Education, anthems, lives all just recycled scrap in SA
As recycling habits improve, some are finding that selling scrap is their only means of survival in the new SA
South Africans are improving their recycling habits, despite only 13% of households recycling their waste, according to StatisticsSA. Recycled waste accounts for between 3%-10% of a staggering 110-million tons going into landfills each year, or 210 tons per minute. The Paper Recycling Association of SA says that 1.4-million tons of recyclable paper and paper packaging was diverted from landfill sites in 2016, an increase of about 2% a year since 2011 to 68.4%. The European average for paper recycling is 58%. Plastics SA claims a 35% increase in recycling since 2011, with a 42% recycling rate. The world’s most recycled packaging item is aluminium beverage cans, worth between 5c and 10c each. Hulamin has invested R300m in its Pietermaritzburg recycling plant, hoping for a part of the R430m worth of aluminium that South Africans throw away every year, according to EnviroCare. Despite some standout performers and a concerted effort from the government and the private sector, there are s...
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