“This is a super exciting step in our recycling journey,” exclaimed Wildlands’ CEO Dr Andrew Venter, at a low key launch of their Green Desk in Howick KwaZulu – Natal, yesterday. “A key local partner in this has been RWPA – Rural Waste Poverty Alleviation, who were inspired by the work we do, cleaning and greening communities nationally, and have worked tirelessly to find a ground-breaking to solution for previously ‘unrecyclable’ material.”
To increase the lifespan of products on shelves, multi – layered plastic materials and packaging has been developed. These multi – layered plastics have not been recyclable, and up until now have been incinerated or ended up on landfill. RWPA have now figured out how to recycle these multi layered plastics (without having to use one drop of water), and through a combination of grinding and extrusion, and then squeezing and densifying the material into a mould, planks are being produced and used to create school desks.
“There is a shortage of more than 300 000 school desks in South Africa,” said Venter. “Incorporating these desks into our existing models will help us close the loop by cleaning communities and supporting the education of children – the future of our country. The Green Desk project would not have been possible without support from Unilever and South 32. Unilever worked closely with us to innovate this solution and South 32 are actively assisting us with expanding into northern KZN. Futurelife, Nedbank and ZAC (Zululand Anthracite Colliery) are also contributing with the collection of waste, the production of desks and the overall improvement of schools.”
RWPA are also exploring opportunities around using these planks to build low cost housing, and share a vision with Wildlands around uplifting communities, poverty alleviation and creating a “Sustainable Future for All.”
WILDTRUST (registered as the Wildlands Conservation Trust - IT No: 4329/1991/PMB)