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The earth is engulfed in plastic. It is a pollution disaster

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Plastic consumption is growing worldwide by up to 8% a year and, by last year, 360 million tons will have been produced.

Only about 0.5% of all plastic is produced in South Africa, but it still represents about 1.5 million tons a year, according to a report from a comprehensive investigation into the plastics industry that was launched by the department of environment, forestry and fisheries in 2017.

One of the biggest challenges is packaging. Internationally, only 14% of this kind of plastic is recycled, with the rest landing up in landfills. Just more than half of the plastic processed in South Africa is used for packaging, says the report, which is called Plastics Material Flow and End of Life Management in South Africa.

Countries around the world use different policies, starting with the manufacturing process through to waste management to restrict the environmental impact of plastic.

Austria, France, Italy and Denmark levy taxes to make plastic packaging more expensive and to encourage the use of environmentally friendly alternatives, the report from the department of environment, forestry and fisheries states.

A deposit system, allowing consumers to return packaging and use branded recyclable packaging instead pays off with the recycling of glass and cans in the US and Europe. In Scandinavian countries, consumers receive cash when they return plastic containers.

In Russia, Japan and Brazil, businesses are responsible for recycling. In Russia, all plastic packaging must be made up of at least 10% recycled material and, in Japan, companies are financing government recycling projects.

Waste management is also strictly regulated to improve the way plastic is disposed of.

Most people in Europe are legally required to sort their garbage at home and pay for what they throw away. Recyclable garbage is removed for free or for a small fee, but for the rest, there is a substantial payment made by the household.

In further efforts to prevent landfills from becoming larger and larger, the Netherlands and Austria impose high taxes on all refuse dumped there.

China and the US burn plastic as an energy source, but Belgium and Norway levy a high duty on waste burning due to air pollution concerns.

The department’s research shows that an integrated regulatory approach across the lifetime of plastics gives the best results when it comes to reducing consumption and encouraging recycling.

Only about 30% of the plastic in South Africa is recyclable – a similar rate to that in Europe – the report noted.

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For example, the plastic in electronic waste remains in rubbish dumps after the metals have been removed. According to EnviroServe Waste Management, South Africa produced up to 360 000 tons of this waste in 2014.

The plastic parts of cars are also difficult to recycle because they are made of different types of plastic.

Packaging, which accounts for 53% of all plastics in the country, creates one of the biggest problems.

Among the challenges are the costs (which must compete with the manufacture of new plastics), the lack of a market for recycled materials, nonrecyclable multilayer packaging, poorly designed packaging and containers where the type of plastic they are made of cannot be identified. Different types of plastic are recycled with different processes and at varying temperatures.

Meanwhile, government wants to see that brands take greater responsibility for the recyclability of their packaging by, for example, restricting dyes and printing to the minimum.

Consumers can also be empowered if there are labels on products that clearly indicate what is actually recycled in South Africa.

In the report, the department expresses its concern about “green washing”, where packaging is, for example, labelled as recyclable, but is not so in practice.

The sorting of waste for recycling at home and at businesses is one of the most important steps for successful recycling worldwide.

Information on how many South Africans are involved in this is limited, but data that the department was able to gather showed that Cape Town was far ahead of the rest of the country.

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Mountains of trouble: At least 50% of all plastic in SA ends up in our landfills.

Up to 60% of households in Cape Town that have access to a disposal service sort their waste into recyclable and nonrecyclable materials. In Knysna and Overstrand, about 55% of households make this effort. In comparison, only 18% of households in Johannesburg do this.

Legislation and regulations already exist regarding how to deal with local waste, but many are hampered by a shortage of resources.

Government is trying to find ways to overcome this, the report says.

Meanwhile, there will always be plastic that cannot be recycled, “therefore, the idea of plastic as an energy source should not be overlooked. International research shows that the most environmentally friendly solution for some types of plastic is to use it as an energy source.”

The report recommends that further research be conducted to use this plastic for fuel for drying ovens in which bricks and cement are dried, for example.

  • This project is reported by City Press and paid for by the department of environment, forestry and fisheries
Almost invisible ... but deadly

The government is considering a ban on microbeads because these tiny plastic particles cause an enormous pollution problem, in the oceans in particular.

Microplastics have a diameter of less than 5 mm and finish up in the sea because they cannot be removed from water sources. Marine animals eat this, and eventually it ends up in people’s bodies, the DEA report states.

The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) warns that microplastics are already polluting our freshwater resources. Other sources of microplastics are trye wear, synthetic fabric (bit that come off when you wash your clothes) and glitter, the WWF says. 

Microbeads are manufactured with diameter of less than 1mm for inclusion in cosmetics and detergents (abrasives). The use of these is already banned in the UK, Ireland, Canada and the Netherlands. 

Minister calls for urgent action

Environment, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Barbara Creecy laid out her plans for dealing with plastic waste during her 2019/20 budget speech in Parliament:

“Going forward, we must set up a multistakeholder implementation partnership, including at the highest levels of government.

The management of waste and, in particular, single-use plastic waste, is a matter that also requires our most urgent and pressing attention.

Our plastic bag regulations and the plastic bag levy are two mechanisms government has used to influence consumer behaviour and reduce littering. This is clearly not sufficient.

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Leading by example, Environment, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Barbara Creecy participates in a Good Green Deeds clean-up campaign in Mamelodi, Pretoria, earlier this year

The department is assessing single-use plastic products – plastic carrier bags, straws, earbuds, crockery and cutlery – and we will be conducting various stakeholder engagements in this regard.

We want to see consumers challenge their favourite stores; we want to see the retailers challenging their suppliers; and we want to see suppliers coming up with real and sustainable solutions.

With proper coordination and consumer action, voluntary change can be a sustainable and cost-effective solution.

Happily, our plastics industry is already looking at local innovations to give these products a second, sustainable life in, among other sectors, the building, construction and furniture-making industries.

Importantly, the global plastic waste crisis challenges the take-make-use-dispose approach to production and consumption.

There is no waste in a circular economy – when we have finished with something, it becomes the raw material for something else.”

We cannot turn a blind eye any longer

Despite policy interventions to discourage and minimise the use of plastics, more than 50% of the plastic used in South Africa still ends up in our landfill sites. The Plastic Colloquium taking place in Gauteng on Thursday and Friday seeks to address and prevent this.

While the plastics economy makes a significant contribution to the GDP of many countries through the support it provides to manufacturing and related sectors, plastics are increasingly considered to be one of the most problematic waste streams occupying landfill sites, illegal dumping sites, rivers and, ultimately, oceans, leading to dire consequences for aquatic life.

South Africa is addressing the challenge of plastic pollution and its effects on human health and the environment. The study conducted by the department of environment, forestry and fisheries in 2017 on Plastics Materials Flow confirms that packaging constitutes the largest component of single-use plastic waste generated in the country. The generation of single-use plastic waste will increase as the population grows and as urban areas expand.

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Killing fields: Plastic pollution in our oceans is one of the gravest threats to our survival.

Numerous efforts have been made through policy interventions to minimise the use of plastics with the aim to address their impact on the environment and human health, however, despite these interventions, plastic waste remains one of the worst waste streams in the country.

The latest National State of Waste Report indicates that more than half of the plastic used in South Africa still ends up in landfills, and the current policy instruments have proven to be ineffective in delivering the expected results.

There are persistent challenges regarding compliance and enforcement, and the colloquium will bring together stakeholders to come up with clear objectives that will influence policy direction for plastic waste management.

The colloquium’s main objectives are to:
  • Create a platform to engage with representatives of government, the private sector and civil society in building more effective partnerships to enhance plastic waste management;
  • Promote discussions on sustainable management of plastic waste in the country;
  • Create a national platform for the exchange of information on best practice, and identify and address bottlenecks regarding management of plastic waste in the country;
  • Identify the key economic opportunities that could be realised from plastic waste and discuss how to incorporate the informal sector in plastic waste recycling;
  • Deliberate on mechanisms for the effective delivery and support of waste management services by municipalities; and
  • Deliberate on technologies for plastic waste management suitable for South Africa.

The Plastic Colloquium will target 300 participants. The emphasis will be on bringing together all stakeholders to discuss recent research, awareness campaigns, international best practices and policy direction around tackling the issues associated with plastic waste.

Participants include the national departments of environment, forestry and fisheries; cooperative governance; trade and industry; science and innovation; agriculture and rural development; water and human settlements; mineral resources; public enterprises; health; performance monitoring and evaluation; small business development; and labour, as well as Treasury.

Other entities that will be responsible are the provincial departments of environment and local government; civil society organisations; faith-based organisations; the SA Local Government Association; the National Economic Development and Labour Council; municipalities; private sector industries active in plastic waste management; environmental protection nongovernmental organisations; organised labour; finance and development institutions; research bodies; and academia.

The colloquium will have key working groups as proposed by Environment, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Barbara Creecy:
  1.  Product standards validation/authentication/definition/labelling;
  2. Product design, development and innovation;
  3. Integration of the informal waste economy;
  4. Biodegradable and compostable plastics;
  5. Infrastructure; and
  6. Consumer education and awareness.

A comprehensive report and analysis will be generated after the colloquium and will inform areas that need enhancement and provide information on how plastic waste management can be improved.


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