By Aifani Confidence Tahulela – Researcher, Durban University of Technology; Fulufhelo Netswera – Deputy Vice Chancellor for Research and Postgraduate Studies, University of Venda. First published in The Conversation on 13 May 2026 THE GLOBAL ECONOMY STILL largely follows a simple pattern: extract natural resources, manufacture products, use them and then throw them away. This […]
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Paarl Waste and Recycling: Dedication and Sustainability
By Rina Steyn, GST Correspondent TWO YEARS AGO, the current owner of Paarl Waste and Recycle purchased Wykco Recycling and appointed Jacques Boshoff from Ceres as the General Manager of the new company in Donkervliet Street. Jacques was the ideal choice to lead the business. Jacques was the first South African to study landscaping in […]
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12 reasons why plastic recycling is failing so badly
By Jordi Diaz Marcos – Profesor departamento materiales y microscopista , Universitat de Barcelona. First published in The Conversation on February 24, 2026 As good citizens, we diligently fill the recycling bins provided by our local authorities with all manner of plastic trays, boxes, bottles and bags. But as these bins fill up quicker and […]
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Food waste in South Africa is dumped in landfills – study weighs up healthier and more sustainable options
by Anne Fitchett, Retired Honorary Associate Professor in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of the Witwatersrand – this article was first published on 10 December 2025 in theconversation.com Every year, millions of tonnes of food end up in South Africa’s landfills. This is a wasted resource that deepens environmental damage, worsens food […]
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Waste, Pollution and Recycling: A Reader
by GST Staff Cactus waste could become a low-cost building material Construction sites don’t usually bring cactus plants to mind. Still, engineers think leftover material from prickly pear cactus farming could offer a cleaner, lower-cost way to make building materials. At first, the idea may sound unusual. But it points to a real problem in […]
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Sustainability steps: Municipal waste disposal changes in the pipeline
by Anne Kruger, GST Correspondent With the growing importance of environmental sustainability in mind, GST recently looked into the current status of the waste disposal process in the Drakenstein Municipality. Despite the fact that Drakenstein Municipality has a successful recycling process for inorganic waste implemented throughout the municipal area, this is not considered enough to […]
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