As one of many attempts to act as a responsible corporate citizen, Safripol, one of the largest polymer producers in sub-Saharan Africa, participated in a beach clean-up at the Blue Lagoon in Durban North.
KwaZulu Natal, South Africa – This past weekend on Saturday, 21 September 2019, the International Coastal Clean-up Day had volunteers around the world participating in what is described as the largest gathering and effort to collect waste from the oceans and beaches.
Safripol, a leading polymer producer in sub-Saharan Africa, mobilised their local employees, families and friends to do their part in cleaning up the Blue Lagoon (Beachwood Mangroves) in Durban North. 45 Adults and 15 children, including those from the Durban and Coastal Mental Health home in Phoenix managed to collect almost 50 large bags of litter in just two hours.
Working within the demarcated area of this beach, the team found that the bulk of the debris comprised of food wrappers, straws, thousands of pieces of broken up foamed polystyrene cups, and takeaway containers. A staggering 1,780 plastic bottle caps were also collected. Other items of local concern included pins, roll-on deodorant balls, and wood with rusting nails.
Chief Social Worker of the North Durban and Coastal Mental Health home, Moonira Abdul-Roaf thanked Safripol for inviting them to participate in this initiative. She shared, “It provided our service users with an opportunity to view the world differently. Everyone had a great time, and we look forward to a continued partnership with Safripol.”
Plastic has earned itself a damaging reputation, and while Safripol is a raw material producer of polymers including Polypropylene (PP), High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE) and Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET), these plastics are 100% recyclable.
Safripol technology and innovation executive, Gert Claasen explained that these raw materials are the most widely used by manufacturers for producing dairy containers, labels, bottle caps, bottles used for mineral water and carbonated soft drinks, fruit juice, dairy products, edible oils, and cosmetic and pharmaceutical products.
He said, “By partnering with industry organisations including the likes of PETCO, Polyco and Plastics SA, Safripol can help drive education and awareness around recycling and encourage consumers further to be more responsible with their waste, i.e. to not litter, and to not discard items that could be re-used or recycled. PETCO, a representative of the country’s PET plastic industry’s joint effort to self-regulate post-consumer PET recycling expressed simply and profoundly, that PET is too valuable to be thrown away. As a responsible corporate citizen, Safripol is actively committed to keeping South Africa and its oceans and beaches clean. There are several other river and ocean clean-up initiatives that we have planned as part of our sustainability strategy that affirms this commitment. “
“Furthermore,” Claasen added, “we have partnered with Polyco who work to reduce the environmental impact of plastic pollution through recycling to ultimately decrease the amount of packaging waste entering landfills. Safripol also supports the drive of Polyco and its PACKA-CHING project, which promotes recycling within informal settlements and lower-income areas in SA, by incentivising a change in behaviour on a social and environmental level.”
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