In figures released by The Glass Recycling Company (TGRC) the importance of green behaviour is clearly evident - although glass recycling has increased by a mammoth 100% in the last five years, currently 40% of glass in South Africa is recycled, and there is still room for improvement.
In a study intended to monitor the pulse of current recycling attitudes, behaviours and concerns about recycling in South Africa conducted by BMi Research in May 2012, only 4% of respondents used recycling points on a daily basis. Shockingly, the study revealed that 35% of South Africans do not recycle at all. Gauteng has the highest amount of recyclers in the country, while the least amount of recyclers reside in the Northern Cape. Although a healthy 55% of South Africans felt that their recycling had an impact, 19% were unsure.
Without doubt these statistics clearly show that something needs to be done, the responsibility of recycling your empty beverage bottles and food jars lies in your hands. "To make glass recycling as hassle-free as possible, we have a SMS line that gives consumers direct access to glass bank site lists at the touch of a button. Finding the location of the nearest glass bank in any given area is as simple as sending a SMS with the word 'GLASS' to 45686, at a cost of R1.50," says Shabeer Jhetam, CEO of TGRC.
"We have also launched a schools competition to educate and encourage young consumers to recover, reuse and recycle," says Jhetam. "The competition will initially be run in Gauteng, the Cape Peninsula and the greater Durban and Pietermaritzburg areas, and schools in these areas are invited to apply for the placement of the glass banks now, in preparation for the start of the competition in January 2013."
To further raise awareness of Recycle Glass Month, TGRC is also hosting a Facebook campaign, which offers the chance to win prizes in return for pledging support for this crucial behaviour. Scheduled to run until the end of September 2012, the Facebook page will be continuously updated with essential information.
