The improper disposal of waste is one of the fastest growing risks to our planet and way of life. Rotting food leads to increases in methane gasses as the food decomposes in landfills. To address this, the City of Cape Town plans to start banning wet waste from its landfills from 2022. The Waste Transformers from the Netherlands and South Africa’s own JSE-listed … [Read more...]
School receives solar power unit thanks to Khayelitsha ‘eco warriors’
A high school in Salt River, Cape Town has received a new solar power unit, thanks to environmental justice warriors from Khayelitsha. The 3.96kWp solar system will save the school around R 8 200.00 on its annual electricity bill. It will also help the school cut back 5 tons on its yearly carbon emissions. The school was awarded a Wessa Eco-Schools flag in 2017. The project … [Read more...]
Pretoria sweeps clean in record-breaking school recycling programme
Pretoria claimed top spot at the Coca-Cola Beverages SA Schools Recycling Awards on Thursday, with schools from the capital city winning the coveted prize in both the high school and primary school categories. Kgadime Matsepe Secondary School and Tshiluvhi Primary School were declared the winners after collecting a total of 44.2 tonnes and 64.8 tonnes respectively in the … [Read more...]
Christmas windows: from waste to wow!
A local empowerment project hopes to raise awareness of the importance of re-using, re-purposing and recycling plastics. Woolworths will be giving a new spin on the concept of a ‘waste not, want not’ festive season this year as locally-made repurposed plastic flower artworks are the focal point of their Christmas windows in the top 15 stores. The show-stopping designs … [Read more...]
PET recycling champions lauded for inspirational efforts
Job creation, innovation and poverty alleviation are just some of the major achievements by several recycling initiatives that are currently taking place in South Africa – these initiatives are making a tangible difference at grassroots level in communities. This was celebrated by the PET Recycling Company (PETCO), the national recycling body for PET plastics, in the form of … [Read more...]
Cape Town museum depicts global water story
Water is the most vital resource for life on Earth and no living thing exists without it. The global water story exhibition, H2O Today, examines the diversity and challenges of water sources worldwide and promote conversation, creativity and innovation through art, science and technology. The exhibition is now on at the Iziko South African Museum in Cape Town. An … [Read more...]
SA parliament finds “no persuasive arguments against nuclear”
Yesterday, the Portfolio Committee on Energy (PCE) delivered its report on the Department of Energy’s (DoE) Integrated Resource Plan (IRP), to Parliament. According to the Southern African Faith Communities’ Environment Institute (SAFCEI), Parliament has once again failed to act in the people’s best interest, stating that it found “no persuasive arguments against … [Read more...]
Reducing beach pollution with lolly stick bins
A new retrieval project aims to reduce the amount of plastic waste found on South Africa's beaches. According to John Kieser, Sustainability Manager at Plastics|SA, plastic sticks such as those typically used for earbuds, sucker/lollypops and straws, continue to be one of the biggest pollutants on our country's urban beaches. “We’ve had great success with removing … [Read more...]
Shock judgement in KwaZulu-Natal coal mining case
The incomprehensible judgement handed down by the Pietermaritzburg High Court yesterday morning dismissed with costs the application by Sabelo Dladla, the Global Environmental Trust (GET) and Mfolozi Community Environmental Justice Organisation (MCEJO). This will not go unchallenged. In essence, the applicants approached the High Court when their attorney found the mine had … [Read more...]
Proposed offshore KZN oil drilling strongly opposed
These are many of the reasons ONO objects to how the EIA process has been handled for the Sasol / ENI proposed exploration for 2019 off the KZN coastline. This letter serves to lodge an objection to the proposed exploration for the reasons listed below. It also serves to highlight numerous contentious issues with this DEIAR process. Our primary concern is that there is clear … [Read more...]
Leading food packaging producer joins PET recycling company
Amid mounting pressure on major retailers and brand owners to be more environmentally-minded, one of the country’s leading food packaging producers has become the first in the PET thermoform plastics sector to join voluntary national Extended Producer Responsibility body the PET Recycling Company (PETCO). The move signals a changing sentiment among producers amid a tidal … [Read more...]
Coalition calls on AfDB to commit to 100% renewable future
In a bid to have Africa commit to 100% renewable energy and to increase transparency in the continent’s energy sector, Zero – a coalition campaign between climate change volunteers and Non-Profit Organisations (NGOs) around the continent – was launched yesterday on the side-lines of the African Development Bank’s (AfDB) Africa Investment Forum in Johannesburg, South … [Read more...]
Environmental service program offers youth employment and training
The environment, as well as the employment of young people, women and people living with disabilities, got a boost from the Department of Environmental Affairs’ Youth Environmental Services (YES) programme implemented in Gauteng by the Delta Environmental Centre, with 120 recruits graduating on 5 November. Five of them have already been employed by private companies and four … [Read more...]
