THEUNS VAN RHYN
Students have been wondering about the colourful new waste bins around the Piazza. These bins have been specially designed and colour-coded to help with recycling on campus.
The project, undertaken by the Waste and Environmental Management department of Tuks, is currently in its test phase and has been running for about two weeks. Operational Manager, Henry Holder, says that there are currently three eco-bins at the Piazza.
Holder said: “We wanted to put [them] at the Piazza, because that’s where the most feet go. We’re concentrating on that area to see what happens and we’re going to have [them] there for about three months.”
Holder also said that if the bins prove to be effective they would like to do away with normal waste bins and replace them with eco-bins.
“We also started placing Nampac recycling boxes in most of the buildings so people can start sorting at source. From there the recyclists can pick it up and recycle it for us,” he added.
The waste consulting group Dube Ngeleza Wiechers (DNW) Environmental Consultancy have joined Mandara Consulting to monitor waste disposal on campus. Herman Wiechers said his company (DNW) and Mandara Consulting will look at what the university is currently doing and figure out how to improve efficiency. “Ideally one should try not to make waste, then minimise waste and then recycle it. We want to develop a waste-management strategy by investigating how waste is handled on all the campuses,” he said.
Ahista Hussain, who is also an operational manager at the Waste and Environmental Management department, said that the idea is to promote longevity about recycling and “if anything, you need to keep your foot on the pedal.”
Second-year Bsc Environmental Sciences student, Ernst Bekker, is a crusader for recycling and says it is important to create awareness about it. “The eco-bins will probably get cross-contaminated, but the idea is to get students thinking about recycling,” he added.
DNW is also looking for two interns from the Chemistry and Environmental departments. Anyone interested can email Herman Wiechers at wieenv@mweb.co.za
Photos: Jerome van Zyl
