![\"Reasons](\"https:\/\/sandtoncentral.co.za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/tony-lam-hoang-223737-unsplash-300x200.jpg\")
<\/p>\nReasons to Recycle<\/p>\n
It\u2019s started. The process of turning Johannesburg into a green city has entered phase 1. What does that mean exactly? Even in late June there wasn\u2019t a lot of information from Pikitup, JHB\u2019s waste management company, about what to do and what was coming.<\/p>\n
Expect more in the coming months, though. That said, there\u2019s still resistance. We humans are naturally inclined not to change our habits. We like things the way things are \u2013 if purely for convenience.<\/p>\n
Even at the expense of our city, and our planet.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Recycling is the only way to reduce waste. And Johannesburg is fast running out of waste landfills. There\u2019s also the problem of illegal dumping sites, which possess health risks. Such as attracting disease-carrying rodents.<\/p>\n
Then there\u2019s our oceans. They\u2019re becoming plastic, more so by the day. A viral picture of a whale almost completely transformed into plastic shocked millions around the world.
\nWhen one considers Elon Musk\u2019s major stock market problems, it doesn\u2019t look like we\u2019re going off-world to Mars any time soon. We\u2019re stuck here. It\u2019s the only planet we have and it\u2019s fast becoming a global pig-sty.<\/p>\n
Which makes Pikitup\u2019s ultimatum that we are going to all be recycling or else easier to swallow. Certainly, easier to swallow that plastic bags are for marine life.<\/p>\n
And there are examples all around us of people who are already doing their part. For instance, on garbage day, ever noticed those guys going through your trash? No, they\u2019re not vagrants looking to spill the street with junk while looking for something to eat.<\/p>\n
They\u2019re doing a civic duty, actually, while earning much needed money for themselves. By separating out different items, they find recyclables to take to buy-back centres. So, while they may be an annoyance as they pull their traffic-obstructing cart along the road, we should be grateful for the service they do.<\/p>\n
The only issue with these new recycle \u201claws\u201d (they\u2019re not yet but expect that to happen soon) is these chaps might end up without an income.<\/p>\n
Recycling seems like a mission and may well be initially. But we\u2019ll get used to it. It doesn\u2019t even have to occupy much space in your kitchen. For one thing, you\u2019ll need smaller bins if you\u2019re not using one large one. And you have a rough idea of how much of any particular category you\u2019re trashing as it is. Waste a lot of food? Bigger bin. Don\u2019t dispose of a lot of bulbs and other electronics? Much smaller bin. Paper? Small bin (you can also invest in a shredder or instead of buying the newspaper, get the online edition for your tablet computer at a reasonable subscription). Plastics will probably involve a bigger bin.<\/p>\n
But also consider what you\u2019re throwing away. Is there anything you can donate? If you don\u2019t finish all your food, typically, why not buy (surely cheaply) those folded small cardboard boxes used in bakeries? You can put food you\u2019d normally waste in there and help feed the homeless. (Just ask them to recycle too! Mention there\u2019s money in it for them if they go to the right buy-centre.)<\/p>\n
Glass is a huge waste. For many companies, recycling glass for consumer use is easy. If there are underprivileged people in your area, give them your glass bottles. They can earn up to R2000 extra a month \u2013 a significant amount for them.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s actually really easy to recycle, and some of these suggestions mean you don\u2019t even have to overpopulate your home with a family of colour-coded bins.<\/p>\n
You\u2019ll be doing good for the world, and for people around you.<\/p>\n
Embrace the green. The oceans and the world\u2019s wildlife will thank you for it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Reasons to Recycle It\u2019s started. The process of turning Johannesburg into a green city has entered phase 1. What does that mean exactly? Even in late June there wasn\u2019t a lot of information from Pikitup, JHB\u2019s waste management company, about what to do and what was coming. Expect more in the coming months, though. That […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":465,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[130,129,19,131],"yoast_head":"\n