ees SoarWhere are we today? To many people recycling sounds like a far-fetched concept that can only be related to big corporations. But in fact everyone can be involved at every level and there is something everyone can do The first step in the recycling process is the consciousness that ones waste can be pul back to use because recycling is the act of pracessing used or abandoned materials for use in Creating new products. With this consciousness you can then become pro-active in the recycling process. South Africa produces nearly 67 million cubic metres of waste per year. The Gauteng province notably Johannesburg generates the highest volume of general waste in South Africa. However, the good news is that between 50% - 80% of this waste is recyclable and compostable All products of daily use like plastic bags, toilet paper, cans or even our cell phone are produced out ofREDUCE mw, REUSE €9 RECYCLE natural resources like wood, petroleum or alurninum. These natural resources are nat infinite and we should use them in away that preserves instead of waste them. That means recycling is an excellent way of conserving the environment. When you recycle you also help to save energy and to prevent Climate Change’ Recycling is the third of the three R's However, before you start with recycling you can already reduce and reuse your waste, hence the slogan ‘reduce, reuse and recycling’. IF we start to reduce and reuse we would produce less waste and use less natural resources. Tips to follow the slogan: REDUCE - Avoid buying prepackaged foods like plastic wrapped vegetables in polystyrene trays. o4 REUSE- Use your ald ice-cream tubs as storage containers. RECYCLE- Look for the recycling sign, this sign indicates that the product you are buying is recyclable And most importantly, recycle the products after use ‘The greenhouse effect occurs when gases in our atmosphere trap heat, thereby warming the surface of the planet, and making the earth hshitable (without this natural process ihe temperature of the Earth would be about TAC) Howeuer, dire to human activities these hesttrapping gases are becoming more concentrated in the Earth's aimosphere, rapping more Neat in the process and resulting in climate change, (Carbon Dioxide (CO2) is ane of the worst greenhouse geses, relsased fram burning coal, ov and natura’ gas in power pants, cars and facies as wel ax through iarge scale dofomstation, Climate change is rea! and Asppsning right now. lis reaiity can be ssen in matting ice, dying coval ress, rising sea levels, changing acosysters ane! profanged and more severe droughts, This maans that cfimate change coud have fa reaching andor unpredictable environmental, social and economic consequences arcauricl the wedhis guide focuses mainly on the third part of the slogan ie. RECYLE and aims at previding you with several suggestions on recycling. There are already pilot programs in some areas of Johannesburg for separating recyclable material at the source, but almost 50% of the population in South Africa does nat receive a regular municipal waste collection service ‘Yet we strongly believe that there are many people like you out there who would recycle if they knew how to do it. This guide will provide you with supgestions on how to be pro-active in the recycling process. And remember, if you start recycling now, you can make a difference!Did you know? Paper Hall household paper and cardboard were recycled 750 000m’ of landfill space would be saved a year. Plastic It takes 400 years for a takeaway box to biodegrade and 1000 for a plastic battle. Cans Recycling one aluminium can save enough energy to run your television for 3 hours or power one 100 watt bulb for 20 hours 06 Glass A single glass container can take almost a million years to fully break E-Waste When these products are placed in landfills or incinerated, they pose health risks due to the toxic materials they contain. OF particular concer is the exposure of children and pregnant women to lead and mercury contained in these materialsPaper Trees are vital to life on earth Paper has been used for centuries to store information and pass ideas across distance. More recently it has become very useful as packaging. Since its conception paper has been manufactured from various raw materials; first papyrus (from which it derives its name), other grasses, hemp, wood atc. The most widely used raw material is wood, making up most af the paper we use. Of the global wood harvest for “industrial uses" 42% goes to pager production. Most of the world's paper supply, about 77 percent, is not made fram timber harvested at tree farms but from forest-harvested timber, fram regions ‘with ecologically valuable, biologically diverse habitat. Industrialized nations, ‘with 20 percent of the world’s population, consume 87 percent of the world's printing and writing, papers. Did you know? ‘Global production in the pulp, paper and publishing sector is expected to increase by 77% from 1995 to 2020. OB The pulp and paper industry is the single largest consumer of water used in industrial activities in developed Countries and is the third greatest industrial greenhouse gas emitter, after the chemical and steel industries. Paper pulp exports from Latin America from forests converted into plantations and from the harvesting and conversion of tropical and subtropical forests are expected to grow 70 percent between 2000 and 2070. Tree plantations host about 90 percent fewer species than the forests that preceded them, Benefits of recycling paper: Paper is 100% recyclable: Today recovered paper is the most. important raw material in the production of paper.With each ton (1000 kg) of recycled Symbols; paper you can save: An easy way to identify paper is to * 17 trees from being cut down look for the recycling logo. The number inside these lagos categorizes paper into the following: +S cubic yards of landfill space * 31,780 liters of water Manufactured * enough energy to power an om average hame for 6 months A w20c = aes PAP (PCB: eel P, - fwe were to burn the same ton of . a iy wet PAP mixed Papes, paper instead of recycling it, we 2 ‘Dihae magacines, mail would create 680kg of carbon PAP dioxide (CO"). This is equivalent ta Ese carbon absorbed by the 17 trees = Sa! 7 {grown for 10 years). panerbonrd, #23 PRD areeling cats, oy {PPE} frezan food boxes, PAP book covers Papar drop-off paint af Littla Eden in EdanglanSigns to look for when buying paper: When you buy paper you will find on the package a percent-indication on the amount of recycled paper that is included in that paper, like 50% recycled. If you can't find recycled paper than look out for this Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) logo: This logo doesn't mean that the paper is recycled but it means that the wood that has been used to produce the paper comes from responsibly managed forests that have been independently certified. ‘You can find this logo on all products that contain wood and then you can be sure that for this product no natural forest or other habitat were converted, no highly hazardous pesticides were be used, no Benetically modified trees were cultivated and the rights of indigenous people were respected, 0 With paper there will probably be a note next ta the symbol saying how much of the paper content is FSC certified. As with recycled paper, the higher the percentage the better. Any combination of FSC certified, and recycled is also good. For example: Paper with 60 percent recycled, 40. percent FSC certified content equals 100 percent ancient forest friendly and therefore Greenpeace support the FSC certificate.Plastic What is plastic and where does is come from? The majority of plastics are made from petroleum, a non-renewable resource non-renewable resource and varying combinations of carbon, oxygen, hydrogen and nitrogen. The Production of plastics uses natural resources and emits harmful substances into the environment. Plastics are part of our everyday lives, the majority of which are able to be recycled, These include milk containers, cling wrap, juice bottles and plastic bags. However, for instance buying plastic bags is an unnecessary expense when going shopping, if you were to make use of cotton shopping bags or reuse other plastic bags, you could make a considerable saving and help reduce our impact on the environment. Always keep a few in your car or handbag to avoid having to buy every time you go shopping. IF you have a surplus of bags, use them as small garbage bags around the house. Did you know? * Aplastic bottle takes over 1000 years to degrade and during this time it can cause damage ta animal life and the quality of our environment. * 12% af household waste is plastic-packaging waste, the majority of which ends up in landiills. + Ittakes 400 years for a takeaway box to degrade Genera! drop-off paint at BryanstonBenefits ot recycling plastic: + Recycling 7 ton of plastic bottles saves 1.5 tons of carbon emissions. This is equivalent to CO’ emissions from 463 liters of fuel consumed. + Recycling a single plastic bottle can conserve enough energy to light a GOW light bulb for up to 6 hours. Labels to look out for when purchasing plastic goods An easy way to identify plastics is to look for the recycling lage, The number inside these logo's categorizes plastic into the following: Most environmentally friendly High-density Polyethylene quinvoots, shoe sales, aad es ear and ja decking, buckets garden famiture. garden ireys A if uncontaminated) coapnenine piles pute traries, eel Least and cups, yoghurt ebiling ia cba ersinmentally canis a Ee oesDefinition E-waste commonly refers to electronic or electric devices that have reached the end of their life cycle. They may be broken, outdated or otherwise no longer useful and therefore disposed of, E-waste includes computers, entertainment. electronics, mabile phones, household appliances (fridges, stoves, microwaves, washing machines etc) and less obvious items such as used fluorescent tubes, batteries and battery-operated toys that have been discarded by their original users, In short: If it has a plug or runs on batteries and is broken, it is e-waste. Did you know: When these products are placed in landfills or incinerated, they pose health risks due to the hazardous materials they contain. E-waste ‘constitutes only 5-8 percent af municipal solid waste, yet it is accumulating at a rate three times that of other solid waste. Mercury, chromium, lead, and brominated flame retardants in e-waste are likely 14 to cause the most adverse health effects in humans, These dangerous. substances cause serious pollution and put workers at risk of exposure when the products are praduced or disposed of. Of particular concern is the exposure of children and pregnant women to lead and mercury. These metals are highly toxic and can harm children and developing foetuses even at low levels of exposure, When released to the environment, mercury accumulates in the tissues of plants and animals and, when consumed by humans, impairs neurological development and causes ather problems associated with the nervous system. PCBs are toxic substances with carcinogenic and non-cancerous effects on humans, including effects an the immune system, reproductive system, nervous system, and endocrine system. Benefits of recycling E-Waste 1. E-waste is mainly regarded as simply a waste problem. What is not always known is that e-waste can cause serious environmental damageif not treated in an appropriate way. The informal recovering of metals from e-waste also causes serious damages to the health of the people involwed 2. Eswaste contains an enormous wealth of materials. Modern electronics can contain more than 60 elements, among them many precious and special metals. Some of These metals (e.g. indium, ruthenium, bismuth and tin) have became increasingly expensive because they are abundantly used to produce electronic equipment. Since more and more electronic equipment is being bought, more and more is being produced worldwide, This means serious depletion of many precious secondary metals, Without recycling, the resource base of precious secondary materials will soon be depleted 3. Primary production of e-waste , i.e. mining, smelting and refining of precious and special metals has a significant CO2 impact due to the law concentration of these metals in the ores and often difficult mining conditions. Furthermore, state of the art of recycling of e-waste considerably contributes to the reduction of green house gas emissions like CO’, thereby lowering our common carbon footprint 4. To produce new products out of e- waste also takes considerably less energy than producing products out of natural resources like ores because you have to mining the ores before.What you can do: Think twice before buying whether you really need a new device. Support companies that make clean products. If you are buying a product, find out about the company's environmental performance, or check vaww. greenpeace.org Enquire from manufacturer if you can retum your equipment after use Buy recycled goods whenever you can, By supporting this industry, you're supporting further recycling. Donate your working computer to a charity if you upgrade. Refill your printer ink cartridges instead of buying new ones all the time. Buy rechargeable batteries and power toals. If there is ne place te take batteries the recharge route is the best waste management option. Almost all of the materials in your refrigerator or freezer can be recycled. This includes the metal cabinet, plastic liner, glass shelves, the refrigerant and ail in the compressor as well as the blowing agent contained in polyurethane foam insulation.1. Lead in cathode ray tubes and solder 2. Arsenic in older cathode ray tubes 3, Selenium circuid boards as power supply 4, Palybrominated flame retardants in plastic castings, cables and circuit boards. 5, Antimony trioxide as flame retardant. 6, Cadmium in circuit boards and semi-conductors. 7. Chromium in steel as corrasion protection 8. Cobalt in steel for structure and magnetivity 9. Mercury in switches and housing. If not properly disposed, used ail from refrigerated appliances can result in the release of dissolved ODS refrigerant and groundwater contamination. In addition, short-term. exposure to used oil can cause skin, eye, and respiratory irritation; in the long-term, it can cause cancer and damage to the liver, brain, it system, and reproductive system.is a shiny metal obtained re, Once mined, it can be rolled inte very thin shiny Vare used to make items such as drink cans and aerosol cans. Old you know? * Four-fifth's of the mining energy used can be saved by reducing the amount of bauxite mined to make aluminium, if cans were recycled. Tropical forests are endangered because much of the ore used for cans come fromt regions.+ Extracting the ores from the ground result in vast numbers of quarries that produce a lot of waste soil & rocks which are dumped in piles, and become a ecological and environmental problem. Benefits of Recycling Cans: There are benefits of recycling metals, by not having to extract ores fram the ground there can be fewer quarries and quarries produce a lat of waste soil & rocks which are dumped in piles. * Recycling 1kg of aluminium saves up to Skg of Bauxite, 4kg of chemical products and 14Kilowatt hours of electricity compared with extracting the metal from bauxite. © Twenty recycled aluminium cans can be mace with the energy it takes to make one can from raw materials. + Recycling aluminium requires only 3% of the energy and produces 5% of CO’ emissians as compared with primary production, and reduces the waste going ta landfills, + Many tropical forests can be saved as much of the ore rocks used for cans come from these regions. 20‘What is glass? Glass is made up of a natural ingredient known as silica which is found in silica sand, soda ash, feldspar, and limestone. These are inert, non-toxic and environmentally friendly. The process of making glass is known as vitrification, which invalves melting silica at very high temperature. Glass consumer products in the market which we use in our daily lives include vision eyeglasses, jars, house hold glasses, medicine glass bottles, beverage containers, flat glass products such as windows, windscreens among others. After use, their remnants are most prabably disposed of within our living environment especially in our rural habitat. In the urban settlement they are disposed together with other household wastes either in the landfills or in other dumping sites contributing to the accumulation of solid waste and degradation of our environment. Did you know? Creating new plass entails heating substances like sand at very high temperature, which not only consumes a vast amount of energy but also contributes te pallution from factories making the glass. A single glass container can take almost a million years to fully break down Benefits of recycling glass: Glass is 100% recyclable, and it can be recycled indefinitely to make other plasses. The used container plasses can be sorted to separate the clear from the colored, the metal caps and labels are removed then cleaned and crushed. Then crushed glass {called cullet) is combined with virgin raw materials (silica sand, soda ash, and limestone) in the glass manufacturing process to make new glasses. However glass which cannot be recycled such as light bulbs, Pyrex, vision ware or flat glasses such as window or windscreens can be crushed and used in roads repairs. aWe can also reuse some of these glass products by donating to the needy, for instance eyeglasses Bottles, jars and glasses can also be reused, for example in storing homemade jam, storing bolts and nuts. Recycling glass: + Saves raw materials — Over a ton of natural resources are conserved for every ton of glass recycled, including 2860kg of sand, 902kg of soda ash, 836kg of limestone, and 352kg of feldspar. + Lessens the demand for energy — Energy casts drop by about 2-3% for every 10% of cullet used in the manufacturing process. * Cuts CO" emissions — For every six tons of recycled container glass used, a ton of carb idioxide is saved This is equivalent to Carbon absorbed by 23. tree's seedlings grown for 10 years. © Arelative 10% increase in cullet reduces particulates by 8%, nitrogen oxide by 446, and sulfur oxides by 10%. + No processing by-products — Glass recycling is a closed-loop system, Creating no additional waste or by-productsThe truth is out there The question that we now ask volved in ourselves is “how can | be The first step is to separate your waste into the different recyclable categories like paper, plastic, glass, Cans, e-waste For instance you can set up trash containers far the different kinds of recyclable products to make it easier for you. If you separate your waste you are already on the right track. The second step for you is to take your recyclable waste to a recycling drop-off point where they can be collected and transformed to produce new products. A recycling drop-off point is a waste disposal area where waste is ie Je the Walder! School in Bryanston's drop off povat Sih ated i.separated into different categories to facilitate the process of recycling. A recycling drop-off will typically have labels as glass only, paper only, plastic only, cans only, or e-waste only. The drops off-paint cauld alsa be color coded with each recyclable product assigned a specific If you are lucky you only have to bring your different bags with your recyclable waste in front of your house on your refuse collection day because some municipalities already offer recycling services It is worthwhile to get information for your area so as ta know if your recyclables can be collected by the municipality, How can | find a drop-off paint? In South Africa, recycling drop off points are usually set up by privately Tun organizations. For information on the closest recycling drop-off point to you, call the follawing numbers or visit the following websites. . The 85 Recycling Company werw theplassreeyclingcampany.co.2a O11 ao3 0787 * Paper racycing association of SA worn prasaeo ra 011 803 5083 + Mondi Recycling ‘ware paparpickup.co.2a DADDOZ2112 * Plastics federation of SA ‘werw plasticsinio.ca.za O11 844 4024 . @-Waste Association of 34 worn owasa.ong O11 342 3605 There is probably a recycling drop off point near to you. 4 little effart to find it will go a long way to protect the environment and make you a full and pro-active partner in the fight for environmental protection. Let us join forces to protect the environment, Finding the closest recycling station to you might be your first step to becoming environmentally friendly. Photographer Accredilation Crectite © Greenpeace page T= Greg Mberts page 15 Janathan Mostert page 1é= Kate Davison page a= Kristian Burs page 19, 23° Amanda Gazidis page 25, 26 Lave Bartels page 20= Rob Tay al offer Phoins + Shayne Rabinsar{eM Oi astetii is Recycling can also be fun and creative. Give your plastic shopping bag a face lift Matefals and Tools Sasoned plastic shopping bags 4mm Knitting needles Toothpick ‘Scissors Large eye sewing needle ‘Size: Appronimately: 35em leng and 27cm wide. You can change the bag sine by either increasing stitches or rows for a bigger bag or decreasing stitches ar rows for a smaler bag ‘Cutting the Bags into Strips 1, Chat off thay Fie nd bottom part of the plastic shopping bag 2. The best way to get acontinuaus strip is to start at the top and spiral around the bag, from the top te the bottam making the it about 1.5emn th Ban't wary about being exact with the thicloness of the strips 3 the strips on ta pieces of cardboard, Far each bag you eut wind the strip enip a separate piece of cardbosed, Knitting the Handles: 1. Using the 4mm knitting needles cast can 13 stitches. 2. Krit 25 rows. (For longer add mare rows) 3, Cast off your stitches, 4, Repeal the slaps abowe te make your second handle des Kink be 1. Using the 4 stitches. 2. Knit 6 3. Cast off your stitches, ig readies cast on 4S Sewing the bag tagethe 7. Fold the bag in half 2. Using the sewing needle sew up the side using, blanket stitch. (If you da not have a sewing needle take the toothpick and stick it on the beginning of the stp of plastic) 3. Sew the handles ort to the top of the bag using, blanket stitch, Decorating Look around the house for buttons, leather threads. pieces af wool, beads, pictures yo cut cut from other plastic bags, ect. Use your restive imagination ancl way yau wantSources and References ‘Atip:iinvesting. businsssweek.comresearchs: tocksiprivate/snapshot.asp?privcapid=S2713 7a Ata mandignup, combashtopdataalt.a SpwTabia- 24a Allpliwem posrecyoling eo. za/%getideC O35 vROgMGFAR sswodbBod5q Enuroamental Affairs(2010): National Wasts Management Strategy Atiptawe wastapolcy.co.zahueme‘siteniteta ities WWMS s20tirsrs20craft pat ‘hip. Adam. arvironment. gov. 2eeoenreparicky aurang Chapter i209 20Waste ts 20Manage mentpdr Nitbuhawe wastepoicy.co.2ZahMsstesters sWtfilee NWS Diner 3S 20draR pal Greenpeace hip iwww greanpaace orvintor nationatentcampaigns/orestagresnpeace- book-campaignancient-torest- twpittscer.deat.gov.zevttm_documents/Wasts ~_Backpround_Paper_OXONS pol US. EPA, IMunitipal Sold Waste Generation, Recyling. and Disposal in the United States: Facts end Figures for 2008; and California Department of Conservation. | epewnesafelysbop com prodostaspenstact httputwweuk-energy saving. canviglase reepeting Aten Attp- fawn giassworks orgipraduct_ Stawardshinhow: ht Waste and Recyoling/Green Files), by Stewe Parker, Oxford Publishing 2003 Waste, Recyoling ard Reuse, by Salty Morgan, Oxtovo PubWehing 2003 wan pelco.co.za nttps haw. capmionngrecnmar co raga gresrvrecycie Nttptwww aps. gowozone ties GORoigpoeat" hovsshiovel Aten! Atipsiwww awaste.co.zaenviranmental fim! Atipiwwe ecycle.co.za*whyte20recyols.him! Towle Tach — Pulling the plug on ality aigctronics (Greanpsace Intematanal publication 2005) (CanfieldF.t, Henderson,C.R., Cory-Siechls, Dull, Cox, C.,, Jusko. TA, Lanphear, 8.P. (2003) Intettectua! impairment in chilean with boca lead concentrations befow 10 me g per decililer. New England Journal of Mackeine 448/16); 1517-7426 and UNEP (a0dz) Global Mercury Assessment, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Chenveals, Geneve, Switzedand. Available at: Atipatinww.chem.unep.chimercury} (Abromovitz and! Mattoon, Wvarlawatch Paper Paper Cuts, p. 20, 1999) (Toward a Sustainable Papar Cycio: An Independant Study on the Sustainsbilty of the Pulp and Paper Indusiry, 1396) hitp: www. recyoling-revalialion.conn National Recreling Forum (NRF) (tips reeyeling.co.za}: SA 2009 Papsr Recovery Statistics, PRASA - Paper Recycling Association of South Afnca (httasivany prasa.co.za (Abromovitz and Mattoan, Warlawateh Paper: Paper Cuts, 9. 26, 1999) (Kaus Torpfor, Executive Directoy, United Nations Environment Programme, Keynote Address UNEF's 7th international High Lever Seminar an Cleaner Production, 29-30 April 2002.) (OECD Environmental Gutiook. Pars: OECD, 2001, 0218) (OECD Environmental Quiloak, p. 278) (Mark Payne, “Latin America Aims High for the Next Century, Pulp and Paper Intemational 1999). (Allan Hershkowitz, Bronx Ecology, p. 75, 2002) wrara fee. orgy htipatiwwn apa. gowbleanngy erent resourcesrcaiculator himitresilts Recycling Guide compiled August 2010 by ihe Jofiavingsaurng Vounteer TearFrom tefl fo ri Percy, Telesia, Lara, Jonathan, Debbie, Lara, Mo, Greg Other contritulars nal in pholograph: Timathy, Sven This recycling adviser is the work from the Greenpeace Volunteer Group from Johannesburg. if you also want to became a Greenpeace Volunteer please contact tp visit our website ww. gre giant ‘Greenpeace is an independent, non-profit organization. As a global organization, Greenpeace focuses on the most crucial worldwide threats to our planet's biodiversity and environment. We investigate, expose and confront environmental abuse by governments and corporations around the world. We champion environmentally responsible and socially just solutions, including scientific and technical innovation. We use high-profile, non-violent direct action, research, lobbying, and quiet diplomacy to pursue our goals and raise the level and quality of public debate as the catalyst for change. ‘Greenpeace has been working in Aftica to end environmental destruction and fighting forthe right of Africans to a healthy environment since the early 1950s. Qur campaigns focus on climate change, halting the destruction of tropical forests and preventing the degradation of coe ce aneenreace*e Printed on 100% recycled paper