Highlighting the solutions to issues of marine and land-based pollution in South Africa this week were national industry body for PET plastic recycling, PETCO, and the African Marine Waste Network. Extrupet, Africa’s leading PET and HDPE bottle recycling company, joined forces with PETCO, the industry body responsible for PET recycling in South Africa, and the Kenton-based … [Read more...]
Scientists have accidentally created a mutant enzyme that eats plastic waste
They found the first ones in Japan. Hidden in the soil at a plastics recycling plant, researchers unearthed a microbe that had evolved to eat the soda bottles dominating its habitat, after you and I throw them away. That discovery was announced in 2016, and scientists have now gone one better. While examining how the Japanese bug breaks down plastic, they accidentally … [Read more...]
Features to look for in an eco-friendly home
Being eco-friendly is no longer just a fad or trend; it’s a lifestyle choice and it’s here to stay. With the Western Cape’s current severe drought situation, and thousands of tonnes of waste poured into our landfills every year, there’s no time like the present to think more seriously about adopting the ‘green’ lifestyle. If you’re browsing for houses for sale, and want to … [Read more...]
Relieving pressure on Western Cape recycling
Demand for plastic bottles is at an all-time high in the Western Cape region. Because of this the local recycling capacity in the Western Cape is at maximum production and is unable to process the additional influx of bottles. PETCO Associate Member Oasis Water, recycling experts Extrupet, and PETCO are transporting 15MT of baled bottles to the Extrupet facility in Gauteng … [Read more...]
Pupils put heads together to discuss saving environment
Tuesday July 31 is calculated to be the day on which humanity’s resource consumption exceeds earth’s capacity to regenerate. This was according to Myles Siebrits, Rustenburg Girls’ High School campus manager, who was invited to Wynberg Boys’ High School to chat to the pupils about sustainability. Mr Siebrits says Earth Overshoot Day, previously known as Ecological Debt … [Read more...]
Sweden imports garbage to turn into energy
Sweden is so good at recycling that, for several years, it has imported rubbish from other countries to keep its recycling plants going. Less than 1 per cent of Swedish household waste was sent to landfill last year or any year since 2011. We can only dream of such an effective system in the UK, which is why we end up paying expensive transport costs to send rubbish to be … [Read more...]
Recycling tips for parched Capetonians
With the increasing severity of the drought in the Western Cape, the storage and consumption of bottled water is expected to increase, and PET plastic bottles are a safe and convenient way to do this. Here are PETCO’s tips for the reuse and recycling of your PET water bottles during the drought: If collecting from a water point, it will be helpful to re-use your PET … [Read more...]
Converting race waste into Green Desks
The #GOGREEN campaign – a waste management and anti-littering movement (a partnership between Old Mutual and WILDLANDS, supported by Polyco) was launched at the Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon (OMTOM) in 2017. Similarly, the Comrades Marathon Association were inspired by the success of this campaign in Cape Town and implemented #GOGREEN along 27km of the 87km Comrades route in … [Read more...]
Plastics pile up as China refuses to take the West’s recycling
Ever since China announced last year that it no longer wanted to be the “world’s garbage dump,” recycling about half of the globe’s plastics and paper products, Western nations have been puzzling over what to do when the ban went into effect, which it did on Jan. 1. The answer, to date, in Britain at least, is nothing. At least one waste disposal site in London is already … [Read more...]
New report shows that our world is just 9% circular
With more than 90% of the raw materials used globally not cycled back into the economy, our planet is left with a massive strain on its natural resources and climate that needs to be urgently relieved. This is according to the first “Circularity Gap Report” launched by Circle Economy at the World Economic Forum in Davos, which explores a metric for the circular state of the … [Read more...]
Recycling awards to honour this year’s exemplary agencies
Once again, the South African PET industry’s biggest celebration of recycling and waste management excellence are now open for nominations. The PETCO Awards recognise leadership and future-thinking across the PET industry and beyond in addressing recycling, reuse and waste minimisation. Winners are recognised by their peers for contributing to advancing PET recycling and … [Read more...]
Socially conscious films recognised in annual SIMA awards
The 6th annual Social Impact Media Awards (SIMA) have announced their finalists. Known for bridging the global gap between filmmakers and their audiences and encouraging thoughtful action, the annual SIMA Awards honor the works of content creators who are pushing the boundaries of social and political storytelling. "In 2017 we marched in some of the largest protests in … [Read more...]
Desks made from recycled waste help schools and the environment
Learners at City Kids Pre – and Primary School in Johannesburg were gifted 15 double – seater school desks made from recycled plastic pledged by Extrupet, PETCO and AKRARA as part of the Joburg City Clean – up earlier this year. The 15 double – seater desks, manufactured by Extruwood, weigh 68kgs each and can comfortably seat a classroom of 30 learners. The desks look and … [Read more...]
