Molewa: South African should join hands to eradicate plastic pollution

ERADICATING plastics pollution begins with small, individual consumer actions such as avoiding single-use plastic products; and with recycling existing plastic products wherever possible.

This was the message from late Environmental Affairs Minister Edna Molewa on World Environment Day (WED) 2018.

This year’s theme was B eating Plastic Pollution. Through this,governments, industries and individuals were urged to come together and explore sustainable alternatives to urgently reduce the production and excessive use of single-use plastic products worldwide.

Dr Molewa had committed South Africa to minimising plastic pollution and had announced during the Department of Environmental Affairs’ Budget Speech for the 2018/19 financial year that the Department was working to introduce a raft of measures to curb plastic pollution. Among these is a measure to phase out the use of microbeads in the production of cosmetics. The Department is in consultation with the cosmetics industry in this regard.

These measures will be aligned with recommendations of a Plastic Material Flow Study undertaken by the Department. In line with earlier resolutions by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) and UN Environmental Assembly (UNEA), the Study showed that only 21% of plastic waste is being recycled. Among its recommendations is the removal of waste at source.

The Departments of Environmental Affairs, Trade and Industry and the National Treasury, as well as the dti agencies, the SABS and the National Regulator for Compulsory Specifications are to review the implementation and impact of South Africa’s plastic bag policies.

“Plastic pollution is particularly insidious because once plastics enter into the environment, they do not biodegrade, but simply break down into smaller pieces over time,” said Dr Molewa. “This has a detrimental effect on our environment, more so once this pollution enters our oceans and endangers marine life and fragile marine ecosystems.”

The South African government remains committed to implementing the recommendations of the plastic material flow study.

One of these programme is the #THUMAMINA/green/good/deeds initiative – a campaign for a clean and beautiful South Africa – in response to the Presidential THUMA-MINA Initiative.

“Our Constitution undertakes all South Africans the right to an environment that is not harmful to their health or wellbeing. Let us join hands in the drive to reduce not just plastic pollution but all forms of pollution,” she had said.