120 tons of waste per month is collected by The Wildlands Conservation Trust in the Midlands. Wildlands has established recycling depots at 52 schools and 100 businesses since March 2010, and the programme has 600 “waste-preneurs” collecting recyclables in exchange for goods such as groceries, building material, bikes and education support.
Wildlands supplies schools and businesses with separate bins for the collection of each type of waste. This sorted waste is collected by Wildlands vehicles and is taken to the Howick depot where it is sorted further, as some waste such as plastic has different categories it needs to be packaged in for buyers.
Purchasers of the various types of waste have been sourced, and glass is purchased by Consol. Cans are separated into metal and aluminium, and are crushed by a machine to make bales. Wayne’s Scrap Metal purchases the metal and Hulamin takes the aluminium. Cardboard is also baled, with bales weighing up to 350kgs. When 30 000 tons has accumulated, a super link truck transports it to a mill and it is pulped to make items such as tissue boxes.
White and coloured paper is baled in the same way and pulped at a mill, and products such as toilet paper are made. Newspaper bales are purchased by Thermal Guard which is used for thermal insulation. Polystyrene and plastics are sorted and baled as well, with Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastics used for products such as pool decking, buckets, garden furniture and dog houses.
All the waste is weighed so that it can be allocated to the school or business, as 40% of the rand value of the waste collected goes back to the schools, and businesses donate their funds to a nominated school or to Wildlands to help run the programme.
From the schools alone 236 tons of waste was collected in 2010 and a further 60 tons already this year. Urvashi Haridass, Wildlands Recycling Operations Manager, said: “The advantage of running the programme in schools is that children are learning about recycling and its importance for the environment, and we have found that these young people are teaching their parents how necessary it is.”
Business has also embraced the project, with 302 tons of waste being collected at the business sites in 2010 and already a further 120 tons in 2011. The waste is not only generated by the business itself, but staff is encouraged to bring their recyclables from home. Wildlands also collects from some residential estates, government offices and charities. 548 tons of waste has been collected from the waste-preneurs, earning R274 000 for the people identified as needing the opportunity to earn from waste collection.
Wildlands Recycling is supported by Lottery funding secured by the African Conservation Trust with Wildlands as an implementing partner, as well as Unilever South Africa.
WILDTRUST (registered as the Wildlands Conservation Trust - IT No: 4329/1991/PMB)