How can you help?

How can you help? We all know we should be doing it, but fitting recycling into our everyday routines isn't always easy. The idea behind recycling is simple - it's all about making the most out of the materials we use instead of throwing them in the bin to waste. Actually doing it can be just as simple, with our guide to recycling in the home. Reduce and re-use wasteReducing the amount of waste we produce and coming up with ways of re-using materials we accumulate, is the best way of doing your bit for the environment.
	Here are a few ideas: Re-use carrier bags Avoid over packaged goods Leave your unwanted packaging at the store. Give them the responsibility. Donate old clothes and goods to charity shops Visit Hout Bay Recycling behind the Police station and give away your unwanted items Sort your recyclables from your rubbish - Nearly two-thirds of what you put in the black bin or bag can be recycled or composted
	Get in the routine of separating your waste 3 ways. Have one bin/bag for Recyclables, One for Compost and One for Landfill trash that goes into a black bag or wheelie-bin. Print out this flyer for your kitchen wall to help your family or business use the right bin.Ideally you should wash out containers and squash them into a smaller size so they don't take up as much room.
	What to do with your Recyclables? 1. Kerbside City Service All Hout Bay residents and businesses in the ‘Valley’ fall under the City’s Think Twice pilot project. The City is the service provider that delivers and collects clear bags for recyclable good on a weekly basis. This service is offered on the same day as the wheelie-bin service. 2. Hout Bay Waste Sorting Centre (HBSC) Behind Police Station Mandela Rd)Hout Bay Recycling (HBR) Cooperative If your home or business is outside this recycling collection area, you can use the service of Hout Bay Recycling (HBR) cooperative who collect, sort and sell recycling 7 days a week. You can drop off your recycling at the depot behind the Hout Bay Police station which is open from 7h00 – 17h30 daily or call HBR 073 270 6375 for large collections.
	Garden Waste Composting is a great way of recycling your garden and food waste, as well as a free source of nutrient soil for your garden. Composting bins come cheap at your local garden centre. You can compost all sorts of items including vegetable peelings, teabags, grass cuttings and leaves, as well as shredded paper, ripped-up cardboard and egg boxes.
	Chipping of Garden Greens at the HBSC Each Hout Bay resident is allowed to drop off one load of garden refuse per day. Logs of 0ver 150cm diameter cannot be brought to the Centre. Greens are chipped into mulch which is then sold at about R36 per bag or R156 a bakie load. Reliance is the service provider. Hout Bay Sorting Centre Contacts Trevor Carroll Xolisa Fumba Trevor Groevis Robbie Roberts
	Hazardous Waste Batteries Drop off in a bucket at Hout Bay Office National, Victoria Rd or at Photo Cabin. Zero Waste team will safely dispose. CFL Lightbulbs (Mercury) Drop off in black box at Woolworths Mainstream Centre Hazardous Liquids We’re working on this because believe it or not there is no facility for this in the whole of Cape Town !Long Fluorescent light bulbs Constantia Pick n Pay in front of tills Electrical items Drop off all electrical goods at the Hout Bay Sorting Centre where they will be repaired or broken down into parts for reusing. The Hout Bay Waste lobbyists will take steps to introduce a WEEE (see below) in South Africa as was introduced in the UK in 2007. (In the UK As of June 2007, when the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive came into force, all manufacturers of electrical appliances are obliged to offer you a service to recycle goods when they need replacing. This is great news when it comes to throwing out old TVs, CD and DVD players, as working parts will be put to good use rather than being thrown on the scrapheap. Building Rubble There are two skips for building rubble at the Hout Bay Sorting Centre. 1. building rubble that can be crushed and reused. 2. contaminated rubble like ceramic tiles that is sent to landfill. There is a self employed worker who is recovering whole bricks before they are placed in the skip. These bricks are sold at a reduced fee. Furniture and wood reusing Like with the building rubble there is a self employed worker who is recovering old furniture and wood before items are placed in the skip. The wood items are repaired or reused and sold for a reduced fee. Dog Pooh Compost it separately from the compost used for growing.
	Video clip of the HB depot activities www.790tv.co.za has 3 video clips Zero Waste, Imizamo Yethu (Donze Yakhi) and the Zero Beach.