Building Communities - Greening Guide for Home Owners · 2019-07-06 · Tips for managing your waste 17 Tips for protecting local biodiversity 19. 2013 3 ... The Sustainability Challenge

Greening Guide for Home Owners

Garden Cities 2013

2Garden Cities © 2013 Greening Guide for Home Owners

Contents

Our Commitment 3

Awareness Leads to Change 4

The Challenge of Sustainable Development 5

Environmental Sustainability 6

Adapting to Climate Change 7

Becoming Energy Efficient 7

Minimizing Waste 8

Conserving Water 9

Protecting Biodiversity 9

How are we helping reduce your footprint? 10

Energy efficiency 10

Tips for saving energy & reducing emissions 13

Water conservation 15

Tips for conserving water 15

Waste minimisation 17

Tips for managing your waste 17

Tips for protecting local biodiversity 19


Our CommitmentResponsible property developments

Garden Cities is committed to the responsible development of Cape Town’s metropolitan residential areas. It is our aim to promote sustainable green-living urban communities with a lighter footprint. In the design of our homes we are striving to help residents save energy, reduce carbon emissions, minimise waste to landfill, conserve fresh water resources, and protect the local biodiversity.

Environmental Policy

Responsible development means starting with ourselves, making the principles and practices of environmental sustainability core to our business. For this we are guided by an environmental policy, which states our belief that:

• The Earth is a system where all elements are interconnected and inter dependent

• Respectful care of the environment and its conservation for future generations is everyone’s moral obligation, personal responsibility and constitutional right;

• The true value of natural resources, biodiversity and ecosystem services should be accounted for in their use, and any harm to the natural environment should be avoided or minimised;

• Potential benefits to the environment or human health and safety should always be maximised;

• We must comply with Environmental legislation, pursue and exceed benchmark Sustainability standards, and require others with whom we do business to do the same.

This policy is being used in the design and construction of our new housing developments where our up-to-date green building guidelines focus on:

• SANS Energy efficiency & insulation standards • Water conservation and storm water management• Waste minimisation and pollution control• Materials selection• Life-cycle assessment• Health, safety and occupant comfort

Decision-making for Sustainability

No matter how you look at it, “Going Green” makes complete sense. However, in today’s world making environmentally sustainable decisions is seldom easy because there are many factors to consider. At Garden Cities we believe in working closely with all our partners to reach the best possible decisions, all things considered.

With this in mind, we are making great strides building quality homes that are not only cost-effective for us, but also have a reduced environmental footprint and save our homeowners money. While we do explore innovative new methods, it is our policy to stick to tried and tested building systems and components, which are approved by recognised authorities and have justifiable costs and acceptable performance.

Although we comply with prescribed building regulations, and advise buyers of our homes on the use and maintenance thereof, Garden Cities doesn’t accept responsibility or liability for the effectiveness of (or for deficiencies in things) such systems or components beyond its reasonable control.

Garden Cities going green

This guide is produced especially for owners and occupants of Garden Cities homes. It highlights the importance and benefits of going green and provides you with practical tips for making your home more eco-friendly.

“Once we know and are aware, we are responsible for our action and our inaction. We can do something about it or ignore it. Either way, we

are still responsible.”

Jean Paul Sartre


Awareness Leads to ChangeThink global act local

Sharing information with our homeowners is a vital part of the Garden Cities commitment to sustainable development and building a positive legacy in our society.

We encourage our homeowners and their families to be more aware of the challenges we face, understand how we are contributing to them, and know what can be done to ensure change for the better.

We believe that by making small changes in our local environment, we can have big impacts for the good of whole communities, the planet and ourselves.

“You can never have an impact on society if you have not changed yourself.“Nelson Mandela

What issues should we be

aware of?

What is the sustainable

way?

How can we do things better?

What are we currently

doing?

Cycle of Sustainability Awareness


Sustainable Development

The United Nations Brundtland Report (1987) defined Sustainable Development as: “development that meets the needs and aspirations of the present generation, without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”

The Challenge of Sustainable DevelopmentDevelopment without growth

Sustainable Development, or sustainability as it’s also simply called, is about us working together to meet the needs of all people everywhere. The Earth has limited natural resources and it’s vital for us to use them wisely and live within our means.

In the last 50 years the world’s population has more than doubled and is expected to reach 10 billion by 2050.

Population growth is highest in the developing countries of Africa and Asia, where the standards of living of most people are also still very low.

With more and more people needing more and more things, we face an enormous development challenge. We have to find ways of providing adequately for everyone in a world where natural resources are rapidly declining, financial costs are increasing and environmental risks are greater than ever.

The Sustainability Challenge (illustrated by the ‘funnel’ from The Natural Step)

The true cost of economic practices

Scientists agree that we are now in a period in Earth’s geological history where humans are having the greatest negative impact on nature. This is costing us dearly as our economic practices are causing irreparable damage to life-giving ecosystems. We must do all we can to reverse this and restore the natural world.

The environmental consequences of our industrial and economic practices are increasingly obvious and we simply cannot afford to ignore them.

Decliningresources and ecosystem services

Increasingdemand for resources and ecosystem services

time


Environmental Sustainability

Environmental Sustainability is one of the United Nations Eight Millennium Development Goals. It is about us making decisions and taking action that is in the interests of protecting the natural world, and in particular preserving the capability of the environment to support human life.

Environmental SustainabilityDuty of Care

The role we humans play in caring for the Earth has been a hot topic since the beginning of time. Yet only in the last 20 years has Environmental Sustainability become a really big legal issue for governments and business throughout the world.

Although recognised in most traditional cultures, the rights of ‘Mother Earth’ were enshrined for the very first time in international political agreements only at the 2012 Earth Summit in Rio.

In law the definition of community now includes the fundamental rights of nature and the term ‘Duty of Care’, which is common to South Africa’s National Environmental Management Act (NEMA) of 1998, is now used widely in business.

‘Duty of Care’ is the sustainability principle underpinning the responsibility each of us has to respect the natural world in our everyday decision-making.

When we take this responsibility seriously, we begin to prioritise ways to lighten the footprint of our daily activities. These include:

• Adapting to climate change• Becoming energy efficient• Minimising waste• Conserving water• Preserving biodiversity

Treat the Earth well. She was not given to you by your parents; she was

loaned to you by your children

Kenyan proverb

We never know the worth of the water till the well is dry

Thomas FullerEnglish Historian


Adapting to Climate ChangeThe rise of global warming

Scientists from the United Nations IPCC agree that average surface temperatures of the Earth are warming at an ever-increasing rate. In Southern Africa temperatures are expected to be at least 2°C to 3°C warmer throughout the country by 2050 and increasing up to 6°C by the end of this century.

Studies show the 1990s and 2000s were the hottest decades globally in the last 400 years and we are now in the warmest period in Earth’s geological history for several millennia.

The impacts are being seen and felt across the world with vast chunks of arctic ice melting and breaking away, extreme droughts in Africa and Asia occurring more often and for longer, and more frequent higher intensity storms flooding tropical areas. Perhaps the most alarming global evidence is shown in biodiversity where the rate of extinction of animal and plant species is currently 1000 times faster than normal.

South Africa is a naturally dry country with low rainfall and climate change will bring extended dry periods in areas already prone to drought, resulting in fresh water and food shortages across the country. The Western Cape can expect longer dry spells and more intense winter storms but an overall decrease in annual rainfall.

In the Cape Town metropolitan area this will result amongst other things in greater storm damage to homes, more traffic disruptions with flooding of storm water drains and roads, as well as ongoing summer water restrictions. Municipal rates and taxes, and the cost of living in general, will increase as the City gets to grips with managing the impacts of climate change.

Becoming Energy EfficientInvesting in clean renewable energy

Since the industrial revolution around 250 years ago, most countries have built their economies using energy produced from fossil fuels like coal, oil and natural gas. Although abundant in many parts of the world, fossil fuels are a non-renewable resource because they take millions of years to form in the Earth’s crust. Converting energy into power from burning fossil fuels, while cheap and relatively easy, is not efficient since much heat is generated, most of which is wasted or lost.

Burning fossil fuels also produces a lot of pollution, toxic gases (sulphur and mercury), and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions such as carbon dioxide (CO2). Increasing concentrations of GHGs in the atmosphere is identified as the cause of global warming and climate change since these gases absorb and retain heat radiated from the Earth’s surface.

Over 80% of energy produced in South Africa comes from burning coal, and while we have plenty of coal resources remaining and still some of the cheapest electricity in the world, this cannot and won’t continue. The government is under serious pressure to reduce our dependence on low-grade coal-fired power stations and limit global warming GHG emissions. However, as a developing economy with a youthful population our country has an urgent growing demand for energy and much investment is required in new technology as well as the upgrading of our existing aging electricity infrastructure.

All this means a serious drive towards reducing our electricity consumption and promoting sustainable clean renewable energy solutions like solar thermal, wind, biogas and biofuels. Households and office buildings especially are seen as an area where reductions in energy demand can easily be achieved through simple behaviour change measures like switching off lights and appliances when not in use.

We need to keep the Earth’s average temperature increase below 2°C if we are to avoid runaway climate change.

United Nations IPCC

Studies show that globally we need to reduce GHG emissions by 80% to

avoid runaway climate change

Rockstrom: Planetary Boundaries


Minimizing WasteZero waste to landfill

Without us realising it much of the time, we have a massive impact on the natural world through what we buy and use everyday. From the cars we drive in to our clothes and the food we eat, there are considerable environmental costs that for the most part we are completely unaware.

Every year some 45 000 tons of plastic waste are dumped into the world’s oceans. It is estimated that a million seabirds and a hundred thousand marine mammals are killed by plastic waste each year. Each year, factories release over 3 million tons of toxic chemicals into the land, air and water leading to the loss of over 60 700 km2 of productive land every year. This pollution also leads to respiratory complications and other community health problems.

In Cape Town around 70% of our solid waste ends up in landfill sites, most of which are full to capacity. While recycling waste definitely helps it will never solve the problem, as recycling is not simple. In fact most products are designed deliberately to last only for a certain time or for as long as they are economically useful (think of a cellphone), and are seldom designed with re-use or recycling in mind.

However, the good news is that we as consumers are becoming more aware of the environmental impact of what we buy, and manufacturers and retailers are taking greater responsibility for the after-life of products. There is now better product labelling and increased availability of eco-friendly packaging with stronger green marketing and advertising, while the Waste Act “polluter pays principle” is being more strictly applied with enforcement from the green scorpions.

With increasing awareness, law and compliance and ever-rising fuel prices, it is now more costly than ever to remove waste and send it to landfill. Recycling and “materials recovery” is becoming an important means of saving money and resources as more people understand the importance of zero waste.

Studies in America show that 99% of manufactured products end up as waste within 6 months of being

purchased

Story of Stuff Project

Waste Disposal

Source Reduction

Reuse

Resource Recovery

Incineration

Landfilling

Most Preferred

Least Preferred

A typical Waste Management Hierarchy


Conserving WaterClean water supply

Although more than two-thirds of the Earth’s surface is covered in water, less than 1% is fresh water accessible for direct human use. About 99% of water is either saltwater or freshwater frozen in ice caps or trapped beneath the surface. This makes fresh drinking water precious and expensive to capture, purify and distribute to homes especially in poor countries and areas of low rainfall.

Drought induced by climate change and pollution are the biggest threats to water security. Toxic materials and chemicals knowingly dumped, or carelessly washed into our rivers, vleis and oceans, damage our natural environment and contaminate our fresh water supplies.

The results of this can be disastrous for human health, aquatic ecosystems and various sectors of the economy like agriculture, industry and tourism.

The United Nations estimates that by 2025, forty-eight nations (including South Africa) with a combined population of 2.8 billion people will face fresh water ‘stress’ or ‘scarcity’.

Protecting BiodiversityLife-giving ecosystem services

Biodiversity is the variety of all living plant and animal species on Earth. In the layer of our planet known as the biosphere, species interact with non-living elements like soil, sunlight and water to provide ecosystem resources and services that supply food, break down matter, clean the air and purify water.

Since it is a closed system for matter, the Earth maintains a delicately balanced biological capacity supplying ecosystem services and generating resources at rates only within certain natural boundaries.

However, the faster we humans extract natural resources, process them into materials and generate un-absorbable waste, the more we disrupt this balance, exceed these boundaries and reduce the planet’s ability to provide for us.

Our human demand on Earth’s ecosystems is calculated by the ecological footprint and is measured in hectares per person.

The Western Cape is known as a biodiversity hotspot because it has its own very unique Cape Floral kingdom, which is the smallest of the six floral kingdoms on Earth with the highest density of plant species. Famous for its fynbos plants, the kingdom is a UNESCO World Heritage site with over 9 000 different plant species and many animal species. Over 70% of the plant species here are found nowhere else on Earth.

Much of Cape Town’s indigenous vegetation is threatened by urban development and the invasion of alien plants. The lowlands of Cape Town have the highest concentration of threatened plants per area of remaining vegetation in the world, and South Africa is known to have the second-highest number of plant extinctions worldwide.

Filthy water cannot be washed

African proverb

We are currently consuming natural resources 1½ times faster than the

Earth can provide for us. This means that by the year 2030 we will need 3 to 5 Earth’s to provide for our needs.

WWF Living Planet Report 2012

Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything

better

Albert Einstein


Helping reduce your footprint

Consideration for the surrounding natural environment has always been a part of Garden Cities developments, but now our homes themselves are being singled out for extra special green attention.

How are we helping reduce your footprint?Your home’s green building features

Garden Cities is helping reduce your ecological footprint by giving you a green head start in the design and construction of your home. We have included specific features that will help you save energy, conserve water, manage your waste, and promote protection of the surrounding natural environment.

Energy efficiencyInsulation

To help lower your energy use, save you money and keep your home cool in summer and warm in winter we have installed:

• Under-roof-tile membranes• Eco-friendly ceiling insulation• Low emissivity window glazing

These features help reduce thermal transfer through the roof and windows particularly.

Note that window sizes also vary throughout our homes as these are determined by the position on the different elevations of the house to control heat loss and gain.

35% walls

15% draughts

10% windows

15% floors

25% roofWhere does the heat go?


Water heating

Water heating is usually responsible for more than 50% of the electricity bill for a home. So we’ve made sure that the hot water storage cylinders installed in Garden Cities homes are well insulated and served by energy efficient heat pumps rather than conventional element geysers that use two-thirds more electricity. We’ve also fitted timing switches to enable you to disconnect your heat pump when you’re not using it.

More about heat pumps

A heat pump is an electrical device that extracts heat from one place and transfers it to another. Heat pumps have been around since the 1940s and used in a variety of industrial air conditioners and refrigerators.

Recently they have become popular in households to heat water more efficiently. Where a geyser uses 3 units of electrical energy to produce 3 units of heat energy, a heat pump converts just 1 unit of electrical energy into 3 units of heat energy. This is a 67% saving on electricity, compared with an element geyser.

Heat pumps transfer heat by circulating a cold fluid such as CO2 or ammonia called a refrigerant, through a cycle of alternating evaporation and condensation. A compressor pumps the refrigerant between two heat exchanger coils. In one coil, the refrigerant is evaporated at low pressure and absorbs heat from its surroundings. The refrigerant is then compressed en route to the other coil, where it condenses at high pressure and releases the heat it absorbed earlier in the cycle. Then it passes through a valve that lowers its pressure and subsequently its temperature and the whole process is repeated.

Heated water out

Cold water in

Outside air

Low temperature renewable heat energy from the environment

3kW heat to water

Cool liquid Warm liquid

HEAT EXCHANGEREXPANSION VALVEEVAPORATOR

Electrical power from grid

COMPRESSOR

Warm gas Hot gas

2kW

1kW


In some instances, where the location is suitable, we are installing Solar Water Heaters in Garden Cities homes. Although currently more expensive than a heat pump, a SWH can mean you don’t need to use any electricity at all for heating your water. SWH are a therefore a very good financial investment (payback time is around 3 to 4 years), and generally accepted as being the most eco-friendly option for the long-term.

More about Solar Water Heaters

A Solar Water Heater (SWH) works by absorbing energy from the sun and heating water through thermal transfer. There are different types of SWH systems available using flat glass plates or glass tubes to absorb heat. The evacuated tube variety contains an inner tube coated with an aluminium nitride compound, which absorbs almost all light and reflects very little. A copper ‘heat-pipe’ inside the inner glass tube contains an anti-freeze that vaporises and transfers heat to the heat exchanger.

Cold water flowing through the heat exchanger removes the heat from the ‘heat-pipe’ and is warmed in the process, while the anti-freeze cools and condenses and runs back down the pipe to be heated once again. The evacuation of the glass tube produces a very good heat insulator so very little heat is lost.

Some SWH systems have their own storage cyclinder or collector while others feed pre-heated water into existing geysers. Electrical back-up is common on many systems to ensure water temperatures remain constant especially on rainy and cloudy days when solar energy is less concentrated.

Sunlight absorbed as heat by the dark

inner surface of the Evacuated-Tube

Glass Evacuated-Tube locks in heat

Hot vapour rises to the top

of the Heat Pipe

Cold vapour liquifies and

returns to the bottom of the

heat Pipe to repeat cycle

Copper Heat Pipe

Non-toxic Liquid


Tips for saving energy & reducing emissionsSet the heat pump timer

Remember to set the timer to switch for your heat pump only during periods of the day when you use most hot water at home.

Switch off electronic devices at the wall socket

Electric appliances including microwave ovens, TVs, DVD players etc. operate in stand-by mode with active displays, which draw current constantly even when not in full use. So too do charging units for cell phones, tablets and other computer equipment, which if left switched on at the plug point and not connected to the device can continue to draw around 50% of their power.

While it may be very little, this is all wasted electricity and can add up over time.

Fit energy-saving CFL & LED lamps

Energy-saving lamps such as compact fluorescents (CFL), and the fast advancing light emitting diode (LED) technology, use far less electricity and last much longer than incandescent bulbs. Of all light types LEDs use less power (watts) per unit of light generated (lumens).

Remember though to recycle CFLs properly. Do not break them or put them in the general waste bin as the bulbs contain a small amount of poisonous mercury vapour and should be disposed of as hazardous waste.

Install timers, sensors & solar PV fittings

It’s best to make a habit of switching off lights and only using them when absolutely necessary. However, it helps to make use of timers and sensors in certain places of your home.

For outdoors, security lighting and garages, solar photo-voltaic (PV) fittings are a good option, while for study or work areas task lighting such as an LED desk lamp is preferable instead of lighting a whole room.

Monitor your electricity in real time

A smart meter is a device that measures your electricity consumption and costs in real time. It connects to your electrical distribution board and has a wireless display unit that can be placed anywhere in the house.

Software is provided for you to download and graph your hourly, daily, weekly, monthly and yearly consumption and monitor patterns.

More info...

Some useful sites to look at are: www.eskom.co.zawww.49m.co.za

www.capetown.gov.za


Use energy efficient appliances

When choosing new or used household electrical appliances like cookers, fridges, tumble driers, laundry machines, dishwashers, irons and heaters, select those with an approved energy rating. Energy efficient appliances use 20% to 30% less energy.

Keep appliances in good-working order checking particularly that thermostats, sensors and door gaskets are effective. Defrost the freezer regularly too as ice build-up can make the motor work harder.

Use gas for heating & cooking

Although not particularly eco-friendly, since it’s also a fossil fuel, liquid petroleum gas (LPG) is a better alternative to using coal-based electric heaters, ovens and hobs over time. LPG burns cleaner than coal with lower emissions at source and is cheaper, although gas appliances themselves can cost more than electric ones.

Be energy-wise in the kitchen

Investing in energy-efficient technology like gas cookers or induction hobs and energy-saving pots can be expensive, and sometimes small changes to the way we do things can make a big difference too.

Reduce pool pump operating hours

If you have a swimming pool with a cleaning system pump, reduce its operating hours to the minimum (e.g. 6 hours a day) especially during summer. Make sure you clean the filters regularly, and consider a pool cover or even turn off the pump completely during the winter months.

Set air conditioner temperature range

If you have installed an air conditioner unit in your home, make sure that the temperature is set between 21°C and 24°C both in winter and summer. Most air conditioners are not designed to operate outside of this range and will use far more energy if set otherwise.

AB

CD

EF

G

Energy Efficiency Rating

92 - 100

81 - 91

69 - 80

55 - 68

39 - 54

21 - 38

1 - 20

Very energy efficient - lower running costs

Not energy efficient - higher running costs

Avoid leaving the fridge and oven doors open for more than 30 seconds

Keep the fridge well-stocked (an empty fridge uses more energy)

Use the kettle to boil water and don’t boil more than you need

Keep the lid on pots when cooking to reduce heat loss

Use a small convection or microwave oven rather than an eye-

level or under counter oven

Use an Wonderbag or Hot Box for slow cooking of rice, stews, soups etc.

Buy local products not imported products that have travelled from far

Support Meat Free Mondays and prepare vegetarian main meals at least once a week (www.supportmfm.co.za).

Simple tips for an energy efffiificient kitchen:


Water conservationWater efficient fittings

Despite it being a critical sustainability issue, water conservation seldom receives the necessary priority it deserves largely because the domestic cost of water is still very low. However, this will change soon because (like electricity) provision of water to households will cost consumers more and more as municipalities hike rates and taxes to cover increasing infrastructure and climate change costs.

To help you save water at home, Garden Cities has installed approved water-efficient tap aerators, low-flow showerheads and dual-flush toilets in all bathrooms and kitchens.

Run-off & landscaping

Garden Cities landscapers have made sure that indigenous vegetation and natural run-off areas in and around our developments are protected and rehabilitated. This reduces the risk of flooding from storm water run-off and damage to property, as well as maintaining healthy wetlands.

Ground cover such as grasses and shrubs are nature’s means of absorbing, cleaning and channelling rainwater run-off. Direct run-off often results in chemicals, oils, acids, and phosphates etc. contaminating and polluting surface or underground water and destroying species diversity.

For each home, we have installed underground infiltration chamber systems made from recycled plastic to filter storm water safely to the soil. Surrounding our housing units, we have created natural green corridors with reed bed catchment ponds to help drain direct and indirect water run-off. This promotes and restores the local ecosystems, attracts wildlife and provides leisure parks for our communities to enjoy.

The council encourages us to report any water wastage or pollution to the Water Services technical operations centre on: 0860 10 3054,

SMS line 31373 or e-mail [email protected].

Tips for conserving waterKnow how much water you use

Water saving begins with knowing how much you are using. Consider these figures for a household:

• 80 to 150 litres of water per bath• 80 litres for a 5-minute shower• 10 to 20 litres per toilet flush• 50 to 100 litres for a load of washing

Did you know?

Per minute, an old showerhead uses around 30 litres of water

while an efficient one uses less than 10 litres

Did you know?

An average middle-income household without water-efficient

fittings and appliances could easily use around 250 to 300

litres of fresh drinking water per person per day?


Plant water-wise gardens

Gardens with small lawns, indigenous plants and other varieties well suited to the Western Cape are more weather-tolerant and require far less water. If you do plant lawns, fine couch grass (“kweek”) or indigenous buffalo grass are recommended while thirsty kikuyu grass is best avoided.

Use drip irrigation not sprinklers

Bubblers and drip irrigation systems are better than using sprinklers because they reduce the amount of water lost by evaporation and direct water at low level where it is absorbed most. Timers, soil moisture monitors and weather sensors are also useful devices to install with these systems for automatic watering.

Install a water leak detection system

A water leak safety trip device monitors your water consumption and protects your water supply by automatically detecting leaks, running toilets, dripping taps, and burst or cracked water pipes as they occur.

Immediately a leak is detected the system will shut off the water supply to prevent wastage, damage and extra costs.

Harvest rainwater from your roof

Rainwater harvested off the roof of your home through a simple system of gutters and downpipes to a plastic or stainless steel storage tank can supplement your garden irrigation and other water needs like washing the car.

Stored water can easily become contaminated and should be used quickly and is not for drinking.

Recycle your grey water

Sewerage water from the toilet is known as black water while other wastewater from the bath, shower, and the washing machine for example is grey water. Treating and recycling grey water is an important part of water conservation since it reduces the amount of fresh water used for non-drinking purposes.

A grey water system can be installed to filter and clean water for use in your garden, and even be piped back to provide recycled water to flush toilets. Kitchen water is generally not recycled in this system as it contains much bacteria, which are disruptive to the system.

Local water by laws

The City of Cape Town has passed new bylaws that

promote good water demand management practices, including the following:

No watering of residential gardens between 10h00 and 16h00

Hosepipes must be fitted with automatic self-closing devices

No automatic top-up systems fed from a potable (drinking) water may be

used to supply swimming pools and ponds

No person may hose down hard surfacing or paved areas using

potable water (rather sweep with a broom)

The maximum flow rate from a tap installed in a hand basin may not exceed

six litres per minute.

Toilet cisterns may not exceed 9,5 litres in capacity.

Did you know?

• A fast dripping tap can waste 80 litres a day

• A toilet with silent running leak can waste 170 litres a day

• A burst household pipe can leak 70, 000 litres a day


Waste minimisationRethink, reduce, re-use & recycle

Buying re-usable products made from eco-friendly materials with reduced packaging and recycling in mind is a first step towards waste minimisation. Following this, separation of waste at source becomes the next important part when implementing an effective recycling system.

To encourage homeowners to manage their waste and support the City of Cape Town’s recycling initiatives Garden Cities have installed a separate bin system fin each of its new homes.

Twin-bin system

In a simple two-bin system, one bin (or bag) is used to collect all recyclables while the other is used for non-recyclables that will be disposed of at a landfill site. Recyclables can either be placed ready for collection by the municipality or independent service (if operating in the area), or taken directly to a nearby drop-off site or a materials recovery facility.

Tips for managing your wasteThink before you buy

Much of our domestic waste comes from our daily and weekly purchases, especially groceries that are heavily packaged in plastic.

To help guide you in managing your waste when shopping for groceries, ask yourself:

• Can I buy in bulk and share?• Does the product have only necessary packaging?• Is the packaging recyclable or compostable?• Is the packaging made from recycled materials?• Can I re-use the packaging or containers?

Know plastic packaging labels

Plastic is one of the main sources of packaging waste and should be recycled wherever possible. The type of plastic is important information for recycling and this is usually shown on a product by the polylogo symbol where the number refers to the specific type of plastic.

All plastic types shown here can be recycled except for #7 (composite materials like refill sachets and laminated foils e.g. chip packets) and #3 (PVC) both of which are not easily recycable.

What can be recycledYES PLEASE - RECYCLABLE MATERIAL

PAPER: paper, flattened and folded cardboard, newspapers and magazines

GLASS: rinsed bottles and jars

PLASTICS: bags, rinsed bottles and containers

METAL: rinsed food tins and drink cans

TETRA PACKS: foil lined juice boxes and milk containers

BATTERIES

Please remove lids and caps. Rinse and empty all containers. Flatten all plastic

containers and cardboard. Prevent glass items from breaking.

What cannot be recycledNO THANK YOU - NON-RECYCLABLE MATERIAL

Cling wrap or disposable nappies

CHEMICALS: paint, toothpaste tubes, motor oil containers, acid or solvents

ORGANIC WASTE: food scraps, vegetable peel, garden waste

Clothing or shoes

Wet, dirty, or contaminated items


Recycle batteries, printer cartridges & CFLs correctly

Electronic waste including batteries, printer cartridges and CFL lamps should not be put in the general waste bin but should be disposed of as hazardous waste at approved or council drop-off sites. There are collection points for safe disposal of these at Pick ‘n Pay stores, Macro, Builder’s Warehouse and most Woolworths branches.

Composting

Separating organic waste for composting will not only help you manage your waste and recycle more easily, but also produce natural fertilizer for your garden and even help you grow your own organic veggies.

Organic matter such as vegetable peels, egg shells, tea bags and other uncooked food (except meat and bones) should not be put into the bin and sent to landfill, but rather composted in the natural way.

During composting, micro-organisms eat the organic (carbon containing) waste and break it down to produce fibre-rich, carbon-containing humus with inorganic nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. While compost heaps work well in a reasonably sized garden if attended to correctly, many homeowners are using other forms of composting such as worm farms and Bokashi systems, which are good for smaller properties and urban living.

Worm farms are clean and efficient decomposers of raw food and vegetables producing dry compost and highly nutritious liquid fertilizer known as “worm tea”. The Bokashi system has no worms, but uses a special natural probiotic to break down organic matter including meat and bones without causing odours or attracting pests. Both are readily available at most nurseries or home & garden stores.

YES!Yard waste:

leaves, grass clippings, plant trimmings

Paper products: wet or food soiled boxboard and

paper

Napkins, facial tissues

wax-coated cardboard and boxboard

Food waste: fruits and vegetables

dairy products

eggs & egg shells

fish & shellfish

bones, grease & fat

cooked meat

small amounts of raw meat (trimmings only)

bread, pasta, rice, cereal, flour

coffee grounds & filters, tea bags

no!plastic

tin cans / metal

glass

tetra-paks

aluminum foil

rubber products

clothing / textiles

dead animals / carcasses

cigarette butts and ashes

pet faeces / cat litter

styrofoam

bandageswh

at

go

es

in

th

e

co

mp

os

t b

in:


Tips for protecting local biodiversityMany household detergents, cleaning products, pesticides and fertilizers contain harmful chemicals that disrupt ecosystems and threaten biodiversity particularly if they enter the storm water drains directly. It is best to always use environmentally friendly products for all activities in the home.

Use biodegradable cleaning products

Although in relatively small quantities cleaning products such as dishwashing liquids, washing powders, floor, toilet and car cleaners and bleach include active ingredients and foaming or dispersing surfactants (surface active agents) that are toxic. Chemicals can accumulate very quickly with daily use and leach into natural water systems if not used carefully.

Wash your car on a grassed area

When washing your car in the driveway of your home or the road, soaps as well as the acids and oils from the car wash off directly into the storm water drain and into the local river, vlei or wetland ecosystem.

It is best to wash your car on a grassed area where the vegetation and soil can filter and disperse the pollutants naturally.

Use eco-friendly paints & wood seals

For home maintenance, use water-based low volatile organic compound (VOC) paints and wood seals. Remember too that used paint tins are hazardous waste and must not be put in the general waste bin but rather taken to a recognised recycler or council drop-off site.

Documents

Building Communities - Greening Guide for Home Owners · 2019-07-06 · Tips for managing your waste 17 Tips for protecting local biodiversity 19. 2013 3 ... The Sustainability Challenge