WASTE NOT, WANT NOT

ONE MAN’S TRASH IS ANOTHER MAN’S TREASURE, OR SO THE SAYING GOES. IN GHANA, ONE ENTERPRISING ENTREPRENEUR SOURCES USED CAR TYRES FROM A DUMP, WRAPS THEM IN HEMP ROPE, ADDS A GLASS TOP AND FUNKY SILVER FEET AND HIS UPCYCLED TYRE HAS BECOME A SIDE OR COFFEE TABLE. FROM A DUMP TO A DECOR ITEM ...

Say the word “recycling” and people automatically think about separating household waste into plastics, paper and cardboard, glass and cans or tins. Most major cities in South Africa have recycling depots or even special collections of recycling over and above regular municipal garbage collections.

South Africa as a country is becoming far more aware of the environmental benefi ts of recycling. There’s no argument that removing items from the waste stream off ers signifi cant advantages. But what about the human impact of informal recycling?

It’s been estimated that around 215 000 people are involved in informal recycling and a fi gure was quoted at a recent seminar held at the Two Oceans Aquarium in Cape Town in March that around 90% of all items recycled in South Africa are from these collectors.

The truth of the matter is that because of the country’s high unemployment rate people will do anything to earn an income – and collecting glass bottles, plastic waste or paper and cardboard is a relatively simple way to do so. These waste-preneurs trawl through industrial areas as well as suburbs, knowing exactly what days waste collections take place and arriving in the early hours of the morning to go through rubbish bins to sort through domestic detritus in search of valuable plastic, glass and cardboard. Nearly a year ago, in July 2018, Plastics|SA, the body that represents the local plastics industry, shared its recycling fi gures for the previous year. In 2017 alone, 334 727 tons of plastic was recycled into raw material – the seventh year on the trot that plastics recycling grew in the country. This put the net input recycling rate at 43.7% which comfortably outstripped the European recycling rate of 31.1%.

“South Africa is doing phenomenally well with its recycling, and I believe the latest results show that we are slowly but steadily beating the odds,” said Plastics|SA Executive Director, Anton Hanekom.

“One of the biggest challenges to building our recycling industry over the years has been getting access to good quality, relatively clean materials before they reach landfi lls. Despite our calls for separation-atsource, whereby recyclable materials are separated from non-recyclables, a staggering 74% of the plastics that were recycled during 2017 were still obtained from landfi ll and other post-consumer sources.”

Mr Hanekom said plastics recycling provided an income to more than 58 100 workers in 2017 – in both the formal and informal sectors. Furthermore, he said by utilising the recycled plastics, “an estimated

R 448 million was injected into the economy at primary sourcing level”. That amount of money is not small beer ... and the beer fraternity are no slouches either.

In Tembisa, Johannesburg, SAB piloted an innovative waste recovery initiative which is modelled on a very successful Zambian project called Manja Pamodzi. It’s where 54 unemployed men and women are being encouraged to manage their own waste recycling businesses and being registered as co-operatives. Furthermore, they are being supported and mentored to grow their businesses in the hopes of becoming employers themselves. The experience from Manja Pamodzi, a project supported by ABInbev’s Zambian Breweries, is that this form of fi nancial empowerment has a powerful multiplier eff ect, and 226 jobs were created while 3 000 tons of waste was recycled. The attendant health and environmental gain was substantial. In just a few months of operation, the Tembisa project has in itself cleaned up 700 tons of waste, most of it glass.

This is fortuitous because SAB is very aware of the need to protect raw materials and dwindling natural resources. “SAB recognises the importance of adopting a circular economy approach to its operations with a focus on product packaging,” said Bishen Morgan, Procurement Director: Sustainability & Capabilities, SAB and AB InBev Africa. By 2025, SAB expects 100% of its packaging to be returnable or made from majority recycled content.

Around 85% of SAB’s packaging is returnable “and is re-used up to 18 times”, a media release stated. Consequently, the amount of glass disposed of by consumers is reduced. SAB is also looking at lightening their product to minimise weight and the amount of material used. SAB collaborates with its suppliers to increase the amount of recycled material used to produce its packaging. Bottles used contain, on average, 41% recycled content, and as high as 70% for cans.

“Our commitment is clear,” said Mr Morgan, “we are determined to work towards contributing towards a circular economy in South Africa, and indeed the rest of Africa, where waste is viewed as a resource, an opportunity to create jobs and a cleaner environment.”

It was a similar idea which motivated the originator of the Qhubeka bicycle non-profi t organisation, Anthony Fitzhenry to include waste-preneurs in the project. CHEERS has previously reported on this innovative initiative which aims to get people on bicycles, cutting down on the time spent commuting to and from work or school and making people more economically independent.

Qhubeka is nguni for “moving forward” or “carrying on” – and

74% FROM LANDFILLS & OTHER POST-CONSUMER SOURCES

SEPARATION- AT-SOURCE 26%

2017 RECYCLED PLASTICS R448 000 000 INJECTED INTO THE ECONOMY AT PRIMARY SOURCING LEVEL

TOP: Separation at source is still woefully low in South Afr ica. Designating diff erent bins for paper, plastic, cans and glass is a simple solution for easy recycling.

BOTTOM: From small seeds, great things grow: one of Qhubeka’s cycle initiatives involves indigenous plant cultivation at a local school – with a bicycle as a reward.

it’s a brilliant name for a non-profi t organisation which aims to put bicycles in the hands of people who face severe transport challenges. Started in 2005, Qhubeka is not about simply giving people the robust and sturdy buff alo bikes – but applying conditions to the bike donation. “This is a hand up, not a hand out,” Mr Fitzhenry said.

To qualify for a bicycle, the adults who participated in a Johannesburg project had to collect 1 200kg of recyclable glass or 350kg of plastic waste – and that was where the term ‘waste-preneurs’ was coined. Alternatively, they could become ‘tree-preneurs’ through the Wildlands conservation trust which saw them planting and growing trees, most frequently in discarded two litre plastic cool drink bottles which were cut in half and used as pots – with 100 trees being traded for a single bicycle. Wildlands not only supports the ‘treepreneuers’ in growing the saplings but then fi nds buyers for the plants.

By encouraging these activities, even if it is as mundane as separating your own trash into plastic, paper, glass and cans for the local weekly bin divers, you could play a signifi cant role in reducing the amount of unnecessary items going to landfi ll while also putting money in the pockets of people who desperately need it.