Parys
My wife and I relocated to Parys, Free State from Johannesburg just over a year ago. We were attracted by its quirky atmosphere with an eclectic mix of art galleries, antique shops and top-class restaurants on the one hand and the “vetkoek dens” and “tuisnyverheid” emporiums on the other. The folk are very friendly and you would expect nothing less from a community that boasts … [Read more...]
