2 days ago
OPINION: Put trash in its place
As uMhlathuze residents breathe a sigh of relief with rubbish trucks back on the road, a deeper issue remains: how much waste we generate, and how little of it is recyclable.
In my area, tins and glass are collected for recycling, but plastic and other general household waste is burnt – a bad practice that many were forced to do when collection stopped for more than two weeks recently.
The Richards Bay Clean Air Association warns against it, saying burning certain rubbish releases toxic chemicals and particulate matter, causing health problems like coughing and headaches.
But what choice do we have when rubbish piles up and becomes its own giant entity?
This reminds me of the Netflix documentary 'Buy Now! The Shopping Conspiracy', which exposes how companies push us to consume endlessly, with the result overflowing landfills and plastic that can't be destroyed so it's usually buried in a desolate place.
They generated visuals of piles of rubbish flooding public spaces, which makes me think what world we would be living in if we had to face all the rubbish we generate/bury/burn.
They say to put trash in its place, but certain waste has no place in this world and an alternative needs to be made for the health of our environment.
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