Recycling and waste management are processes that manage and reuse waste materials to produce new products. As part of its green initiative, Unisa has called for an investigation into how the university manages waste so as to promote a healthier environment for the university community.
Although waste paper has been collected and recycled for a number of years, this effort received an additional boost with the establishment of recycling points on the campus and the provision of recycling bins within offices at the beginning of 2012. (Unisawise, Summer 2011:12).
The new Waste Management Act was introduced in South Africa in March 2009 to set compliance rules for waste generators and disposers. “The Act was introduced to regulate waste management in order to protect health and the environment by providing reasonable measures for the prevention of pollution and ecological degradation and for securing ecologically sustainable development; to provide for institutional arrangements and planning matters; to provide for national norms and standards for regulating the management of waste by all spheres of government; to provide for specific waste management measures; to provide for the licensing and control of waste management activities; to provide for the remediation of contaminated land; to provide for the national waste information system; to provide for compliance and enforcement; and to provide for matters connected therewith”
(The Old Oil Man website: www.theoldoilman.co.za).
Mrs Roelien du Plessis, from Unisa’s Department of Environmental Sciences in the College of Economic and Management Sciences, in a telephone interview indicated that most of the waste at Unisa goes to landfill sites, which are demarcated areas with controls on emissions. She highlighted that waste can have a negative effect on landfill sites where recycling is crucial in saving resources.
“Unisa has started to address waste management and recycling in a sense that the university has a recycling day on its calendar where staff members have an opportunity to participate in the day. The university also has different kinds of waste containers that categorise waste into paper, mixed recyclables and non-recyclables.”
Unisa also has containers for electronic waste, also known as e-waste, where electronic products which are no longer functional or in use can be dumped.
According to the summer edition of Unisawise 2011, a number of initiatives are being run by sections within the university. Some support services directorates promote green environments through cleaning, catering, waste management, gardens and grounds, transport and logistical matters.
Unisa remains mindful that education is key in achieving sustainability and conservation. “Its commitment is based on the fact that constant reviews of its curricula to include studies on conservation, remains important. This will take into consideration the fact that “reducing its carbon footprint, using water and energy wisely and embracing recycling efforts are practical ways to invest in a sustainable future” (Unisawise 2011).
