Douw Steyn of Plastics SA receives the 2011 Enviropaedia Award for Recycling from Casper Du Plessis of HP SA.
Plastics|SA, the umbrella body representing the plastics industry of South Africa, was awarded the 2011 Enviropaedia Award for Recycling at the inaugural Eco-Logic Awards ceremony which took place in Cape Town on Saturday evening in partnership with The Greenest Event expo.
“We are honouring companies and individuals who are helping us fight both the symptoms and the causes of environmental problems,” said David Parry-Davies, the editor of The Enviropaedia, South Africa’s leading reference to the green revolution and the driving force behind the awards.
Plastics|SA impressed the judges with its ongoing commitment to increase public awareness about the importance of plastic recycling through its various Enviromark activities. Under the auspice of its Sustainability Director, Douw Steyn, this non-profit organization has launched and driven numerous annual activities through the years, including initiatives such as National Recycling Day, Clean-Up South Africa Week and the international Coastal Clean-Up Day which takes place in September every year. The Enviromark and its team of eco-warriors have also become a familiar sight at large international sporting events such as the annual Cape Argus/Pick ‘n Pay Cycle Race and the Two Oceans Marathon where they pick up and recycle the litter that gets left behind by participants and supporters.
plastics often unfairly blamed
“Plastics are often unfairly blamed for polluting the environment”, said Steyn after he received the award. “However, we are trying to educate the public that plastics don’t litter – people do. Used plastic packaging or discarded plastic products shouldn’t end up in landfills. We have a thriving, innovative and successful plastic recycling industry in South Africa that creates new products from virtually every type of plastic – whether it is used water bottles, plastic shopping bags or yoghurt tubs. We are tremendously proud of the Enviropaedia award because it proves to us that our efforts are being recognized. We will continue with our efforts to impact society with our message that “waste is not waste until it is wasted” and plastics are too valuable to waste.”
For me it is a great pity that we are setting our sights so low, and issuing environmental awards to companies who are merely managing symptoms. Yes, as an immediate measure it at least helps to recycle, but when we consider that a large portion of plastic products cannot be recycled (and surely these processes release toxins) it is absolutely not a sustainable solution. We need to produce less plastic. I wonder whether any of these organizations, with vested interest in the prolific and profitable manufacture of plastic products, would be open to completely new alternatives with regard to material usage and systems of storage and distribution.
We have to remember that of all packaging materials plastics, made of petrochemical waste products, have the lowest carbon and water footprints. They have a bad name as the wind blows them around, being so light, more than other types of packaging, and they choke up the oceans, but remember WE are to blame, not the plastic itself. Yes, we must use less of all packaging and ensure everything we bring home is indeed recycled.