One of the greatest environmental challenges of our time, is the waste that we generate. When our waste is not recycled, repurposed, or treated, it can have devastating environmental impacts on the environment. For a country that relies heavily on its natural ecosystems and landscapes for our tourism sector, it is incredibly important that the South African waste management … [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...]
Protecting biodiversity with better waste management
For the past 50 years, human activities have dramatically reduced biodiversity across the globe. We have, through our actions, extinguished our habitats and reduced populations of plants and wild animals by up to 60% so that today, our natural resources and the species on our planet are under threat – from us. In fact, the negative impact we have made is astounding. Just … [Read more...]
Polystyrene industry steps up to help clean Hennops River
The increased rainfall in Pretoria over the past few weeks has resulted in an increase of waste collection in the so-called "poly-island" litter trap which is cleaned and maintained by the Hennops Revival NPO. The poly-island is a natural litter trap that was created many years ago by two trees that had fallen across the river and became lodged in a V-shape that collects the … [Read more...]
Kenya emerges as leader in fighting plastic pollution
Kenya is emerging as a leader in the fight against plastic pollution and is among the first countries in East Africa to limit single-use plastics and sign the Clean Seas initiative to rid waterways of plastic waste. Juliette Biao, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Regional Director for Africa lauded the country for banning plastic bottles, cups and cutlery in … [Read more...]
Plastic ocean waste NPO receives two global awards
Former Ballito resident, Clare Swithenbank-Bowman (main picture, on the left), founder of the non-profit organisation (NPO), Litter4Tokens, received two international Stevie Awards for Women in Business via a virtual awards’ ceremony held on Wednesday, 9 December 2020. The Stevie Awards, considered the world's premier business awards, were introduced in 2002 to honour and … [Read more...]
Developing a roadmap for managing SA’s plastic waste
Key role-players in the plastics manufacturing, collection and recycling industries, the Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries (DEFF) and other interested parties participated in the 2020 Plastics Colloquium feedback session, which was held virtually earlier this month. This was the second Plastics Colloquium following the inaugural event that took place in … [Read more...]
Mounting plastic waste risks lives
The use of plastic in the world is affecting and destroying our planet. This is due to the ‘throw-away’ mentality that many of us have without considering the extreme damages and harm not only to the environment but the consequential impact on human life. It has been reported that 300 million tonnes of plastic is produced - and about 8 million tonnes of plastic waste enters … [Read more...]
International Coastal Clean-up Day a huge success
Clean-Up & Recycle SA Week took place from 14 - 19 September 2020, culminating in National Recycling Day on Friday, 18 September and South Africa's 24th year of participating in the annual International Coastal Clean-Up Day on Saturday, 19 September. "With an emphasis on COVID-safe clean-ups this year, we asked coordinators to keep the numbers of volunteers to below … [Read more...]
Striving for a world free of litter this July
Each year in July, people across the globe take part in “Plastic Free July” – an international movement that aims to reduce the amount of plastic waste in our environment by encouraging fellow citizens to make the shift towards long-term, environmentally friendly habits. Although skeptics might find it hard to believe, the plastics industry in South Africa and their partners … [Read more...]
Marine waste project removes a ton of litter from KZN lagoon
The KZN Marine Waste Network South Coast was launched at Amanzimtoti Lagoon last week. The event attracted 150 participants who joined in a clean-up at the lagoon to celebrate the network's launch, removing more than 200 bags of litter (weighing more than 1 ton in total) from the area in an hour. Explaining the importance of launching the KZN Marine Waste Network South … [Read more...]
Let’s turn the corner on food wastage
If you take a moment to digest the statistics around the amount of food we waste today, it can be pretty overwhelming. It is thought that around one third of the food produced around the globe is lost or wasted. Richer countries waste something like 222 million tonnes per year, in Europe and North America that equates to 95-115kg of food per person, per year. The numbers are … [Read more...]
South Africa’s 2019 recycling champions announced
On the back of a 6% year-on-year increase in the recycling of PET plastic bottles, SA's national industry body has unveiled its 2019 recycling champions. These people and organisations are making strides in sustainability at grassroots level. The annual awards were made across 11 categories, with Western Cape winners scooping nine awards, followed by Gauteng with two, and … [Read more...]
