Separating your waste during a pandemic
Lets learn to separate waste during this pandemic!
COVID 19 has made us all very aware of how important hygiene is. Wash your hands seems to be the trending hashtag (#) and the only outing for most of us experiencing lockdown is taking out our Wheelie Bin on waste collection day.
With fewer waste-pickers around and only essential services operating, shouldn’t this be the perfect time for us to start separating our waste at home?
According to Stats SA, only 10% of South African Waste is being recycled.
Here are 3 simple steps to assist you in separating your waste at home:
Step 1 - understanding what materials can be recycled:
Paper: Flattened and folded cardboard, paper, magazines and newspaper
Plastic: containers, bottles and bags
Glass: jars and bottles
Tetra Pak: milk containers and juice boxes
Metal: tins and cans
Polystyrene: punnets and protective packaging
Step 2 - containerize it:
Find suitable containers to separate your waste and ensure that your organic waste is removed from the waste stream.
Step 3 - find avenues for your recyclables
The larger cities in South Africa offer curbside collection for recyclables, alternatively, there are other public/ private initiatives such as drop off facilities by the Glass Recycling Company, etc.
Congratulations! You’ve managed to successfully start recycling!
Credit: Janine Charters
