ZOE NGOMBANE
TuksVillage held its annual recycling day on 8 February, organised by the Residence Management Committee (RMC). The recycling competition was held to promote awareness about the necessity and importance of recycling in the Village and to introduce the first years to this way of life in their new res.
The recycling competition began when each unit was given the chance to decorate their paper bins with drawings and crafts to try and win a prize for their unit.
Perdeby spoke to members of the RMC. According to the RMC, each year the new members strive to encourage the habit of recycling, especially among the first years. According to Nam-Kyung Lee (RMC), the recycling event was important because TuksVillage strives to help preserve the environment.
The guest speaker of the day was Barry Warren, the Regional Manager from Collect-A-Can. Warren came to share some thoughts on recycling. He explained to the young crowd that Collect-A-Can is a recovery company and works for the good of recovering, reducing and reusing.
In his speech, he spoke of the consumption of tinned (canned) beverages in South Africa, which amounts 6 million cans being used every 24 hours, 60% of which are beer cans and 40% other beverages.
“Waste minimising is not only best for the environment, but can also be lucrative,” said Warren. “People are paid for the effort they put in to reduce waste and help increase the well-being of their surroundings.” According to Warren’s report, collecting cans is one of the best ways to recycle because it is supportive of the country’s economy because South Africa has a large steel industry. Steel companies sell steel to beverage companies who, in turn, sell their merchandise to the public. After consumption, Collect-A-Can recovers the used cans and supplies them back to the steel companies to be reused.
The recycling day will hopefully encourage students to contribute to the recycling initiative and do their bit for the environment
