With many South Africans working from home, lockdown is the perfect opportunity to invest in recycling and, if you have children by involving them especially from a young age, you are instilling a good habit.
Most of us recognise the benefits of recycling, but while we want to recycle, when we investigate how to do this, it appears complicated and time-consuming, so our good intentions often remain just that, good intentions.
Lockdown Level 4
While level 5 lockdown did not allow for recycling services, recycling services have been open since lockdown 4 (to varying degrees as per lockdown level regulations), for the recycling of glass, paper, plastic, metal, and tyres as well as some other materials, such as batteries and light bulbs.
Recycling is when you sort household waste by material, such as glass, plastic, and metal, which a recycling company then collects and converts into new usable materials.
This should not be a complicated process. The trick is to keep it simple and make it fun and not chore for children. The way to do this is to create a system that is convenient, yet effective that the entire family can easily participate in.
This starts with the location of your recycling system, which needs to be easily accessible by everyone, including small children. Your kitchen could be that place, or a laundry room or even the garage – but only if the location is easy to access.
Next is the choice of which option will be best for you when it comes to recycling. Some recycling services will collect all your recycling in one bag and separate it for you, while others require the different materials to be sorted from each other. A good way to decide this is the space you can allocate to recycling containers.
Pioneer Pedal Bin
If you only have a small space that would only fit one bin then opt for the first option, where all the materials to be recycled are placed in one container. A product such as the Pioneer Pedal Bin is the perfect solution. The Pioneer Pedal Bin comes in a variety of colours and recycling options and stickers are also available. The bin is durable and hygienic. It fits one bag and is easy to clean. It is also perfect for a home office.
However, if you have more space then you can opt for a system that had different dedicated bins for each material and sort your materials upfront. Pioneer Plastics’ 25l Linking Recycle Bin Set is ideal for this. It features four bins, each in a different colour, linked together to offer you a separate bin for a different material but in a format that is ideal for under a counter or basin. The different colours make it easy to identify what material goes in that bin.
For bigger family and/or bigger waste such as cardboard boxes, there is Pioneer Plastics’ 240l Wheelie Bin, which can be placed outside.
Despite the country’s recycling sector always doing well, currently in South Africa most recyclables come from landfills and informal recyclers. More households need to sort their waste – whether between recyclables and non-recyclables or even further between recyclable materials – to make a significant impact.
Use this lockdown to develop a different mindset about recycling and challenge yourself and your family to learn a new habit – a good one.