The two-bag system: why bother?
Mary, who works as a consultant, confided over a glass of wine that she had doubts about the two-bag system. Why? I spluttered, nearly spilling my cheap merlot.
The two-bag system: why bother?
Mary, who works as a consultant, confided over a glass of wine that she had doubts about the two-bag system. Why? I spluttered, nearly spilling my cheap merlot.
“Well, everyone tells me that it is all dumped into the same garbage truck, so what’s the point?” Our friend Shirley nodded in agreement. I explained to them what happens.
On waste collection day, many people put out their clear/yellow/orange bags filled with all recyclable materials (glass bottles, tins, paper, cardboard, plastic, polystyrene).
If there is enough disposable waste, they may also put out a full black bag. (I pause to point out that in my household, we only fill four black bags per year; they gasp in surprise.) When the municipal truck loads recycling and black bags together, they don’t burst.
When the truck gets to the landfill site, it moves slowly forward as it tips its load out. The Masihlule Project sorters move in to retrieve clear/yellow/orange bags and take them to the depot, less than 50 metres away. In the depot, they sort through all the items. I remind Mary and Shirley that ‘Masihlule’ is isiXhosa for ‘let us sort’. Best of all, the sorters make a living by selling the materials to local recycling companies.
The latest news is that the Masihlule Project is raising funds to get its own truck. Then our recycling bags can be collected ahead of the municipal truck rounds. Watch this space! For more info contact Angie Thomson on 046 636 1201 or 073 387 6496.
Solar energy is hot!
Last Monday, a large audience listened to Prof Derck Schlettwein’s talk on efficient ways of harvesting solar energy for electricity. Fossils fuels like coal and oil will eventually run out and there is a huge amount of free radiation from the sun. Climate change – the continuous increase in average temperatures – requires us to decrease our CO2 emissions from burning fossil fuels.
There are two main ways to convert solar radiation into electricity. Either you can use a solar thermal system, which makes use of the sun’s heat, or you can use a photovoltaic system, which makes use of the sun’s light. With the solar thermal system, you must have direct sun and a suitably large, flat surface. Solar thermal technology comes in various forms: a trough, tower, or dish and it can be fed into the national grid. If you use the photovoltaic system, you can use both direct sunlight and scattered light. It can be captured with thin film modules, which are cheaper than other materials, and can be fed into the grid or used in households.
At present, Eskom is doing a feasibility study for a solar power pilot plant near Upington in the Northern Cape. Check out the story.
Schlettwein reminded his audience that Moore’s Law applies: the more the technology is manufactured, the less it costs. Now that’s hot news.
Planting season starts today
Planting Season SA has a simple aim: helping thousand of South Africans to grow organic food. They asked Dr Wayne Ingwe to give a lesson on how to do it. Here is the simple version:
- Step 1: Get seed;
- step 2: put it into the earth;
- step 3: water it.
Ingwe says growing something is as complicated as you choose to make it. So if you want a more detailed version, here it is:
- Don’t plant just one seed – either plant a pair of seeds or plant a couple of pairs next to each other.
- Make sure it gets good sun and a little water every day.
- Try to use good soil. I would suggest you buy potting soil to start with.
- Use certified organic seed if possible.
- Make your plant part of your family. Treat it with love. This may sound nuts, but the science behind this is real!
More info: http://www.ru.ac.za/environment/action/foodwise – click on “Planting Season”.
You may ask, what about the water restrictions in Grahamstown – won’t this ruin our planting efforts? This may be true, but not for those who harvest rain water. And of course, it is never too late to start harvesting rainwater. Once you have your own rainwater tank, you will never be short of water.
Municipal commonages
The Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa (WESSA) invites all interested parties to a talk by Dr James Gambiza of Rhodes University’s Dept of Environmental Science on: “The role of municipal commonages in people’s livelihoods”.
Date: Wednesday, 23 September
Time: 19.45 pm
Venue: Botany major lecture theatre, Rhodes University
All welcome. More info: Dan Wylie d.wylie@ru.ac.za, 046 603 8409
Contacts for Makana Enviro-News:
Nikki Köhly: nkohly@yahoo.com, 046-636.1643 / Lawrence Sisitka: heilaw@imaginet.co.za, 046-622.8595 / Jenny Gon: j-gon@intekom.co.za, 046-622.5822 / Dan Wylie d.wylie@ru.ac.za, 046-603.8409 / Nick James: nickjames@intekom.co.za, 046-622.5757 / Strato Copteros strato@iafrica.com, 082-785.6403
