Joy Tshingana, a facilitator for the Empowerment of Food Security Programme (EFSP) at Lima, attended the 2011 International Youth Culture and Study Tour in Taiwan which is located in the Republic of China. Delegates from Europe, Africa and Latin America were invited to share their diverse cultural experiences as well as the protection procedures each country undergoes to ensure the preservation of their environment for future generations.

Representatives were taken to DA-AI Technology, an organisation that successfully uses an integrated process to transform PET (polyethylene terephthalate) bottles into useful fabrics. Since 2006, the PET fabric has been used to make eco blankets which have been distributed over 18 countries in support of their humanitarian relief efforts.  

Joy described that human beings are the ones that pollute the environment, and they are the only ones who have the ability to clean it. “At DA-AI Technology they encourage people to bring in all kinds of plastics which they then organise into their specific types for recycling. In South Africa, people can do the same. In fact, our participants in Msunduzi who are busy maintaining their homestead gardens for nutrition purposes, can also collect cans or steel items and get paid a decent rate as an added income source.”

In every country across the world, positive things can only come of recycling different forms of waste. The environment will be cleaner as the amount of waste deposited at landfill sites will decrease. Additionally, there are now incentives for people recycling which promotes a form of continuous income to those who possess entrepreneurial characteristics.