FEED IT BACK

Water is life. Abundance, a prerequisite for prosperity. It is used in every aspect of our lives: electricity generation, heavy industry, mining, agriculture and more.

Yet, we have not developed proper feedback loops to recover and recycle all this value into our systems. There is money to make from recycling your everyday waste. Not to mention all the broken, or obsolete consumer goods, heavy in copper, brass, aluminium and steel, gathering dust in your garage. Some introspection is required to challenge our wasteful habits. Plastic is recyclable, yet it pollutes our water systems, to the detriment of public health. Recycling aluminium, for example, uses much less resources than processing virgin ore.

What percentage of our R1,1 trillion economy annually ends up in our garages, oceans and landfills? How much copper or lead have we hoarded, unwittingly, since mass production and globalisation made consumer goods, cheaper and more disposable?

I like to think of those plastic, glass and aluminium drink cans, as an envelope with cash in them, just asking to get picked up. Economic growth of five per cent is easy when we clean up our act. More jobs, selfrespect for environment, fulfilment, more tourism. Most importantly, water security.

Sugary caffeinated drinks and expensive bottled water are not going to suck on my health nor wallet any more, I’m ordering my Little Luxury Vitality water cooler for the warm summer months, online now. ADRIAAN DE LANGE BTECH: INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING