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As previously discussed, it is very dangerous to burn waste especially opening burning as this practice does not get rid of the waste but converts it into highly toxic substances, which can affect people’s health and the natural environment. People can be exposed to these persistent pollutants by inhaling or ingesting even small amounts of these pollutants and this may lead to very serious health effects. Worse situations are where vulnerable groups such as children, the elderly, or people with pre-existing respiratory conditions are exposed to these pollutants.

In this column we will discuss possible options you can follow to manage waste.

What can/should we do to manage waste? 
There are many sustainable ways to deal with waste, which can also create jobs for people in our communities. These include among others separating and recycling waste, avoiding waste, reducing and re-using waste e.g. by making mats and other products which you can sell and composting all biodegradable products such as food waste. Money spent like this stays in the community. 

Waste minimisation includes both the reduction of waste generated at source (waste prevention/source reduction), as well as reducing the amount of reusable materials that would otherwise go to landfills (through recycling). Reducing waste generation at source is primarily industry based and focuses on reducing both the amount and toxicity of waste being generated. 

Waste recycling involves segregating waste that can be recycled and also composted. Separation of waste at the point of generation also helps to avoid contamination and loss of value. Recyclable products include among others bottles, gear boxes, car batteries, car body parts, cans, cardboard, used oil, scrap metals and many more, which you can send to buy back centres such the Enviro-Swazi Scrap metals and Swazi Scrap Merchants next to Emalangeni foods Matsapha, Mbabane Buy Back centre next to Times of Swaziland, Mbabane. 

Buy Back Centre: Send recyclable waste such as clear bottles, paper, carton boxes, scrap metals such as, car batteries (drain acid) and gear boxes, etc, for more information contact Environmental Management Services at 404 6895

Enviro-scrap metals: It is next to Swazi Oxygen in Matsapha. These are buyers of the following types of waste, car batteries, cans, scrap metals iron scraps, aluminium scraps, old gearboxes

Scavenging at landfill sites should be phased out in the long term through job creation in the recycling sector.

Composting is ideal to deal with organic kitchen and garden waste at household level. Organic waste is biodegradable which means that it can easily decompose. Composting organic waste generate soil enriching manure which you could use for organic gardening.

Sustainable management of plastics
Plastics are a menace in the country and have become popularly known as  "Swazi Flowers." They fly everywhere and make our environment dirty. Plastics do not degrade easily and persist in the environment for a long time, slowly releasing the chemicals that they are made of into the environment. Plastics are also dangerous to livestock. If you throw four plastic bags in your refuse bag per week, you will contribute to about 208 plastic bags waste ending up in a dumpsite per year. Plastic bags take about 20 years to decompose. Most common problematic varieties are chlorinated plastics. Unfortunately there is no company in the country that recycles plastic waste so far. Municipal solid waste generated by urban centres contains a mix of plastics that are often burnt at municipal dumpsites or roadside, thereby releasing toxic chemical present in the plastics. Most dangerous of these chemicals are dioxins and furans that are released when chlorinated compounds are burnt at a certain temperature.

What can I do to manage plastic waste?

• Carry your own bags while shopping
• Refuse to accept plastic carry bags wherever possible
• Avoid flimsy and dark-coloured plastic carry bags
• Urge vendors and shopkeepers to hand out items in paper bags
• Do not burn plastic waste
• Refuse to buy over-packaged products
• You can make money from plastic waste by making and selling mats and other products
• Follow the 4 "R"- Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle