KZN beach litter signs of wider problem

It’s essential that we work with public and private stakeholders to reduce the volume of plastic waste to landfill. We also need to combat widespread incidences of illegal dumping and littering, which clearly pose a major environmental threat,” explains Douw Steyn, sustainability director at Plastics SA.

The raging floods in eThekwini during 2022 serve as a prime example. A massive deluge of litter and debris swept down rivers and ended up on various pristine KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) beaches, in the process clogging stormwater systems and damaging infrastructure.

“Research has shown that 80% of litter on beaches and in the oceans consists of landbased waste. For this reason, Plastics SA has partnered with various initiatives geared towards keeping South Africa’s river catchment areas clean,” Steyn continues.

These partnerships include Plastics SA’s involvement in KZN’s Inkwazi Isu (Fish Eagle) project, which has been instrumental in tackling the issue of waste in the environment. Members include Plastics SA, Association of Clean Communities, SA Healthcare Foundation, CocaCola Beverages South Africa, Dow Chemicals,

Petco, Polyco, Expanded Polystyrene Association of Southern Africa, and Sasol.

In the wake of the 2022 eThekwini floods, Plastics SA helped spearhead a plan of action to solve the waste crisis. Clean-up programmes were coordinated by Clean Surf Project (Fish Eagle Project South Coast River Catchment), TriEco Travel and Tours (Durban North areas) and Durban Solid Waste.

A key success factor has been the generous donations made by plastics industry leaders such as Polyco, Petco and Safripol in terms of donating funds for the provision of the necessary equipment, such as litter bags, chainsaws, rakes, gloves and boots. Alongside the work of volunteers, waste collectors also received a daily allowance.

Plastics SA has been supporting river catchment projects in KZN for several years now, either directly or via initiatives led by Inkwazi Isu project members. Interventions include education programmes aimed at local communities, recycling infrastructure, litter booms and cleanup campaigns to save the marine environment. These projects recently received a welcome financial boost thanks to funding provided by the Alliance to End Plastic Waste (Alliance), a global non-profit organisation, as part of a four-year collaboration agreement. Sasol`s financial support has also enabled Inkwazi Isu and its stakeholder partners to conduct a baseline study on the current state of waste management infrastructure.

Another exciting development has been the identification of 13 garden sites within eThekwini Municipality, which have been earmarked for conversion into buy-back centres and drop-off sites. Two of these sites have already been completed.

As an Alliance member, Sasol covered the cost of upgrading two materials recovery facilities (MRFs) geared up to process some 2 400 tonnes of plastic waste annually. A further 10 Alliance-funded MRFs are in the pipeline for eThekwini.

“Part of combatting plastic waste is the recognition of its value – in most instances – as a recyclable material. From Plastics SA’s perspective, we are firmly committed to working with communities, organisations and municipalities like eThekwini to find innovative responses,” Steyn concludes.

The South African Plastics Pact (SAPP) has followed the publication of its baseline report, with the publication of its 2021 annual report, providing a first comparative report that allows the initiative to collectively reflect on the developments and impact made towards achieving its 2025 targets.

The SAPP is part of a global network of 12 Pacts, spearheaded by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. It is a collaboration of organisations, representing key role players right across the plastic packaging value chain, which are working towards a circular economy for plastics in the country.

The members are leading the journey to optimise plastic packaging and products, circulating plastics within the economy, keeping plastics out of landfill and the environment, and creating new jobs.

Although each Pact sets out its own unique goal, the global grouping has collective targets that cover five key areas:

• eliminating unnecessary and problematic singleuse plastic packaging

• making sure all plastic packaging is reusable, recyclable or compostable

• significantly increasing the collection and recycling of plastic packaging

• increasing recycled content in plastic packaging to drive demand for recycled material

• becoming members of relevant PROs.

Being the first of its kind in Africa, the SAPP is committed to reducing plastics usage by making all plastic packaging reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025. Solutions to drive circularity are South Africa-specific and delivered in an approach that intentionally designs South African needs into our circular economy for plastic packaging.

“We celebrate the sustained commitment of SAPP members during the global Covid-19 pandemic, which dramatically constrained our economy. Nonetheless, our members have remained committed in their pursuit of our 2025 targets and continue to trailblaze the path towards a circular economy for plastics. And as secretariat of the Pact, GreenCape salutes all members for their collaboration and commitment to our shared goal”, said Wade de Kock, circular economy analyst at GreenCape, during a recent SAPP member conference.