CLEMENT MANYATHELA
RESIDENTS of the capital showed their green side when they turned out in their numbers to support an e-waste collection day at the weekend.
The collection was aimed at reducing the city’s carbon footprint by collecting all e-waste items for recycling or refurbishment.
In February, Pretoria residents dumped more than five tonnes of e-waste at a collection point.
At the weekend, the e-waste collection day, held at Arcadia Primary School, attracted about 10.5 tonnes of waste material from residents, which filled more than three truck load.
City residents seized the opportunity to spring clean and get rid of faulty appliances and items that they no longer used.
Ward 92 councillor Juanita du Plooy said the scores of residents who came to support the course was proof of their commitment.
“This excellent effort shows the continued dedication of city residents to environment initiatives,” she said.
Du Plooy thanked all residents who supported the day.
“Residents came from as far as Lyttleton to help us reduce our carbon footprint.”
She praised the Arcadia Residents and Ratepayers Association who started the campaign.
Syd Viljoen, principal of Arcadia Primary School, said they intended to hold these e-waste days on a quarterly basis from now on to prevent waste which may still be useful, going to landfills.
E-waste contains a variety of recyclable materials like metals, glass, and plastics which can be reused to create new products, thereby reducing the need to mine the earth for raw materials.
Some of the e-waste can also be collected for repair and upgrading and used by other consumers.
Some of the items collected included irons, hair dryers, toasters, kettles, old television sets, computer equipment, printers, scanners and electronic toys.