Everyone can help end plastic pollution
Around eight million tonnes of plastic waste end up in the oceans every year, according to National Geographic. However, everyone can make a difference by just changing their daily routines a little bit.
Member of the NWU’s Green Team, Jaydene Stevens (22) says, “There are alternatives to everything”. Below are some practical ideas on how students can become more environmentally friendly:
- Take your own plastic or reusable bags to the grocery store. Kindly decline the offer to buy a plastic bag and take your own bag.
- Buy a can of soda instead of a plastic bottle. Cans have a 68% higher recycling rate than plastic bottles, as reported by Reuters.
- Use a reusable water bottle and just refill it. Avoid buying bottled water every time.
- Use your mobile phone case, earphones, and Bluetooth speakers for long periods of time. These are made of plastic and you can do your bit by not buying a new one every time a new colour comes out.
- Try to avoid plastic straws. Rather go for paper or stainless-steel ones.
- Bring your own plate and cutlery to dining halls. Refrain from using the polystyrene and plastic knives and forks.
- Ask for paper bags and takeaway cartons for your food where possible.
- Buy paper pens and pencils where you can.
- Invest in alternatives. Your future depends on it.
Chairperson of the NWU’s Green Team, Leandri Wessels (23), says, “switching over to alternatives takes real willpower because it can take some effort. But the way that environmental issues are portrayed in general leaves people, especially students, feeling powerless and as if they won’t make a difference. I believe that it is really important to not take a fear-based approach when informing people about environmental issues and rather take solution-focused approach. This will make people feel empowered”.
We also spoke to a few businesses on the Bult about their use of single-use plastic and the alternatives that they can use. The businesses that were available for comment mostly use alternatives where they can, and try to recycle packaging as much as possible. But some plastic lids and plastic cups are still used. (All pictures: Victor Helberg)
Plastic straws and Smoothie cups at Insleep café. The cups come with the Smoothie machine, thus they don’t have a choice to sell the smoothies in the cups. 
More Smoothie cups, with their plastic lids at Insleep café. The plastic lids also came with the cups and the Smoothie machine. 
One of the most common alternatives for single use plastic is paper straws. Mug & Bean on the bult has adopted this alternative in bulk. 
One of the most common alternatives for single use plastic is paper straws. Mug & Bean on the bult has adopted this alternative in bulk. 
Mug & Bean also have paper cups for their hot drinks in their various sizes that customers can choose from. 
Mug & Bean’s various cold drinks is served in plastic cups with the paper straws and not like the hot drinks in paper cups. 
OK foods on the Bult gives customers a choice to buy their fruits loose and not in packets to minimise the use of plastic 
OK Foods customers can buy the fruits loose or use the plastic bags supplied next to the fruit stand. The bags makes it easier to weigh the fruit. 
A customer buying peaches and putting them in the provided plastic bag. 
Fruit are not the only product that is sold without a plastic bag. This includes garlic, peppers eggplant and more. 
There are a lot of products already in their own plastic packaging that are provided to OK Foods from their product providers. This includes a variety of products, such as avocado’s and tomato’s. 
Even the firewood is provided for OK Foods in plastic packaging. 
Meat is one of the main products of OK Foods that is packaged in plastic and polystyrene. Some of the meat is provided to OK Foods in the packaging and other meat is packaged by OK themselves. 
Meat is one of the main products of OK Foods that is packaged in plastic and polystyrene. Some of the meat is provided to OK Foods in the packaging and other meat is packaged by OK themselves. 
Some of the other products that is packed in plastic by OK Foods is their freshly baked bread. 
Some of the other products that is packed in plastic by OK Foods is their “Pap”. 
Plastic packaging for the food behind the counter at OK Foods that needs to be microwaved 
One of OK Foods’ employees folding a carton box for delicacies behind the counter 
One of OK Foods’ employees folding a carton box for delicacies behind the counter 
Toro on the Bult serve their drinks the same as Mug & Bean. Hot drinks in the brown and white paper cups and cold drinks in the clear plastic cups. 
A lot of the products that businesses order comes in plastic bags. Toro’s paper cups also comes in plastic bags. 
Although Toro’s hot drinks are served in paper cups, their lids are still plastic. 
In Toro’s food department they use both brown paper bags and polystyrene bowls to serve the food. 
In Toro’s food department they use both brown paper bags and polystyrene bowls to serve the food. 
A Toro employee making an iced coffee drink in plastic cups. 
Toro’s customers’ almost cold drinks in plastic cups with plastic straws. 
Toro also uses milk in recyclable cartons to take care of the environment 
For all their recyclable items, Toro uses the two recycle bins on the outside of their shop. The bins were provided by Deswalner Recycling. 
The two recycle bins are for plastic, and mixed paper and boxes. 
Deswalner Recycling also provides the rest of the Bult with these recycling stations which they use for all their recyclable plastic. This one is across the road from Insleep Café. 
One of Deswalner’s Recycling stations on the corner of Esselen Street. 
The recycling station in front of Torro’s, with more recyclables outside because the recyclables side of the station is full. 
The types of recyclable plastic explained on the recycling stations
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