Waste trapping project benefits Durban Port
A funding grant has been received to launch a project that aims to explore alternative ways to stop plastic from making its way into the marine environment.
WILDOCEANS, the marine conservation programme of the WILDTRUST, recently received a funding grant from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Marine Plastics and Coastal Communities (MARPLASTICCS) initiative to launch a project that aims to explore alternative ways to stop plastic from making its way into the marine environment while creating youth employment opportunities.
This initiative which officially began in November 2019, will be piloted within the Durban Port and will build on the already established Blue Port and Adopt-a-River projects and allow WILDOCEANS to trial plastic stoppage techniques in the port through core interventions. These interventions include innovative waste trapping at five sites, where additional low-cost technology interventions will collect as much surface plastic waste as possible.
The collected waste will then be sent to the WILDTRUST depot for sorting and end-use application, including to “Ocean Bricks” made from a processed mix of upcycled sand, glass and previously unrecycled multi-layer post-consumer plastic waste.
Speaking about the project, Siraj Paruk Transnet National Ports Authority, said: “The project provides a great opportunity to mitigate the impact of anthropogenic activities within the catchment of the port and further contribute towards enhancing the resilience and ecological functioning of the estuarine system.”
According to Rachel Kramer, WILDOCEANS Projects Manager, the waste collected by the Blue Port team, which includes waste that previously could not be recycled, will become a beneficiation that addresses a local demand for building materials to enable housing and other infrastructure. 5000 Ocean Bricks will be produced within the year-long partnership.
Kramer said: “We’re very excited. This will take the Blue Port project to another level, unlocking new techniques to identify and stop plastic leakage, as well as encouraging youth employment and ultimately working towards restoring the Durban Port to a healthy functioning ecosystem. We have a lot to learn from the MARPLASTICCS initiative and hope that this is a partnership that leads to bigger projects in South Africa and the West Indian Ocean.”
“Through strong collaboration with Transnet National Ports Authority, the low-cost technology and ease of scalability, this project makes for a good case-study that can be replicated in other ports, not only in South Africa but in other developing countries across the South West Indian Ocean region and globally, many of which exhibit the same degradation as a result of similar stresses placed on their sensitive ecosystems,” commented Kramer.
A cellphone application will also be developed to allow for engagement among stakeholders in the port.
This project already feeds into the existing Durban Bay Estuarine Management Plan (EMP) prepared by the National Department of Environmental Affairs in collaboration with Transnet National Ports Authority, KZN Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs, eThekwini Municipality, Environmental Resources Management (ERM) and Marine & Estuarine Research (MER) as well as the Draft KZN Coastal Management Programme.
The objective of the EMP is to provide a new approach to management of the negative factors impacting the Durban Port, including waste leakage, and provides a vehicle for cooperation, change and motivation for new appropriate solutions to these existing problems.
