SOUTH AFRICA – Plastics producer Kainotomia Polymers, the Association of Rotational Moulders of Southern Africa (ARMSA) and the Expanded Polystyrene Association of Southern Africa (EPSASA) have pledged to reduce plastic waste into the environment.
The three organizations signed the Operation Clean Sweep (OCS) pledge in which they commit to preventing resin pellet, flake and powder loss to reduce the amount of plastic ending up in rivers and oceans.
The OCS initiative is a global campaign by plastics leaders to reduce plastic pollution in oceans and rivers.
Plastic pollution is a significant environmental problem that affects marine life and ecosystems. Ingesting plastic items, such as pellets, can harm the ability of seabirds, turtles and fish to breathe, swallow or digest food properly.
Douw Steyn, Plastics SA sustainability director said: “While the public is responsible for proper recycling and disposal of consumer products and packaging, the responsibility to contain plastic pellets firmly rests on the shoulders of the plastic industry.
“To this end, Plastics SA has been promoting OCS to the industry, developing resource materials for its members, and implementing systems aimed at containing plastics.”
Plastics SA is also a signatory of the Declaration of the Global Plastics Association for Solutions on Marine Litter, which was launched in 2011.
This has since grown to a global declaration and public commitment made by more than 77 plastics industry associations to address the issue of plastics in the marine environment and includes OCS as a stewardship project supported by the Global Plastics Alliance.
As more organizations and associations come together to fight plastic pollution in the country, a new study questions the country’s strategy to address its plastic problems.
The report, South African Pathways, released by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) indicates that while marine plastic pollution only accounts for 14% of plastic waste, plastic management in South Africa has room for improvement.
“Plastic pollution is a symptom of waste mismanagement,” says the report, which used the Breaking the Plastic Waves Pathway Tool to analyze the disposal of plastic pollution.
This tool accounts for the three main components of plastic pollution – open burning of plastic waste, land pollution and marine pollution.
The data were used to model different scenarios for the future of South African plastic management.
The Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) model is based on the current plastic pollution management practiced in South Africa.
It assumes that the EPR regulations, which govern the country’s five-year targets for collection and recycling of paper and packaging, are implemented and enforced.
The report indicates that achieving the legislated EPR recycling targets for plastics will cut down 33% of total plastic pollution in South Africa by 2040.
However, the reduction of plastic pollution through collection and recycling as regulated by the EPR does not mitigate the growth of plastics consumption.
For all the latest packaging and printing industry news from Africa and the World, subscribe to our NEWSLETTER, follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn, like us on Facebook, and subscribe to our YouTube channel.
