CT urges residents to recycle
24 August 2007
The Cape Town municipality has urged residents to support recycling projects that aim to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases and minimise waste, while also saving on landfill space and putting valuable materials back into the manufacturing chain.
"This in turn helps to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases which contributes to global warming," said the municipality's utility services portfolio committee chairperson, Clive Justus, this week. "It is imperative that we motivate residents to participate in this to reduce individual carbon footprints."
The city has already implemented recycling projects in Helderberg, Delft, Mfuleni, Brown's Farm, Philippi and the southern suburbs. Recycling projects will be implemented in communities along the Atlantic seaboard later this year.
It is estimated that half of the 116 000 households in the above five areas are participating in the recycling project.
"It is estimated that each
individual in the city contributes an average of two kilograms of waste every day, translating to nearly 5 200 tons per capita per annum. Only 14% of this was removed from the waste stream for recycling," Justus said.
The city, he said, is fast running out of landfill space and we need to minimise waste as much as possible.
As such, the council has also issued a construction tender which will recycle all types of construction materials, such as crushing concrete during the partial demolition of the old Green Point stadium.
Separating waste
Residents in the participating areas have been asked to separate wet and dry waste into two loads, wet waste in their bins and the recyclables on clear plastic bags provided by the city's contractors, before they put these out for collection.
"This service is rendered at no additional cost to residents and collection days will not change," Justus said.
The list of recyclable products
includes items such as paper products, glass bottles and jars, plastic bottles and containers, cans and plastic bags.
Non-recyclables include material such as garden refuse, food scraps, tooth paste tubes, cling wrap, disposable nappies, polystyrene, and containers which once held solvents, acid, chemical or motor oil.
Other recycling initiatives include the recycling of used tyres, as well as the composting of organic material.
"The city is also processing a new integrated waste management by-law which will eventually regulate all waste management services and provide the city with the necessary powers to enforce anti-dumping legislation," he said.
Source: BuaNews
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