MechChem Africa December 2018

⎪ Environmental management, waste and cleaning technologies ⎪

it also uses considerably less water than a conventional spaghetti mop, for example. “While saving energy is important, con- serving water is equally, if not more impor- tant. By utilising basic water conservation techniques, cleaning contractors are able to save thousands of litres of water each year. The world has limited supplies of fresh wa- ter, and surelyeverydropcounts,” concludes Venter. q Interwaste is a leading environmental solutions management company in South Africa and the SADC region, offering holistic environmental solutions, ranging from legal compliance, technical services, on-site man- agement services, resource recovery, solid and liquidwaste treatment, waste commodity trading, waste logistics, waste disposal and facilities management. Interwaste employs 1 500 people nationally and, through them, commits itself daily to the highest standards of ethical business practice. q waste pickers can also becomemore empow- ered and hopefully employ othermembers of the community – thus further contributing to combating unemployment. Waste management can no longer be approached with a linear mindset – and we need to be thinking ahead, adopting an all- encompassing view, with innovative and best practice for recycling andwaste reform. And, succeeding in this will take significant buy-in fromGovernment,corporateSouthAfricaand individual citizens. Every sphereof societyhas a shared interest and therefore an important role toplay in adopting positive behaviours to reduce their waste; practice separating and recycling at source; and to contribute to the overall sustainable waste management aims of the country.

South Africa needs to invest at least R33‑billion each year for the next 10 years to ensure water security, or run the risk of dams running dry, according to the Department of Water and Sanitation. The recent drought conditions in some of the provinces in South Africa, mainly the Western and Eastern Cape regions, are clear signs that the water crisis reality is hitting home. “It is therefore imperative for water- intensive businesses to start investigating ways to reduce their consumption. At GCE, we have always been ahead of the curve when it comes to the provision of water- saving cleaning technologies that can boost our customers’ profitability. For example, within our Tennant range, we have two technologies – ec-H2O NanoClean and ES (extended scrubbing) – that definitely es- tablishnewbenchmarks inwater efficiency,” explains Venter. He adds that detergent-free cleaning is a big trend in the commercial cleaning sector Another programme that will lend great support to the National Waste Management Strategy is the initiative launched by the City of Johannesburg in July this year making it legally compulsory to separate at source. This is a prime example of the types of policies, structures and systems that cities and local municipalities across the country are going to need tobegin instituting and implementing, in support of and in order to adhere to national legislation. And, although the logistics of the City of Johannesburg’s programme are still being finalised and it will thus be rolled out in a staged approach, the ideal is that all house- hold and public and private sector entities take their fair share of accountability. This meansensuringthattheyseparatetheirwaste at their residences/buildings, using colour coded plastic bags – such as blue for glass and plastic, and green for biodegradable waste, for example. This will make it easier for the wastemanagement company responsible for the collections to ensure that all the waste is appropriately recycled or disposed of. Other initiatives that shouldn’t go unno- ticed or uncommended are the efforts and commitments already being made by private companies to adjust some of their business practices.

For example, with Tennant’s ec-H2O NanoClean technology – which electrically converts water into an innovative, deter- gent-free solution that cleans effectively – customers can savemoney, while reducing their environmental impact compared to daily floor cleaning chemicals. “The con- vertedwateriscreatedbyanon-boarde-cell that generatesmillions of nano-bubbles that promote the cleaning efficacy,” says Venter. Tennant’s ES technology from GCE recycles cleaning solutions through a three-stage filtering system. “Scrubber- dryers equipped with the ES system can recycle cleaning solutions, result- ing in extended scrubbing uptime and improved productivity. This allows for anupto66%decreaseinwaterconsump- tion and waste disposal,” he says. GCEalsooffersKaivac’sOmniFlex Dispense-and-Vac system, which is ideal for the heaviest soil and grease conditions. It dispenses very little wa- ter via a spigot and agitating brush. Apart from being up to 60 times better at remov- ing soil and contaminants than mopping, For example, in support of global and local movementsagainsttheuseofnon-degradable and plastic packaging, several of the major South African retailers have begun introduc- ing recyclable shopping bags. Woolworths has committed to making all its own-brand plastic packaging reusable and recyclable by 2022, while Pick ‘n Pay has become the first South African retailer to trial compostable bags, designed to break down after three to six months as opposed to 500 to 1 000 years. These retailers are tobe commended for their efforts andshouldserveas examples toothers in this industry. While recycling offersmany environmen- tal benefits, its ability to create jobs cannot be emphasised enough. In fact, the waste picker sector is on the increase and plays a key role in South Africa’s recycling strategy. Further to this, waste pickers are reported to make between R290 to R770 from thewaste they collect, demonstrating the potential of waste in creating an income stream for individuals. As recycling becomes more of a national priority, it presents more opportunities for waste pickers to work as one-man-bands to support their families, or potentially to orga- nise themselves into small businesses. With this inmind, if given the correct resources, the

Water-efficient floor cleaning technology Gregory Venter, MD of Goscor Cleaning Equipment (GCE), reports that there is a growing demand for innovative cleaning technologies to conserve water. as theprofessional cleaning industry contin- ues to find greener ways to clean.

December 2018 • MechChem Africa ¦ 27