Across South Africa, and the world are a group of determined women who come from an impoverished community that you may have never heard of. These are Woman Waste Pickers. They search high and low for recyclables that can be transformed from waste into a source of limitless creative potential. Inspired and motivated by the women Waste Pickers of Phalaborwa, South Africa, who … [Read more...]
Celebrating Kenya’s fourth plastic ban anniversary
As Kenya marks the fourth anniversary of the ambitious plastics ban much has been achieved including limiting the pollution by carrier bags and the president's directive in protected areas but, still more needs to be done. Greenpeace Africa applauds the gains that the country has made and urges the government to urgently ‘’pronounce its support for the global plastic … [Read more...]
Recycle and reuse your trash for a cleaner environment
According to the EPA, the average person produces approximately 4.9 pounds of “solid waste” or trash per day. Thankfully, you can recycle many everyday household items to help promote a cleaner, greener environment. Recycling and reusing items can help each individual to produce less trash that goes into landfills, ultimately harming our soil, air, and water. We’ve come … [Read more...]
New composting standards opens industry to new players
Recent changes made to the National Norms and Standards for Organic Waste Composting by the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment will open the doors to many new organics waste composting facilities being able to open. The new norms no longer require Environmental Impact Assessments for composting facilities processing more than 10 tons of organic waste per … [Read more...]
Diversification to ensure sustainable packaging
South Africa’s legislation has moved from voluntary to mandatory Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) amid increasing consumer and governmental pressure on brands to ensure end-of-life solutions for their products beyond consumer use. With that in mind, South Africa’s PET plastic Producer Responsibility Organisation (PRO), PETCO, has announced that it is diversifying into … [Read more...]
Reusing waste crucial for improving water quality
Waste generation is threatening biodiversity and the planet as a whole. With the global population expected to significantly exceed nine billion people by 2050, of which some 2.5 billion will be living on the African continent, biodiversity is shrinking, even as the waste generated by billions of people grows exponentially. The loss of biodiversity across the globe is a … [Read more...]
Local tyre manufacturers drive more sustainable practices
With our increasing driving population, the demand for local tyres has grown. The South African Tyre Manufacturers Conference (SATMC) and its members Bridgestone, Continental, Goodyear and Sumitomo Rubber SA are leading the way in improving the industry’s impact on the environment. The industry is currently focusing on four main areas of improvement: proper mutilation and … [Read more...]
Annual beach clean-up aims to preserve ocean life
Clean-ups happened across the country this month for World Environment Day. The theme of this year’s World Oceans Day was “Ocean: Life and Livelihoods” and this annual event helps to shed light on the wonder of the ocean and how it is our life source, supports humanity and every other organism on Earth. Plastics|SA supported this good work by sponsoring plastic bags, as … [Read more...]
Government wants to capitalise on the plastic waste trade
According to a leaked document, the South African government plans to reject a proposed new global treaty on plastics. The Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries is afraid that the plastic ban will make it harder for the country to, among other things, capitalise on the plastic waste trade. This is despite South Africa being the third worst offender on the … [Read more...]
Make-a-Difference Week beach cleanup a great success
The 5 to 13 June 2021 was Make-a-Difference Week, a worldwide effort to reduce negative environmental impacts. The Cape Town Environmental Education Trust (CTEET) team kicked off the nine-day commitment with a beach cleanup from Sunrise Beach to Muizenberg on World Environment Day, which was also the launch of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. There was … [Read more...]
Restoring natural landscapes through waste clean-ups
Since the start of the pandemic, South Africa has seen a significant increase in the volumes of medical waste and discarded personal protective equipment (PPE). While most parts of the country receive an adequate waste management service to discard medical waste and used PPE, some towns and communities are afflicted with piles of this waste stream from illegal dumping. “It … [Read more...]
Business owner recognised for her recycling impact
Loretta Waterboer, the winner of the PETCO Awards Top Woman in Recycling, 2021 is a wonderful and passionate role model for female leadership in our industry, running her own business, LW Recycling and Trade, and partnering with the Mosselbank River Conservation Trust (MRCT) for a bigger impact in her community. When MRCT environmental officer Danielle Cronje started working … [Read more...]
Local polymer producer joins Operation Clean Sweep
One of Africa’s leading polymer producers and marketers has officially signed the Operation Clean Sweep® (OCS) pledge. According to Gert Claasen, Technology and Innovation Executive at Safripol, the OCS pledge firmly aligns with their recently launched “Let’s Plastic Responsibly” campaign, which encourages the responsible use of plastics. “From a Safripol perspective, it … [Read more...]
