I started recycling over 12 years ago, at a time when it wasn't a popular thing to do. I remember getting flack for my efforts from friends who may have considered my rinsing, separating and disposing of waste to be eccentric. Even my husband was a bit frustrated by the routine as we had little space for this in our flat. BUT, I persevered and 12 years on, I am happy to report that I have even changed the minds of some of those friends and got them to join in.

The reality is we can't ignore the need to recycle any longer. In Cape Town alone, South Africans generate 7 000 tons of waste per day which is creating a waste crisis! You can imagine that we are running out of landfill. Information from the website Waste Plan, outlines the following scenario:

"If you have a normal 2m x 2m room in your house, and you fill it up with waste all the way to the roof, you will have one ton of waste.  In Cape Town, South Africans dump 7 000 of these rooms full of waste every day. Here we only have 3 landfill sites left with enough landfill space for the next 7 years and by the time that the last landfill site closes down, we would be building mountains of waste equivalent to 7 000 rooms per day."

So, judge for yourself - you have to step up to the plate and set an example! Set up recycling in your home and make it part of your routine to dump it at a recycling depot near you. If you have kids, you can include the sorting and packing in the car as one of their chores.

Click here for recycling depots in Durban.
Click here for recycling depots in Cape Town.
Click here for recycling depots in JHB.