reuse

Africa Day gave the 2016 participants of Miss Earth South Africa a chance to get their hands dirty when they planted trees at Midrand Primary School, all in the name of protecting our environment.

The 10 young designers at Soulart recycle waste, turning it into artful, sought-after items. They work under the genial eye of founder Brian Sibusiso Mokhachane, who says his initiative is helping to create jobs and tackle drug abuse and littering.

Deforestation is a cause close to the heart of Carla Viktor, Miss Earth South Africa. She has devoted much energy to tree planting, and will be taking her message to the international Miss Earth competition, where she will be an ambassador for South Africa's earth warriors.

Here's what recycling does for the environment, the economy, and the manufacturing industries.

Recycling helps reduce energy used during manufacturing, freeing it up to be used for other purposes such as lighting and heating.

A number of companies around the country make it simple to recycle plastics, paper, glass and even building materials. Here's a guide to recycling across South Africa.

The idea is simple: save land by sending as little rubbish to solid waste landfills as possible. As more people consume more things, more waste is generated. This means more land needs to be given over to containing rubbish – land that could have been used for agriculture or housing, for example.

Recycling is all the rage if you're a committed greenie; but there are important dos and don'ts you need to know to separate and recycle your rubbish properly.