WASTE MANAGEMENT & RECYCLING Community volunteers at a coastal clean-up
Environmental clean-ups require collective action 2021 marks the 25th year that Plastics SA will be coordinating South Africa’s par ticipation in the International Coastal Clean-Up on 18 September 2021. IMIESA speaks to Douw Steyn, sustainability director at Plastics SA, about the event’s significance and how it ties in with allied initiatives like Clean-Up & Recycle SA Week. What’s changed in the past 25 years since South Africa’s first participation in the International Coastal Clean-Up? DS Twenty-five years ago, the issue of plastics at sea was of little, or no, importance to many, although Plastics SA was already sounding the alarm bells over the increasing amount of plastic and other waste material entering the marine environment. Today, this issue has garnered much more attention – in South Africa and around the world. This has resulted in us seeing much greater support and
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participation in beach clean-ups from communities, corporates, municipalities and national government. Demographically, the make-up of the volunteers has also changed. We now see more regular (monthly and weekly) beach clean-ups taking place around the country. In most cases, these have sprung from the International Coastal Clean-Up, which remains the largest global volunteer effort for ocean health. We’re expecting well over 13 000 volunteers to participate in this year’s event in South Africa alone.
How does this tie in with Clean-Up & Recycle SA Week? The two complement each other because litter and pollution are clearly not just issues for coastal regions. The bulk of the plastic litter that ends up on South Africa’s beaches and in the ocean is transported there by inland river systems. The annual Clean-Up & Recycle SA Week, running from 13 to 18 September 2021, and National Recycling Day, on 17 September 2021, are vital platforms for raising education and awareness, and for everyone to be part of the solution. We also need to reinforce the message that waste has a value, and that recycling can create much-needed jobs. This annual public awareness week is supported by all the packaging streams in South Africa to work towards removing all visible litter from our country’s
neighbourhoods and streets, rivers, streams, beaches and oceans. Highlights of the 2020 Clean-Up & Recycle SA Week included the launch of Inkwazi Isu (the Fish Eagle Project) by the KZN Marine Waste Network South Coast and the participation of Minister Barbara Creecy of the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment in a beach clean-up at Dakota beach, Umbogintwini, where 697 bags were collected with a weight of over 2.4 tonnes.
What happens to the waste collected after each annual Clean-Up & Recycle SA Week? We’ve seen significant changes and developments take place in this regard over the years. There’s a big need among recyclers for clean, good-quality material that has been collected and separated for recycling. These materials
