GARDEN ROUTE | KAROO NEWS - The founder of a Johannesburg based recycling company is aiming to not only tackle the dire need for recycling in South Africa but also bridging the unemployment gap by stimulating entrepreneurship, one upcycled item at a time.
Winnie McHenry is an upcycling pioneer who advocates the ‘produce less, reuse more’ philosophy.
Her journey goes back to before ‘upcycling’ was even a term. “I have always been passionate about people and the environment, and this is what led me to be part of Greenpeace and similar organisations.
“I had started a website called Crafty Corner and on the site, I had a section about recycling projects. Then, in early 2006, I stumbled across the term ‘upcycle’ and it was an instant hit with me.
“I decided to start a separate company, called Upcycle, which enabled me to realise my dream of diverting waste from landfills and teaching people the skills needed to become upcyclers.”
She believes that most products have a use beyond their original purpose.
McHenry says South Africa has one of the world’s highest unemployment rates (35.3% Q4 2021), which means that millions of South Africans have limited or no income.
“It is necessary to change ingrained attitudes and develop a new outlook among potential entrepreneurs by showing them how to grow an entrepreneurial spirit,” she says.
Through Johannesburg-based Upcycle, she plays a vital role in nurturing community-based responses to create employment and income-generation opportunities through community development.
“I believe that through education and skills transfer, we can turn individuals into crafters and change their mindsets from a ‘throw-away’ mentality to a more sustainable upcycling mentality, thereby relieving the burden we place on our environment and uplifting our communities sustainably.”
Why recycle and upcycle?
According to the latest State of Waste Report, South Africa generates around 107.7 million tonnes of waste annually. The worst yet is that 90% of this waste has a recyclable path, yet Statistics South Africa estimates that the country is recycling only about 10% of that waste.
She says this should be enough to frighten anyone and make them stop and think before they bin something. “In fact, it should make them think before they even purchase the items… people should always be asking: ‘Do I really need this’?”
Upcycling gains traction
Upcycling as a concept had a fairly slow growth until early 2016, says McHenry. Since then, there has been massive growth in the number of companies and concepts adopting the term.
“I think that in the years to come, it will be a word that will be first on everyone’s lips, even before they talk recycling. This is because of the massive advantage to economic upliftment that is possible through adopting upcycling as a concept.”
McHenry is inspired by how children and teens look at waste and how they are more aware of its value than previous generations.
She says that in days gone by, parents taught their children not to litter, but believes today’s children are teaching their parents to be more aware of their consumer habits and their handling of solid waste.
Most innovative upcycled item
McHenry says the upcycled item that has most impressed her is an off-grid water heater.
Invented by Canadian homesteaders and shared via Exploring Alternatives’ YouTube channel, the water heater is multi-functional. “They took the idea of a rocket stove – a compact, wood-burning stove with a combustion chamber, which is awesome to start with, and added the additional function of boiling water for bathing.”
It can also be used as a cooktop or a heat source.
“Rocket stoves are amazing in that they are so super-efficient to start with, but they can also be run on any number of reconstituted fuels, such as wood shavings that have been turned into briquettes.”
Join the self-sustainability revolution
Sustainability is the ability to exist and develop without depleting natural resources for the future.
Imagine a world in which you do not have to rely on anyone for your needs. Eskom outages, water failures, less-than-fresh fruit and veg in stores and other challenges that add to the stress of modern living would simply be shrugged off because you have created a bubble of self-sustainability.
People are increasingly going back to the basics of growing their food, minimising their reliance on state services and reducing their carbon footprint. Isn’t it time you embarked on your self-sustainability journey?
It starts with baby steps and leads to a lifestyle revolution.
