Go green this Christmas

Once the gifts have been unwrapped, packaging ripped open, the crackers pulled, Christmas cards discarded and feasts devoured, what happens to all the waste?

Mpact Recycling is asking consumers to put aside recyclable paper and packaging rather than dispose of it with the rest of their household waste.

“Although it seems the easiest way to dispose of recyclable materials might be to throw them away with the rest of the garbage, Mpact Recycling’s neighbourhood ‘paper banks make it simple for communities to continue recycling throughout the festive season,” said John Hunt, managing director of Mpact Recycling.

Mpact Recycling, a division of Mpact Limited, has a number of paper bank drop-off points conveniently located at schools, churches, community centres and forecourts in neighbourhoods. It also operates a paper recycling collection service in some of these areas that will, apart from national public holidays, remain open throughout the festive season.

“Recycling paper is especially easy around this time of year as there is an abundance of it to be found, meaning that sorting and separating it is less of an issue for consumers,” said Hunt.

“There is a growing awareness and sense of responsibility among consumers to buy packaged foods and goods that are environmentally sustainable,” said Hunt, “So by recycling at home, consumers are at the source of this positive change.”

Recycling work also provides jobs for about 100 000 people in South Africa, many of whom are entrepreneurs and small business owners that rely on sustained volumes of recycled material to earn a living.

Hunt concluded, “Beyond the gifts, the feasts and the festivities that characterise this time of year is the spirit of giving, and in this case, giving back to our communities and to the environment. The effort that it takes for one person or household to recycle is small, but the difference that it makes will be felt far and wide.”