It is Plastic Free July, but Plastics SA is encouraging South Africa to practice Litter Free July, working towards eliminating all pollutants from the environment.
South Africa (15 July 2021) – July is “Plastic Free” month globally, but Plastics SA wants to encourage South Africans to work towards “Litter Free July”.
The organisation represents the entire plastics value chain in South Africa. They believe our best bet is to aim for a litter-free environment as plastic isn’t the only pollutant found out there. The best way forward is to ensure there is proper waste management in place.
“Unmanaged pollution due to inadequate waste management infrastructure is the root cause of our litter crisis. 34% of households in South Africa have no formal waste collection[i]. It is therefore illogical and naive to think that we’ll have cleaner communities because the straw carelessly tossed out of the car window was made from paper instead of plastic. Whilst we wholeheartedly agree that we need to eliminate all unnecessary packaging (regardless of the material) and reuse where possible, it is important that we take an evidence-based approach to ensure we do not replace existing, fit-for-purpose packaging with more harmful alternatives,” advocates Anton Hanekom, Executive Director of Plastics SA.
This is how Plastics SA say we can become litter-free.
Reduce, reuse and recycle
Most of the packaging made from plastic today has the potential to be used more than once. Plastic carrier bags, food containers and water bottles are mostly made from strong and good quality plastic polymers that could be washed and reused many times over before they need to be put into the recycling bag. It is also important to remember that many of these so-called “single-use” plastic products are recycled into items that often have a much longer second life. For example, plastic PET water bottles are recycled back into water bottles, and into duvets, pillows or fleece jackets; milk and detergent bottles are recycled into drums, pallets or hose pipe polystyrene takeaway containers are given a second life as picture frames or lightweight concrete bricks. In contrast, bottle tops, ice cream tubs and yoghurt containers are recycled into outdoor plastic furniture.
Leave only footprints
When visiting the beach or enjoying the beauty of nature, make sure that you leave only footprints. Don’t litter, and make sure that you don’t leave empty-handed. Keep an eye out for carelessly discarded trash around you and help clean our environment by picking it up and throwing it into your recycling bag when you get home. You can also help to make a difference by participating in one of the many beach and community clean-ups taking place around the country.
Invest in proper waste management and collection infrastructure
Municipalities need to be encouraged to invest in developing proper waste collection systems with the necessary infrastructure to deal with the waste in informal settlements and neighbourhoods (e.g. waste removal, landfills, buy-back centres etc.), in order to prevent litter from ending up in our waterways, rivers and ultimately our ocean.
“The plastics industry has been working hard to reflect year-on-year increases in the recycling rate with less plastic waste going to landfills. However, the industry’s efforts alone are not going to win the war on plastic pollution. More than ever before we need strong, collaborative and meaningful partnerships. To win the war on plastic pollution, it is vital that producers, brand owners, retailers, government and consumers join forces and work together around the collective goal of creating a litter-free environment.” – Plastics SA