Municipality, business and community are collaborating to clean up the environment and get plastic waste out of the rivers and ocean and back into the value chain. Minster of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries, the Honourable Mrs Creecy, launched the use of a Beach Rake and the Inkwazi Isu on 19 September at Toti Main Beach in KwaZulu Natal. Inkwazi Isu (Fisheagle … [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...]
SA slowly turning the tide against plastic pollution
The South African plastics industry has released the plastics recycling figures for the year ending December 2019. According to Anton Hanekom, Plastics|SA’s Executive Director, a detailed survey into the state of the country’s plastics recycling industry is conducted annually by Annabé Pretorius of Plastix 911 - an independent consultant who has an unsurpassable knowledge of … [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...]
Eco heroes wear masks and make a difference
Each year, the local plastics industry welcomes the arrival of Spring and warmer weather by encouraging citizens to help make a difference where they live, work, learn or play by participating in Clean-Up & Recycle SA Week – an annual public awareness week during which plastics and other litter are removed from our country’s neighbourhoods, rivers, streams, beaches and … [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...]
Reusable shopping bags tread lightly on Mother Earth
The South African plastics industry has welcomed the recent findings released by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), confirming that reusable, plastic shopping bags have the lowest environmental footprint compared to carrier bags made from alternative materials. The study was funded by the Department of Science and Innovation (DSI) and aimed to … [Read more...]
Restaurants rely on polystyrene packaging to keep food fresh
Restaurants and fast food chains are increasingly relying on polystyrene packaging to keep their food hot, hygienic and fresh now that the sale of hot food for home delivery is permitted under Level 4 restrictions. According to Adri Spangenberg, CEO of the Polystyrene Association of SA, this is because expanded polystyrene (EPS) offers excellent insulation, keeps costs down … [Read more...]
Plastics industry supports waste pickers during lockdown
South Africa has close to 60 000 waste pickers who play a substantial role in the country’s waste management industry. As part of the country’s informal waste sector, they help recover recyclables from household waste streams, as well as waste materials sent to landfill sites. With the country in a national lockdown due to the COVID-19 outbreak, these waste reclaimers … [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...]
Award winner for clean-up champion of the year announced
Alison Bryant of the Keep Plett Clean Campaign is the winner of the Caroline Reid Award for the Cleanup Champion of 2019. This new, annual award was established by Plastics|SA to recognise and reward excellence in South Africa by an individual in the field of marine and coastal clean-ups. Making the announcement during a gala dinner to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of … [Read more...]
Plans for an industry-managed waste plan applauded
The plastics and packaging industries of South Africa have welcomed the announcement made by Ms Barbara Creecy, Minister of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries, to scrap the existing Section 28 plan for developing an Industry Waste Management Plan for the paper and packaging industry. Although the development of this plan has already been more than three years in the … [Read more...]
Bioplastics are not the same as biodegradable plastics
When it comes to plastic alternatives, there are two materials that consumers are likely to encounter; bioplastics and biodegradable plastics. These are separate products that are often confused. People think that bioplastics and biodegradable plastics are one and the same, but in reality, they are not. Both of these materials are fairly new developments that are growing in … [Read more...]
