Ocean Cleanup Foundation gets to work tackling plastic in the Pacific
THE biggest floating plastic waste island is about to disappear from the face of the Pacific Ocean in a groundbreaking environmental initiative to rid the oceans of plastic waste.
A 610m floating pipe, designed by the organisation Ocean Cleanup Foundation, arrived in the Pacific Ocean last week to begin cleaning up the island of floating plastic.
The pipe is designed in a “U” shape with the aim of trapping the rubbish and allowing a boat to discard the collected waste every few months. It is the first operation of its kind.
The executive of packaging at Novus Holdings, Tim Stewart, in welcoming the initiative, said: “We will be watching from South Africa and hoping that it works.
“It is commendable that the biggest clean-up of its kind will tackle the problem of plastic pollution in the ocean.
“However, for real change to happen, we must address the cause, rather than the symptoms. Simply put, our behaviour towards plastic needs to change.”
He said South African consumers could play their part by using plastic more responsibly.
“A shift in perception and behaviour can go a long way toward fixing the problem of plastic pollution.
“For this to work, all stakeholders have to work together. Plastic is a material with many benefits, and contributes greatly to job creation and the economy.
“Making better choices through not discarding single-use plastics, and recycling and using plastic responsibly all plays a part,” added Stewart.
He said people tended to blame plastic for polluting the environment, but that the way they used it might be the problem.
Earlier this year, Plastics SA released the audited results of the biggest pollutants found on South African beaches last year.
They showed that the majority of waste was food wrappers, plastic containers, bottle caps and lids, a trend that sustainability manager at Plastics SA, John Keiser, attributed to human behaviour that needed to change.
He said plastics were valuable as they made people’s lives easy, but needed to be disposed of responsibly to avoid filling up landfills, waterways and the oceans.
The late Environmental Affairs Minister, Edna Molewa, had identified marine pollution as one of the biggest challenges facing South Africans.
The department launched the Keep South Africa Clean campaign to get South Africans to stop littering.
The campaign aims to change attitudes and behaviour towards waste and enable people to take responsibility for keeping their communities clean.