MBOMBELA – Last week it was Clean Up and Recycle Week (#cleanupsa) and various environmental organisations were  urging consumers to improve recycling and waste habits as well as to have a plastic-free lifestyle . However, recycling can be very confusing. People generally do not know how to dispose of their recyclable trash correctly nor where to go in Mbombela.

Lowvelder compiled the following list to help consumers.

Wealth in your waste

Sort through all your rubbish on a daily basis so that you know what has potential money value. “The better your sorting system, the more money you might be able to make from your waste,” said Mr Lebo Malope, managing director of Bhangula Waste and Recycling. He said the trick was to continually sort the waste into separate bins or bags. If this amounts to a few kilograms, a waste company can either fetch it from your premises or it can be delivered to a recycling company’s waste management facility. Plastic and glass bottles should be kept apart. Plastic bottles can be sold at R1 per kilogram and glass bottles at 15 cents a kilogram. If you have a small number of plastic or glass bottles to recycle, Mr Chris Christie, manager of Crossing SUPERSPAR, said that containers are available for recycling at the entrance to the store.

Disposable batteries and compact fluorescent light bulbs

These are not recycled but they should not be thrown away with ordinary household waste either. They contain toxic chemicals that can leach into the soil. Mr Mandla Manzini, food market manager of Woolworths in Riverside said any batteries or compact fluorescent light bulbs not in use anymore can be deposited in a container at the entrance of the food market at their Riverside branch.

Car batteries

These should not be left standing in your garage because these can contain dangerous chemicals leaking onto surfaces over time. These can be disposed of at battery suppliers such as Battery Centre (contact 013-752-5456).

Used lubrication oil

For the safe disposal of all used lubrication oil, Kia Ora Oils (contact 082-554-1687) can be approached.
Owner Mr Wimpie Neethling said the community should join hands to prevent pollution of water and soil by lubrication oil and remove all used oil out of the ecosystem by disposing of it in a responsible way.

Unwanted household items

Things like crockery can be taken to a charity shop like that of the SPCA. Contact 013-753-3582 or deliver at 6 Meidlinger Street.

Paper and packaging

These items can be easily recycled by taking these to wastepaper outlets that take paper in from the general public like Greens Waste at Bosch Street 10. Manager Mr Raymond Vinesh said, depending on the grade of paper, 25 cents to 40 cents is paid per kilogram. Paper required by his company include old newspapers, magazines, brochures and envelopes. When recycling at home or in a housing complex, the following would also count as paper waste and should be separated from other waste: cereal and dry food boxes, cosmetic and medicine boxes, toilet and kitchen-roll cores and large cartons for milk and juice. However, used paper plates, disposable nappies, tissues, toilet paper, foil-lined boxes, used cement bags, dog-food bags and foil gift wrapping are not recyclable at paper-waste facilities.

Biodegradables

Mr Trust Ndlovu, project manager of Wessa Lowveld Eco Schools, believes that nothing should go to waste when it comes to biodegradables. In various projects that Wessa has been involved in, pupils are taught to use vegetables and fruit to make compost and use in school vegetable gardens.