This is my take on how effective waste management and recycling can make a positive impact on global warming in South Africa.

1. • By being the first South Africans to take the issue of waste management seriously
we can make a positive impact on the environment for this and future
generations.
• We need to reduce, reuse and recycle.
• Reduce means decreasing unnecessary purchases which go to waste, which in
turn decreases the overall amount of waste we produce, as well as the
associated pollutants.
• Reuse means getting the greatest value out of the products that we buy by using
them for as many purposes as possible and for as long as possible, which could
include donations to charities.
• Recycle means buying products that have been previously recycled and ensuring
that these products are also recycled after completion of their useful working
lives. To make the process as easy as possible your waste needs to be divided
into different categories such as papers and plastics.
• At the end of the day we don’t want more droughts, more water rationing and
more extreme thunder storms.
A Response to Global Warming: South Africa’s Waste is an
Opportunity not a Problem

2. Let’s take action today so that our grandchildren won’t have to live in a world that
is 4oC warmer and creaking under the associated adverse affects of global
warming.
A Response to Global Warming: South Africa’s Waste is an
Opportunity not a Problem
Together we can make a positive and long lasting input which include:
 Economic benefits by bringing more money into the economy and creating jobs.
 Reducing the amount of electricity required as recycled goods tend to require less
energy to produce versus those made from raw materials. Given the load shedding
we are currently experiencing this can only be good for the wider economy.
 Reducing the risk of contamination from landfills, reduce the environmental impact of
sourcing raw materials and reduce the production of pollutants.
 Save our precious resources for future generations.Saving our precious resources for future generations.

3. My target audience are the South African people. The current and near term impacts include droughts, water rationing and
the increasing prevalence of extreme weather events. The initiative that I am trying to portray is the positive effects of
waste management, and recycling in particular. By implementing these strategies the people of South Africa will make the
best use of its low carbon energy resources, something which has an increased importance in a country struggling so
badly with electricity generation. The two sided leaflet I am presenting is trying to get the message across as simply and
effectively as possible.
Sources:
 Sustainable solutions to South Africa's waste challenges, Aurecon:
http://www.aurecongroup.com/en/thinking/archive/sustainable-solutions-to-south-africas-waste-challenges.aspx
 South Africa Waste Management, OSEC; http://www.s-ge.com/en/filefield-
private/files/27929/field_blog_public_files/7084
 Waste Management, Enviropedia; http://www.enviropaedia.com/topic/default.php?topic_id=239
 Waste Management Toolkit, CSIR; http://www.csir.co.za/nre/docs/Waste_Management_Toolkit.pdf
 What is waste and why is it a problem, Green By Nature; http://www.fullcycle.co.za/index.php/what-is-waste-and-
why-is-it-a-problem.html
 Working with Waste, Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism of South Africa;
http://sawic.environment.gov.za/documents/232.pdf
 Climate Change Awareness Campaign, Department of Environmental Affairs; http://www.climateaction.org.za/cop17-
cmp7/sa-government-position-on-climate-change
 The Impact of Climate Change on South Africa, Climate Emergency Institute;
http://www.climateemergencyinstitute.com/cc_s_africa_griffin.html
 Exploring the Impact of Climate Change on Children in South Africa, Department of Women, Children & People with
Disabilities, Department of Environmental Affairs and UNICEF;
http://www.unicef.org/southafrica/SAF_resources_climatechange.pdf