World Environment Day: War on plastic to ramp up

Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Barbara Creecy has called for urgent action to combat plastic pollution and its detrimental impacts on human health, the economy and the environment.

“Today, we are marking World Environment Day and I am visiting two recycling plants in Cape Town that are supported through producer responsibility organisations to gain insights into the roles extended producer responsibility schemes are playing in plastic recycling,” Creecy said yesterday.

The projects, Waste Want in Kraaifontein and CRDC SA Resin8 in the Blackheath industrial area of Cape Town, are involved in different aspects of the recycling value chain.

1000 tons of plastic

Waste Want employs 200 people and diverts 1 000 tons of plastic waste from landfills every month. CRDC SA Resin8 is a site where plastic is mixed and converted into an aggregate modifier for the construction industry.

The company currently processes 450kg of waste a day and aims to reach 610 tons per month when it reaches full production.

According to the World Wide Fund for Nature in South Africa, more than 2.5-million tons of plastic are produced annually.

Poor waste management practices mean as much as half of post-consumer plastic is not properly disposed of and risks leaking into the environment.

175 nations re-afffirm

Last week, at the second Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC2) on Plastic Pollution in Paris, 175 nations, including South Africa, reaffirmed their commitment to developing an international, legally binding instrument to end plastic pollution by the end of 2024.

“In my view, such an international legally binding agreement aims to bring about greater accountability, cooperation and innovation between government, industry, extended producer schemes and waste reclaimers to address the plastic pollution problem,” said Creecy.

“In South Africa, the negotiating process is already bringing about greater agreement collaboration between all stakeholders as they work to identify achievable goals to ensure plastic waste and pollution is effectively addressed.

“Our country is faced with significant waste management challenges. These include poor landfill practices and sporadic household waste collection as well as unacceptable levels of illegal dumping.”

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Strengthening compliance

Creecy said the department of forestry, fisheries and the environment (DFFE) was strengthening compliance and enforcement measures “especially against free riders that undermine the collective efforts to address waste management challenges”.

The DFFE has, in the past six years, supported 56 startups and emerging small, medium and micro enterprises and cooperatives, providing more than R300 million in financial support, creating 1 558 jobs and diverting more than 200 000 tons of waste from landfills.

“To support municipalities, our department will focus on improving cleanliness in other provincial capitals as part of the reinvigorated presidential Good Green Deeds programme.

“Here in the Western Cape, we will be focusing on the broader Cape Flats region, where many formal and informal settlements have inadequate waste removal and plastic leaches into rivers and eventually into the sea,” she said.

Expanded Public Works Programme

“Through the Expanded Public Works Programme, our department will offer work opportunities to 2 000 women, youth and persons with disabilities per province to support the cleaning and greening of provincial capitals by assisting in litter picking in prioritised streets, clearing illegal dumps, planting trees and promoting recycling services.”

Their efforts are being complimented by 32 enterprises that have been supported to increase recycling of construction and demolition waste, plastic, packaging and other waste streams.

“We are calling on all citizens to observe this Environment Month by finding creative and innovative ways to remove plastic pollution from our communities.

“The smallest act of picking up litter in your neighbourhood could be the start of something amazing in your country,” said Creecy.

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– news@citizen.co.za