Tackling plastic pollution
Government, nongovernmental organisations and businesses unite to mitigate the serious environmental threat plastic pollution poses to our oceans
Every year, up to 100 000 tonnes of plastic waste enters the oceans around South Africa, mainly from the flow of rivers into the sea. Mitigating this serious environmental threat — which causes significant harm to our marine environments— has become a new focus for government, environmental non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and private- sector
South Africa's marine environment is an important contributor to the economy, creating thousands of jobs and helping to feed millions of people. But the world's oceans are increasingly under threat from widespread pollution, overfishing and climate change.
Plastic waste pollution, in particular, has become a global problem which negatively affects the health of our ocean environments. As South Africa celebrates Marine Month in October, public servants should be aware of this man-made problem and do everything they can to protect our marine environments from plastic pollution.
Why is plastic so dangerous?
According to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), plastic pollution is the most widespread problem affecting the marine environment, threatening ocean health, food safety and quality, human health and coastal tourism.
The most visible impact is the ingestion, suffocation and entanglement of marine species such as seabirds, whales and fish. This, in turn, poses a threat to human health as many plastics contain dangerous chemicals, which humans may be exposed to when they consume seafood.
In addition, beaches strewn with plastic can ruin the attractiveness of coastal destinations, posing a threat to the tourism industry and the
many people who rely on it to make a living.
Combating the problem
In recent years, the Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries (DEFF) has placed an increased emphasis on the growing problem of plastic pollution.
“The department acknowledges growing attention being placed on the problem of plastic pollution, and the effort that is being taken by the private sector, government, civil society and academia to address waste management in the country,” says Judy Beaumont, DEFF Deputy Director-General of Ocean and Coast.
In January this year, the department launched the South Africa Plastic Pact, which was developed by the World Wildlife Federation. The pact brings together key stakeholders in the plastics value chain – businesses, governments and NGOs – behind a common vision to address plastic waste and pollution issues.
Key to the pact is the development of a ‘circular economy' surrounding the usage of plastic, based mainly on the recycling and reusage of plastics.
“We need to encourage all our citizens to become concerned about circularity and make the effort to buy products manufactured from recycled material. We therefore encourage the plastics, metals and glass industries to continue with their efforts to increase their recycling rates,” Beaumont says.
Through the South Africa Plastic Pact, four targets have been set to transform the plastic packaging sector by 2025, namely:
• Taking action on problematic or unnecessary plastic packaging through redesign, innovation or alternative (reuse) delivery models.
• 100 percent of plastic packaging to be reusable, recyclable or compostable.
• 70 percent of plastic packaging effectively recycled.
• 30 percent average recycled content across all plastic packaging.
In 2019, the Department of Science and Innovation commissioned a science review of marine plastic pollution in South Africa, under its Waste Research, Development and Innovation Roadmap. The review confirmed that the overwhelming majority of marine litter found on our beaches – roughly 80 percent – comprised plastic waste originating from land.
Plastic waste management
Preventing waste from entering the sea via rivers has therefore been a major focus for plastic waste management in South Africa.
Various initiatives are now underway to stop this source of pollution, including the use of litterbooms, which are plastic pipes that are stretched across the surface of rivers to collect plastic before it enters the sea.
An organisation called The Litterboom Project has worked hand-inhand with the City of Cape Town and municipalities in KwaZulu-Natal since 2017, setting up seven litterbooms in some of the major rivers which flow into the ocean.
The DEFF is also joining forces with NGOs such as Coastwatch and Durban Green Corridors in KwaZulu-Natal, to stop the flow of marine litter using litterbooms in five river systems.
During the two-year project, communities will help clean out the booms on a daily basis.
“Through increased litter collection and community-led waste sorting and recycling, the department will reduce litter generation at its source, thereby lessening the amount of pollution that reaches the ocean,” says DEFF project manager Yazeed Petersen.
Waste sorting and recycling programmes are being set up up, with one one community per river being targeted.
“One possibility being considered is the idea of 'swop-shops', where community members can trade their recyclable litter for essentials.”
Integrating these shops into the project will further encourage communities to become involved in litter collection.