Environmental clean-ups require collective action

Community volunteers at a coastal clean-up

Environmental clean-ups require 2021 marks the 25th year that Plastics SA will be coordinating collective action South Africa’s participation 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 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

are employed in myriad uses and applications – ranging from lightweight cement to household items and even brand name sneakers and clothing that are manufactured from ocean waste.

This has a very positive impact on the amount of waste being diverted from landfill. It is important to remember that many coastal areas in South Africa targeted by the International Coastal Clean-Up and Clean-Up & Recycle SA Week are rural areas where collection for recycling is still in its infancy and where effective waste management services by local municipalities are lacking.

How is Plastics SA working with coastal and upstream communities to combat plastic river waste? Can you provide examples of current municipal/Plastics SA cooperative ventures?

We work closely with these communities (as well as inland communities in Gauteng who assist with the cleaning up of rivers and streams in the province) by providing support to clean various rivers in the Durban metropole, Gqeberha’s Motherwell and Swartkops waterways, and waterways in Cape Town metro. Plastics SA also supports various organisations nationally with logistical support by making available to them low-key equipment such as refuse bags, gloves, rakes, spades, waders, etc. – as well as boots, piping and nets for water barriers to capture floating debris. In the Cape Town municipal area, we have started in areas where the greatest concern lies, namely retrieving as much plastic material from rivers and streams before they end up in the ocean. Most of this material is made of rigid plastics (e.g. buckets, containers, bottles) and therefore highly recyclable. Unfortunately, due to minimal or no municipal services in the poorer areas, waterways are often treated as conduits to remove all waste material, resulting in water pollution.

C&R2021_IMIESA_210x148.5mm.pdf 1 2021/08/11 14:28 Recycling waste is an environmental imperative, and an opportunity to create jobs by sustaining a circular economy

What’s the message people should be left with this National Recycling Day?

We need to highlight the message that it is socially unacceptable and environmentally irresponsible to litter and dump material – whether it is flicking your cigarette butts out of your window, throwing a chips packet on the beach, or dumping building rubble in empty areas.

The quality of waste management in South Africa is improving, but we need to continue putting pressure on municipalities (especially in rural areas) as well as communities to start seeing waste as a valuable resource that creates employment and one that should be collected and recycled. That’s the only way to build a truly circular economy.