THE latest plastics recycling figures released by Plastics SA reveal that South Africans are recycling more plastics than ever before.
Anton Hanekom, the executive director for Plastics SA, said the results of its annual survey into plastic recycling for the period ending December 2016, revealed that there was a growing awareness of recycling and this resulted in post-consumer and post-industrial plastics being made available for reuse.
“Last year, 1.144-million tons of recyclable plastic entered the waste stream, of which 41.8 per cent was recycled in South Africa based on input tonnages. This is a year-on-year increase of 5.9 per cent,” Anton explained.
To aid in recycling efforts, Plastics SA identified the following priorities that will continue to drive the industry’s recycling efforts:
1. Separation at the source is essential. Local government and NGO’s need to make it as effortless as possible for the householder to get rid of recyclables in the format that is acceptable to the collectors and waste management companies.
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2. One-way packaging must be designed for recycling. “In a country where there is a vibrant mechanical recycling industry, recyclability must form part of the brand owner product design checklist,” said Anton.
3. Waste producers, recyclers and brand owners need to work closely together to understand which packaging can be recycled or and what cannot.
4. Better knowledge and improved understanding are required with regards to what products can or cannot be recycled, how the collection and recycling process works and the type of end-products that are generated.
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