Rude awakening needed for our ‘throw-away society’
Plastic is produced from oil and there is only enough left in the world to sustain human habits for an estimated 40 years. Something drastical needs to be done - and it needs to start with the individual.
MBOMBELA – Recycling, some experts say, is no longer just an idea – it has become an urgent necessity. Despite illegal dumping sites sprouting like mushrooms and tons of garbage strewn across the city, Mbombela Local Municipality (MLM) has not yet framed a plan to educate and encourage residents to recycle.
International media has reported how trillions of plastic pieces enter the ocean every year. Some have dissolved to such an extent that it is almost impossible to recover. Oil companies have issued warnings about oil levels running dangerously low. Plastic is produced from oil and there is only enough left in the world to sustain human habits for an estimated 40 years. Something drastical needs to be done – and it needs to start with the individual.
“Those residing inland think the plastic in the ocean is not their problem but they could not be more wrong,” said Mr Stefan du Plessis, a habitual recycler who recently traded the Lowveld for the coast of the Western Cape. “The big problem is that, people (those who do throw their trash in a bin) think the objects they discard disappear as soon as it leaves their hand, that it is no longer their problem. They don’t understand that it just gets trucked to one of the ever-expanding dumping sites, polluting the ground and disrupting ecosystems, or it gets burnt and sent into the air. This is not sustainable and we are at a stage where we are producing horrific amounts of trash, unable to get rid of it.”
Du Plessis addedthat the Western Cape was encouraging residents to recycle by dropping off blue bags at residents’ front doors. “Municipalities make it so easy for us to recycle over here.
“We just put out the blue bags, along with the normal refuse bags, and the recycling truck comes to pick it up.”
Mr Raymon Vinesh, transport supervisor of Greens Waste in Mbombela, urges the local municipality to adopt a similar approach. “If this type of project could be driven by the municipality it could be highly effective. If MLM is stretched for manpower, big businesses should try to assist with clean-ups and we would also be willing to assist if possible.”
Vinesh could not stress the importance of recycling enough, especially in our city. “Mbombela is one of the gateways to the Kruger Park and a few surrounding countries – a cleaner town would entice visitors and boost our economy.”
MLM’s spokesman Mr Joseph Ngala, admits that garbage around the city is a major problem and that there is currently no sustainable solution.
“Landfill sites around the city are filling up every day and people just dump their trash next to the road. We are a throw-away society. In Europe, recycling is already such a part of their routine. They just do it without even thinking twice. We are still very far behind.”
Separating glass, plastic, paper and tin from organic and non-recyclable refuse is not as much effort as one might think. “We have four small bins and our compost heap which we feed with scraps of raw food and peels,” said Du Plessis.
“We are three people in our family and we only put out one small plastic bag of normal garbage every week compared to the two big refuse bagfuls we used to have. It makes me smile because I leave such a light footprint on the earth.”
