As the second most polluted continent, Africa must take both the responsibility and opportunity to pioneer world-leading waste management methods to avoid an environmental and socio-economic disaster, experts warn. This was the message from environmental scientist Dr Tony Ribbink, who was speaking at the annual general meeting of the PET Recycling Company (PETCO) at the … [Read more...]
SA retailer to lead the way by ditching plastic packaging
Woolworth has announced that it plans to be the first retailer in South Africa to contribute zero packaging waste. In a statement released on Tuesday (05 June), the retailer said it aims to have none of its packaging end up in landfills, which will require the introduction of 100% recyclable materials and a supportive recycling infrastructure. This will include the … [Read more...]
Bring Your Own Bag campaign aims to keep the seas trash free
Every year South Africans use approximately 8 billion plastic bags, and less than 1% are recycled. Most end up in landfills or the ocean. With the support of A Rocha “Christians in Conservation,” South African Churches have launched a campaign to reduce the use of plastic shopping bags. At the launch, Rethink The Bag campaign founder Hayley MacLellan shared stories of the … [Read more...]
6 Ways to beat plastic pollution this World Environment Day
5 June marks World Environment Day, a day recognised by over 143 countries who are concerned with the protection of our environment. First held in 1974, World Environment Day has been a flagship campaign for raising awareness on emerging environmental issues from marine pollution, human overpopulation, and global warming, to sustainable consumption and wildlife … [Read more...]
Europe plans ban on plastic cutlery, straws and more
Europe is proposing a ban on single-use plastic items such as cutlery, straws and cotton buds in a bid to clean up the oceans. The European Commission wants to ban 10 items that make up 70% of all litter in EU waters and on beaches. The list also includes plastic plates and drink stirrers. The draft rules were unveiled Monday but need the approval of all EU member states … [Read more...]
SA broke PET plastic recycling record last year
Despite tough trading conditions and a 13% fall in the total PET market, the South African plastic industry recycled a record 2.15 billion PET plastic bottles in 2017, setting a post-consumer recycling rate of 65% to put the country on par with international standards. The 93 235 tonnes of collected PET exceeded the industry target of 58% for the year 2017 and created 64 000 … [Read more...]
Australia to join England in dumping recyclable waste
Other councils will soon follow Ipswich in scrapping their waste recycling programs as service costs skyrocket, the Local Government Association of Queensland (LGAQ) says. Ipswich City Council yesterday said China's import ban on recycling and the rising level of contaminated or non-recyclable rubbish in yellow bins meant it had become too costly for the city to recycle, so … [Read more...]
Finding solutions to marine pollution with recycled furniture
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...]
