About year ago the GREEN ROOM was introduced to Arnhem. The adoption and use by the residents of Arnhem of this more structured system of collecting recyclable material is substantial, sometimes even overwhelming, for the company collecting the material twice a month.
The Trustees want to thank all residents for their participation in sorting their waste and also for spreading the word and creating more awareness. Although the efforts of a single block of flats in Milnerton in the broad scale of garbage generated countrywide might seem to be negligible, it is nevertheless a worthwhile contribution.
In 2023 we want to take recycling one step further by streamlining the whole process. We have decided to delegate the collection and distribution of recyclable material to the same hands that are tasked with sorting and tidying up on the ground:
Morné and Christopher work as a team. While Christopher deals with all misplaced items, sorts the material and prepares it for removal, Morné is responsible for the delivery to the recycling collection points. It goes without saying that this valuable work is not always pleasant and we as residents should do our utmost to support both of them and make their work easier.
Up to now the biggest challenge is general household and kitchen waste, thoughtlessly dumped in the GREEN ROOM! Not placing your waste into the correct bins is not only unfair to those who have to dig with their hand into the bins afterwards to retrieve it, it is also a violation of Arnhem Conduct Rules (see 2. REFUSE DISPOSAL & RECYCLING) and can result in a fine.
No one can and will ever be forced to recycle, but it is vital that all residents adhere to the most basic rules of refuse disposal and at the very least do not use the GREEN ROOM for any kind of general household waste.
Although bins with different colour lids and signage help to pre-sort, it can still be confusing and often it is not immediately obvious what can be recycled and what should go into which bin. There are certain requirements for recyclable material and quite a few items are surprisingly not recyclable at all.
In the GREEN ROOM are signs with Recycling tips. We also provide a basic Recycling Guide. It is attached to this circular and can be downloaded from the Arnhem website. Additionally all residents will find a printout in their letter box with some simple recycling guidelines.
And: you can always ask Morné or Christopher and they will gladly assist.
Please keep in mind: Recycling starts already in the shops!
Here are a few simply guidelines to clear up some common misconceptions and keep misplaced items to a minimum:
Tetra Paks (milk or juice cartons) are not recyclable at the moment.
They need to be discarded with the normal household waste.
Why? Because they are made up of a combination of plastic, cardboard and aluminum sheets, glued together and are almost impossible to be broken down again into their base materials for recycling. Best would be to avoid buying them.
Glass can only be recycled as bottles or jars. Shards, fragments, panes, etc. cannot be transported to the depot.
Paper and cardboard should not be torn up into pieces. Best way to store and transport it is in big sheets. Boxes need to be flattened. All paper must be clean and without food residue. Used tissues and kitchen towels cannot be recycled.
Plastic is the most difficult one.
It is an overall term for many different types of material, much of which cannot be brought back into the recycling process.
Not recyclable is for example:
- styrofoam
- chips / crisps packets
- moulded food containers
- most fastfood packaging
- hard plastic (PVC)
Ideally you should avoid buying products in non-recycle packaging. To help with that, more and more manufactures print a clear logo on their packaging, similar to this:
Only four types of plastic can be recycled.
They can be identified by these numbers.
Rule of thumb:
If there is no logo to be found, or if you are not sure, rather place plastic items into the normal household waste.
There is no easy solution for a perfect sorting system, except for familiarising yourself with the different types of material, especially when it comes to plastic. It takes a little effort to wrap your head around the main options, but once embraced the separation comes by itself.
Although recycling does have a positive impact, we should keep in mind that first prize is the reduction of the total amount of waste generated. A lot of packaging is unnecessary and by actively choosing loose items, reusing containers and avoiding problematic materials we can save resources in the first place and ourselves the effort of getting rid of them afterwards.
Apart from typical recyclable material, the GREEN ROOM has also been used by residents for e-waste and other items to find a new home. This is generally encouraged by the Trustees, but must be restricted to goods that may still have some value to others. Please don’t place rubbish, disintegrating furniture or unhygienic items there.
