Recycling
Increasing post-consumer
1000 Post-consumer packaging recycling rates 21% 900 18% are generally repor ted800 as a percentage of 700 recovered materials (Graphs 1 to 3). The 600 non-recycled por tion of 500recovered material may be an indication 400 of poor-quality recy300 clables, which are not 200 suitable for recycling due to contamination.100 Alternatively, it may 0 be an indication of a lack of processing '05/'06 '06/'07 capacity, or suitable technology options, to process the recovered materials. Kilotonnes of glass
R
ECENT STATISTICS on recycling of post-consumer packaging suggest that South Africa recycled 50.5% of all post-consumer packaging waste in 2012. As with most developing countries, these encouraging recycling figures would not have been achieved without an active informal sector. An estimated 70-90% of packaging waste recycled in South Africa is sourced by the informal sector, while only 3.3% urban households are reported to recycle a fair amount of recyclables on a regular basis.
A CSIR team* has prepared a study on the growth potential of packaging recycling in South Africa. The findings are presented below.
Separation at source Increasing recycling of post-consumer packaging waste will depend on increased 26% of households in waste sepapar ticipation 40% 24% 35% ration at source initiatives. The actual, and perceived, barriers to household recycling Recycled must be addressed, in order to facilitate the required behavioural change to achieve Not recycled better par ticipation rates by households. Municipalities, as the custodians of municipal solid waste, must create an enabling '07/'08 08/'09 09/'10 10/'11 environment for collection of source-separated recyclables from households, while
Figure 1 Glass packaging recycling and recovery rates 2005/6 – 2010/11 (Source: Urban Earth, 2013
GRAPH 1 Glass packaging recycling and recovery rates 2005/6 – 2010/11 Source: Urban Earth, 2013
GRAPH 2 Paper recycling rates in South Africa as a percentage of recoverable paper and cardboard Source: PRASA, 2013
18%
21%
24%
26%
35%
40%
2
Recycled
Not recycled
'05/'06
'06/'07
'07/'08
08/'09
09/'10
10/'11
Million tonnes of paper
Kilotonnes of glass
2.5
1000 900 800 700 600 500 400 300 200 100 0
58.6%
58% 57.5%
59%
57.3%
1.5
Recycled Not recycled
1 0.5 0 2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
Figure 2 Paper recycling rates in South Africa as a percentage of recoverable paper and cardboar (Source: PRASA, 2013) Figure 1 Glass packaging 16 – ReSource May 2015 recycling and recovery rates 2005/6 – 2010/11 (Source: Urban Earth, 2013)