350 International Day of Climate Action - 24 October 2009

24th October is International Day of Climate Action. In Cape Town a hike up Table Mountain has been planned for this weekend (on the 24^th) to raise awareness around climate change. The idea is to form a human “350” at the top of the mountain which will be filmed form the air and shown at the Climate Change conference to be held in Copenhagen in December. This is part of a global initiative.

350 is the number that scientists have indicated is the safe upper limit for carbon dioxide—measured in "Parts Per Million" in our atmosphere. 350 PPM—it's the number humanity needs to get back to as soon as possible to avoid runaway climate change.

IF you are interested in participating in the hike visit the following link http://www.cap.org.za/view.asp?ItemID=37&tname=tblComponent1&oname=&flt=&pg=front\

For more details on the 350 initiative visit http://www.350.org/

What's in the number?

Have you ever wondered what the numbers in triangles stamped onto plastic containers stand for? These numbers represent the type of plastic used in manufacturing the containers. These are useful to us for 2 reasons. Firstly it helps when trying to sort recycling trash. Secondly it helps in determining which containers are suitable and safe for reuse, for example we all like to reuse bottles for drinking water. Type 1 and 7 are recommended for one time use only, and is what most bottled waters come in. Types 2, 4 and 5 are ok for reuse and don't leak chemicals.Types 1 (PET) & 2 (HDPE) and 4 (LDPE) are the most wanted for recycling


Below is a detailed table of all the plastic types

Symbol	Plastic Type	Examples	Recycled into
	PET (polyethylele terephthalate)	clear coke, coldrink, water and juice bottles, plastic jam, spread and salad dressing jars.	Polar fleece, fiber, tote bags, furniture, carpet, paneling, straps, (occasionally) new containers.
	HDPE (high density polyethylene)	White or coloured milk, juice or shampoo bottles, trash and shopping bags.	Laundry detergent bottles, oil bottles, pens, recycling containers, floor tile, drainage pipe, lumber, benches, doghouses, picnic tables, fencing.
	PVC (Polyvinyl chloride)	Cling films, some juice and shampoo bottles, PVC piping, bottles used for turpentine, methylated spirits etc.	Decks, paneling, mudflaps, roadway gutters, flooring, cables, speed bumps, mats.
	LDPE (Low density polyethylene)	Most plastic bags, frozen food bags, squeezable bottles, cling films, flexible container lids.	Rash can liners and cans, compost bins, shipping envelopes, paneling, lumber, landscaping ties, floor tiles.
	PP (polypropylene)	Some yogurt containers, bottle caps, straws.	Signal lights, battery cables, brooms, brushes, auto battery cases, ice scrapers, landscape borders, bicycle racks, rakes, bins, pallets, trays.
	PS (polystyrene)	Disposable plates and cups, meat trays, egg cartons, CD cases, takeaway containers.	Insulation, light switch plates, egg cartons, vents, rulers, foam packing, carry-out containers.
	Other (includes Polycarbonate or ABS)	Three- and five-gallon water bottles, 'bullet-proof' materials, sunglasses, DVDs, iPod and computer cases, signs and displays, certain food containers, nylon.	Plastic lumber, custom-made products.

Parts of this article have been sourced from:
http://www.thedailygreen.com/green-homes/latest/recycling-symbols-plastics-460321,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plastic_recycling

Recycling 101

Definition: Any waste that is recovered and returned or reprocessed to a further useful purpose

Recycling is
- doing yourself and the environment a favour
- the right thing to do ( its your rubbish you are responsible for it)
- really easy! Follow some of the steps below


You will be amazed when you find that you can recycle most of your waste. I've listed some of the basics below:


1 - Find out where you can take your recycle rubbish, unless you are lucky enough to have a service collecting or recycling bins where you live. Look up local government sites and dig around for info (I'll be happy to add your links to this page if you know of sites) Here is some info for Cape Town:

No Standing is a private company offering residential and business pickups in Cape Town for a small fee
Think Twice is an initiative by government to collect household recyclable waste
Wasteplan is another company that has a very convenient drop off at the back of Bayside Center in Tableview. Very convenient because they have a team that will separate everything for you. They also collect for a small fee.
Here is a handy grid with all the depots and contact details in Cape Town at the local government website
More drop off depot information for western cape here. Different depots accept different materials so first find out what you can take where

2 - Store your recycling waste separate to your rubbish. Use separate bins if you have space. Some places will take mixed items and sort them for you but some don't so its a good idea to separate before you drop off.

3 - I wash my recyclable food containers with my dishes. If you are sending your recycling in once a week or less frequently the bin could get smelly and attract unwanted visitors. Also, it's just more hygienic, think about the massive recycling bins that have to store all these items and the people who are working with them. Also some of the recycling companies will not accept very dirty materials.

4 - So What can you recycle?

- Compostable waste : Vegetable, fruit and garden waste ( Make a compost bin or dig a whole in your garden to put it in) (remember not to put any proteins into the compost bin, not only is it not good for your compost bin, but you will also not enjoy the smell of meat going off!)
- Polystyrene
- Tetrapack
- Paper & Cardboard
- Glass
- Metal
- Aluminium & aerosol Cans
- Oils
- Plastic ( there are at least 60 different types )

not to mention any household items that can be given to the needy.

Recycling is only one form of waste minimisation. Others you can practice are reuse and reducing consumption.

You can adopt a Zero tolerance attitude for production of anything that cannot be re-used or recycled, or is costly to the environment.

Recycling starts with YOU. Be your own example to your own environment.

(if you find any of this information to be inaccurate please mail me so that I can rectify it)