MORE than 30 tons of waste glass was trucked out of Bedford this month, the latest in a string of achievements for the waste management initiative run by Thembani and Eagle Hout Integrated projects.
Unfortunately, the rising cost of transport could curtail their work as the glass has to be taken all the way to the Western Cape for processing.
Metal and glass are brought in from collectors who live below the bread line but clean up the town by collecting debris. They also work over the sprawling municipal rubbish dump to sift out glass and tins.
The project supports two full-time workers in the receiving yard behind Eagle Hout and there are about 14 collectors who come in regularly to exchange their findings for cash.
The sustainability of their humble livelihood depends on finding a cost-effective way to get the materials to recycling factories.
Tins are compressed into blocks and bottles are smashed into large sacks (the size of wool bales) to reduce bulk for transport. But hauling the mass over distance is what impacts on financial viability.
Until last year, the project could not handle waste plastic. Then, a pilot eco-brick initiative was set up. People were encouraged to ram two-litre cooldrink bottles full of waste plastic to make eco-bricks which were then brought in to Eagle Hout.
As a demonstration of their use, a circular raised herb and flower garden, 12m in diameter, was built, followed by large raised strawberry beds. The beds were filled with compost made on site from wood shavings collected in the Eagle Hout furniture factory.
Still, the bottles kept coming in.
Now, a new use has been found for the stockpiled eco-bricks: they are integrated into another repurposing project.
Project leader Lana Blom explained, “One of our ongoing job creation projects (in partnership with Sindawonye) involves repurposing waste plastic coating from discarded optic cables. Using an extruder, we transform this material into sturdy weatherproof 50mm diameter droppers. Unlike wooden droppers, they are not treated with toxic substances like creosote or tanalith. Now we have discovered that we can introduce some of the plastic-filled bottles into the mix and so repurpose them as well.”
Visitors are welcome to stroll around the garden at the back of the Eagle Hout tea garden and view the eco-brick beds which are now filled with flowers, herbs and vegetables.