| Recycling | | | | rubbish to ensure that batteries and electrical |
| During the 1960s and '70s it was thought that | | | | appliances are not thrown in landfills, that glass, |
| emissions from factory chimneys and sewage pipes | | | | aluminium cans and plastic bags don't clutter the |
| constituted the biggest environmental problem. But | | | | country-side. Working together with the producers, |
| since then, due to new, worldwide "Eco-laws", these | | | | consumers should send items back to factories, to be |
| discharges have decreased considerably. Instead, the | | | | recycled and thereby reused. |
| focus has switched to the environmental problems | | | | The process of recycling, for example paper, entails |
| associated with the goods that are produced and | | | | the conversion of waste paper to various types of |
| consumed in modern society. Many of the most | | | | finer grades of paper. First, careful sorting is required |
| environmentally damaging substances are currently | | | | so that items such as plastic wrapping, paper clips and |
| being supplied through glass bottles, newspapers, | | | | staples can be removed. Waste paper is divided into |
| plastic bags, coke cans, cardboard boxes and sweet | | | | categories such as newsprint; typing and computer |
| wrappers just to mention a few. | | | | paper; and magazines, which have shiny paper and |
| To tell you what recycling is and what the word | | | | coloured inks and need special treatment. Next, the ink |
| actually embodies may seem strange to you. I am | | | | must be removed. This is done by soaking the paper |
| sure all of you think you know exactly what it entails. | | | | and breaking it up into small pieces in giant washers, |
| But in theory recycling involves the separation and | | | | then treating it with chemicals that loosen the ink so |
| collection of materials for processing and | | | | that it can be rinsed away. Sometimes more than one |
| re-manufacturing old products into new products, and | | | | such chemical must be used because many types of |
| the use of these new products, completing the cycle. | | | | ink must be removed. Finally, the wet, shredded waste |
| Glass is one of the most common man-made | | | | paper is blended with other materials according to the |
| materials. It is made from sand, limestone and sodium | | | | type of end product that is desired. Old pieces of cloth, |
| carbonate and silica. The ingredients are heated to a | | | | which are used to produce the finest, most expensive |
| high temperature in a furnace until they melt together. | | | | grades of paper, may be mixed in. Wood pulp and |
| The molten glass from the furnace cools to form | | | | other forms of cellulose such as straw may also be |
| sheets, or may be moulded to make objects. Actually | | | | added in varying proportions. If white paper or paper |
| glass is completely recyclable and making products | | | | for greeting cards or stationery is to be produced, |
| from recycled glass rather than starting from scratch | | | | bleach may also be added to lighten it; if newsprint is to |
| saves energy resources. Recycled glass is made into | | | | be produced, a mixture of red and blue dyes is added |
| new beverage bottles, food jars, insulation and other | | | | to reduce the greyness of the final product. Chemical |
| construction materials. Usually, clear glass containers | | | | preservatives are also added at this point. |
| are recycled into new clear glass products, while | | | | At this time, the fully treated material is a sort of liquid |
| coloured glass containers are recycled into new | | | | sludge that is ready to be made into paper. In most |
| coloured glass products. | | | | papermaking operations, the sludge passes through a |
| In fact, the recycling of glass as well other products, | | | | machine called a beater, which is essentially a very |
| such as aluminum and steel cans, cardboard, car tyres, | | | | heavy roller that presses the fibres in the sludge |
| newspapers and certain plastics is a growing industry | | | | together and squeezes out the water. The paper is |
| in most of the world today. In South Africa however, | | | | formed and held together by the natural interlocking of |
| we don't have a very high level of recycling. There | | | | the long cellulose or cloth fibres as they are pressed |
| aren't enough people who take an active interest in the | | | | and dried. No glue is used in the process and in fact, |
| environment and try to do their bit in preserving nature, | | | | the natural glue in wood is removed chemically before |
| by for example, taking used bottles, aluminum cans or | | | | the paper is made. |
| even leaves and other garden refuse to recycling | | | | A refining machine brushes the roll of sludge to smooth |
| sites. This is probably due to a lot of reasons. The first | | | | out irregularities. The papermaking machine presses |
| and foremost being that, in South Africa, we don't | | | | the sludge into thin slices, which are then further dried |
| have many recycling centres and, lets face it, how | | | | by pressing or by being placed in furnaces. Finally, the |
| many of us really sort our rubbish before throwing it in | | | | paper is polished or chemically treated to give it the |
| the rubbish bin? | | | | proper finish and lastly packaged and sent to |
| Since it is now these products, and no longer industrial | | | | customers. |
| emissions, that accounts for most of the | | | | The papermaking process itself is pretty much the |
| environmentally harmful substances being discharged in | | | | same whether one uses virgin materials, recycled |
| nature the conditions for environmental efforts have | | | | materials, or a mixture of the two. The difference is in |
| fundamentally changed. As the "release sites" or the | | | | the preparation of the sludge. Recycled material |
| polluters, have become so numerous, a totally new | | | | requires careful sorting. This in turn means that the |
| system for controlling and handling environmentally | | | | paper mills must have a place to store waste paper |
| harmful wastes is needed. | | | | and the staff to sort it, as well as a means of |
| One way could be to transfer the responsibility for this | | | | disposing of waste paper that cannot be used. |
| to the producer of goods, according to the established | | | | Removing ink from waste paper also requires special |
| principle "the polluter pays." | | | | chemicals, equipment, and equipment operators. As a |
| However, I found this principle not be all that efficient in | | | | result, some paper mills are not set up to use any |
| practise. To find out what is actually being done at the | | | | recycled materials. That's why the forests are getting |
| industrial level, I spoke with William Footman, one of the | | | | smaller and smaller. |
| regional managers of Nampak, which is one of South | | | | Also, not all paper products can be made with |
| Africa's 2 glass manufacturers. He told me that the | | | | recycled paper. Brown grocery bags, for example, can |
| reason we don't have a very developed glass | | | | be recycled into other types of paper, but they must |
| recycling programme in this country, is due to the fact | | | | be made, at least partially, out of virgin materials |
| that we only have two factories where glass can be | | | | because only virgin materials have the long unbroken |
| recycled back into beverage bottles. And as it is far | | | | fibres that give the bags their necessary strength. |
| too expensive for the companies to transport old | | | | Unlike glass bottles and aluminum cans, which can be |
| bottles back to their factories for recycling, they would | | | | recycled an infinite number of times, paper cannot be |
| rather produce new, rather than re-use the old glass. | | | | recycled indefinitely. Each time it is recycled, its quality |
| But, producers who put a product on the market | | | | degrades slightly because the fibres become more |
| should, quite simply, be responsible for taking back as | | | | and more broken. At some point recycled paper has |
| much as is sold. What is important for environmental | | | | to be mixed in with virgin material, and eventually after |
| policy is the creation of a system in which each | | | | repeated uses, it ends up in a landfill or and incinerator. |
| producer assumes his responsibility. But should all the | | | | Obviously as recycling plants and collection sites have |
| responsibility lie on the producers? Every consumer | | | | to be set up all over the country and for all the various |
| who buys these products should make an asserted | | | | types of materials we use in every day life, it is going |
| effort to help keep our planet clean. | | | | to be a very expensive process to start, but it is vital |
| I searched the Internet to find out exactly how poorly | | | | that the wheels are set in motion before it is too late! In |
| we as South Africans compare to the rest of the | | | | turn this will lead to many new jobs opening up for |
| world in recycling. The country that has been in the | | | | unskilled as well as skilled people in South Africa |
| forefront of recycling, particularly for household waste, | | | | helping to keep our country cleaner as well as |
| is Sweden. Swedes have to carefully recycle and | | | | decreasing unemployment and thereby promoting the |
| separate their own rubbish for the refuse collectors on | | | | economy. |
| a daily basis. Even in the middle of their very cold | | | | I know that to fully understand why recycling is |
| winters, in raging snowstorms, the Swedish people go | | | | important and to have a general feeling of responsibility |
| to the recycling stations with their household trash to | | | | and to want to keep the environment clean stems |
| perform the daily ritual of separating cardboard from | | | | from having an education and understanding the |
| plastics and glass from biological waste. | | | | concept of pollution. I also understand that it is not easy |
| Actually nearly all 1st world countries and many | | | | for the many people in our country without a proper |
| developing countries have developing or already highly | | | | education, to feel the need to recycle, as they may not |
| developed recycling programmes, and South Africa | | | | understand they urgency of it. But if all of us in this |
| desperately needs to jump on the 'recycling wagon'. A | | | | room today already knew and understood what |
| step in the right direction could be to build recycling | | | | recycling is and how much damage is done to the |
| plants all over the country. Every town should set up a | | | | ecosystem by not recycling, why do we not feel the |
| sufficient number of collection stations and every | | | | need to take action and start taking care of our |
| household should share the responsibility and sort their | | | | beautiful country! |