Big push for consumers to recycle household waste

ENVIRONMENTAL activists will use Global Recycling Day on March 18 to encourage consumers to recycle.

The Global Recycling Foundation (GRF), which creates awareness regaarding the everyday household items that can be recycled, said it was estimated that in 2017, South Africans generated 54.2 million tons of general waste products.

Of that, only 38.6% was recycled, with almost two-thirds ending up in landfill sites.

The foundation has embarked on an initiative to work with businesses and entrepreneurs globally in sharing their innovation, concepts and ideas for better recycling practices in the future.

The foundation was on a mission to ask people across the planet to think resource, not waste, when it comes to the goods around, and to tell world leaders that recycling was simply too important not to be a global issue and that a united approach to recycling was urgent.

Institute of Waste Management of Southern Africa president Leon said: “By using resources sparsely and knowing what can be recycled, we can all contribute to a cleaner and healthier environment.

“There are various waste streams and most of them are appropriate for recycling.

“Beyond saving raw materials, creating new glass, plastic or paper from recycled products uses significantly less energy than those made from virgin materials.

“Recycling also helps us move towards a circular economy where very little waste is generated.

“The creation of the GRF is a crucial step in securing the long-term future of Global Recycling Day and other initiatives aiming at the promotion of a global and united approach to recycling.

“It is widely understood, and indeed it is at the heart of the UN’s Millennium Development Goals, that climate change is the major, overriding environmental issue of our time.

“Collectively, we have to take urgent action,” said Grobbelaar.