Call for ban on disposable bags

THE Two Oceans Aquarium has thrown its weight behind the EcoBricks Exchange awareness campaign created to offer a solution to reduce the use of disposable plastic bags and protect the environment.

This Plastic Free July, the Aquarium has called for a ban on single-use plastic shopping bags in South Africa through its Rethink the Bag campaign.

The EcoBrick aims to help the public form a habit of stuffing papers and plastic in a 2L bottle. When the bottle is full it can be dropped off at drop points in and around the city.

The aquarium said the EcoBrick Exchange initiative has a creative solution to the problems of waste and community development facing South Africa.

“An EcoBrick is a plastic bottle packed tightly with non-biodegradable waste.

‘‘These bottles are then used as building materials to create sustainable homes, schools and furniture,” according to the aquarium.

Ian Dommissee “Garbage Warrior” is one of the founders of the EcoBrick Exchange and the Aquarium’s resident architect. “The EcoBrick Exchange only uses 2L PET bottles, as these are a standardised size that make large building projects more consistent, but you can make smaller or oddly shaped ones for personal projects.

‘‘Even if you don’t habitually recycle, this is an easy way to make a small impact” said the aquarium.

Cape Town has more than 1 million households – if each home produced one EcoBrick a week, it would be enough to build over 600 classrooms a year.

Instead, we send that potential to the dump, according to the Two Oceans Aquarium.

“When families first make EcoBricks and witness how their waste output halves, they’re much more likely to continue the trend in other aspects of their lives, eg start composting their organic waste and recycling the rest of their waste.

‘‘All of a sudden a family that sent heaps to landfill now throws away very little and can enjoy the benefits that accompany each habit,” the aquarium added.