PlasticsSA is urging all plastic manufacturers to improve their processes to ensure that zero plastic matter, like Nurdles & dust, end up in our environment.
PlasticsSA is taking a stand against plastic matter ending up in our environment. The industry body is encouraging all plastic roleplayers to tighten up their processes to ensure zero plastic ends up in our waterways.
In manufacturing, pellets (also known as nurdles), flakes and dust are used to create a massive number of different things that we use. There is always a chance that one mistake can mean these harmful sized plastic elements could end up in our environment. Remember last year during the Durban storm? Two containers holding millions of nurdles ended up in the ocean.
After the cargo spill, the beaches were covered in Nurdles. The Department of Environmental Affairs and PlasticsSA confirmed that the company responsible would fund full clean-ups to get every last nurdle off our shores.
PlasticsSA was one of the first signatories of The Declaration of the Global Plastics Associations for Solutions on Marine Litter, a global declaration and public commitment by the international plastics community, signed in March 2011, to address the issue of plastics in the marine environment. Operation Clean Sweep was developed as an important step towards implementing the core principles of this declaration.
“When we re-launched Operation Clean Sweep in South Africa as one of our product stewardship programmes last year, our call went out to every segment of the plastics industry, including plastic producers, transporters, bulk terminal operators, recyclers and plastics processors, to implement good housekeeping practices.
Every employee of every factory has a role to play if we are to achieve our goal of zero pellets, flake and powder loss. We need the commitment from every person in every company, from top management to shop floor employees, to help protect the environment and save valuable resources…” – Anton Hanekom, Executive Director, Plastics|SA
The industry body stresses that education is key. By educating every staff member on the detremental effects these items have on the environment, they avoid these items ended up in the environment due to lazy practices. Once spilled, these plastic elements can end up in waterways and the ocean if they are casually swept into storm drains instead of properly cleaned up and discarded.
“Everybody has a role to play in helping us save the environment and natural resources”
On the consumer end, we are still responsible for recycling our own plastic but it is good to see industry leaders ensuring that changes are made as well.
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