Die etiket sê of ons die plastiek kan herwin.

No. In this sentence, of means whether / if, not English of.

So:

• Die etiket sê of ... = The label says whether ...

This is a very common point of confusion for English speakers, because the Afrikaans word of often means:

• or in some contexts
• whether / if in sentences like this

Here it introduces an indirect yes/no question: whether we can recycle the plastic.

Because after of introducing a subordinate clause, Afrikaans uses subordinate-clause word order.

That means the finite verb is pushed toward the end:

• main clause: Ons kan die plastiek herwin.
• subordinate clause: ... of ons die plastiek kan herwin.

So:

• ons = subject
• die plastiek = object
• kan = modal verb
• herwin = main verb at the end

This is similar to Dutch and German-style word order, and it is one of the most important grammar patterns in Afrikaans.

Because kan is a modal verb meaning can / be able to, and herwin is the main verb meaning recycle.

In Afrikaans, modal verbs are often followed by another verb in the infinitive form:

• Ons kan herwin. = We can recycle.
• Hy wil gaan. = He wants to go.

In a subordinate clause, the modal and the main verb both move toward the end:

• ... of ons die plastiek kan herwin.

Because in this kind of subordinate clause, the verb cluster goes at the end.

Compare:

• Ons herwin die plastiek. = main clause
• Ons kan die plastiek herwin. = main clause with modal
• ... of ons die plastiek kan herwin. = subordinate clause

So the end position of herwin is not random; it is part of normal Afrikaans syntax.

Herwin literally has the idea of recover / win back / reclaim, and in many contexts it is used for recycle.

So in this sentence, die plastiek kan herwin means the plastic can be recycled or we can recycle the plastic, depending on how the meaning is presented.

You may also encounter other recycling-related expressions in real life, but herwin is a standard and useful word to know.

Yes, ons means we.

In this sentence:

• of ons die plastiek kan herwin = whether we can recycle the plastic

Afrikaans does not change the verb for different persons in the way English does as much, so ons is especially important because it clearly shows who the subject is.

Because die is the definite article in Afrikaans, meaning the.

So:

• die etiket = the label
• die plastiek = the plastic

Afrikaans uses die for singular nouns and plural nouns, unlike English which just uses the for everything anyway. So here it is simply the normal definite article before each noun.

Afrikaans often uses the definite article where English also uses the, especially when talking about a specific item or material in a specific context.

Here, die plastiek probably refers to the particular plastic item/package being discussed, not plastic in general as a material.

So:

• plastiek = plastic in general
• die plastiek = the plastic, this particular plastic item/material

Sê means say / says.

In this sentence:

• Die etiket sê ... = The label says ...

The mark on ê is a circumflex. It helps show pronunciation and spelling. Afrikaans uses accents more sparingly than some languages, but they do appear in common words like sê.

For a learner, the key thing is simply to recognize sê as the common verb to say.

Yes, it is natural.

Afrikaans often uses sê in contexts where English might also say says:

• Die bord sê ... = The sign says ...
• Die etiket sê ... = The label says ...

So this is not overly literal or strange. It sounds normal.

In English, if and whether can overlap, but here whether is the best translation.

That is because of introduces an indirect question about possibility:

• whether we can recycle the plastic

It is not really a condition like:

• If we recycle the plastic, ...

So the Afrikaans of here is asking about a yes/no outcome, not setting up a condition.

It breaks down like this:

• Die etiket = the subject of the main clause
• sê = the main verb
• of ons die plastiek kan herwin = a subordinate clause acting as what the label says

So the pattern is:

• [Main clause] + [subordinate clause introduced by of]

More literally:

• The label says whether we can recycle the plastic.

This is a useful model for many other sentences in Afrikaans.

As a direct statement, it would be:

• Ons kan die plastiek herwin. = We can recycle the plastic.

When that idea becomes part of a larger sentence after of, the word order changes:

• Die etiket sê of ons die plastiek kan herwin.

This comparison is a good way to learn Afrikaans sentence structure:

1. learn the simple main clause
2. then see how it changes after words like of.

Yes: the biggest takeaway is the subordinate clause word order.

After of meaning whether, Afrikaans does not keep the normal English-like order. Instead, the verb moves toward the end:

• Ons kan die plastiek herwin.
• ... of ons die plastiek kan herwin.

If you remember that pattern, you will understand many more Afrikaans sentences more easily.