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Section 18 EPR is here...
6 JUNE / JULY 2021
Existing producers to register no later than 5 November 2021 AS A pro-active response to the growing national concern around waste and its impact on society and the environment, South Africa recently published the Section 18 Regulations to the National Environmental Management: Waste Act on 5 November 2020, which refers to the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) aspect of the National Environmental Management Waste Act (NEMWA). The regulations came into effect on 5 May. This new legislation makes EPR mandatory for all producers and importers of packaging. It changes how producers, brand owners, retailers and importers design, make, sell and keep their products in the recycling loop as far as is practicably possible. It is now compulsory for producers to belong to a Producer Recovery Organisation or to form their own independent EPR scheme if they choose not to join a PRO to demonstrate your EPR. Any company or brand that makes or imports any form of plastic packaging
and the Southern African Vinyls for distribution is required to pay an Association for PVC. EPR fee. Strict targets have been set by Government for yearly collection The following are required for producers: and recycling that need to be met over the next five years. EPR will see Existing producers to register an investment in collection with the Department of infrastructure. Not only will Environment, Forestry EPR will this provide consumers and Fisheries from see an investment in with more convenient 5 May and no later collection infrastructure. recycling facilities, but than 5 November 2021 Not only will this provide a concerted recovery (as per the amended consumers with more effort at the preEPR regulations convenient recycling consumer or postreleased on facilities, but a concerted industrial phase. 15 January 2021). recovery effort at the Luckily, South Join or form an EPR pre-consumer or postAfrica’s plastics industry scheme that includes industrial phase. is well positioned for this the entire value chain. next stage of environmental Be accountable for the legislation. We have four voluntary, operation and performance industry-led PRO’s that have been of an EPR scheme. running for many years now and have Pay the appropriate fees to the EPR impressive track-records of collection and scheme. Fulfil monitoring and reporting recycling successes, namely PETCO for obligations – to begin Q1 2022. PET, Polyco for polyolefins (PP, HDPE, We urge you to start the process now LDPE/LLDPE and multi-layer), the by engaging with the relevant plastics Polystyrene Association for polystyrene, industry PRO’s as soon as possible, as
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Boost for recycling as bottle labelling trial signals success A GROUND-BREAKING trial that renders plastic bottles with self-adhesive labels fully recyclable promises positive spin-offs for the environment and plastic producers who have until November to comply with Section 18 of the National Environmental Management Waste Act. Until now, PET plastic bottles with
adhesive labels have hampered South African recycling processes, because the glue from the labelling has discoloured the recyclate. This has meant that discoloured recycled PET (rPET) from those bottles could not be repurposed into high-quality, clear plastic beverage bottles, but only be used to produce a limited range of products. Extrupet, PETCO, UPM Raflatac & Java Print partner in trial Post-consumer PET bottle recycler Extrupet trialled the new wash-off label adhesive in April in conjunction with PETCO – the national industry organisation supporting PET plastic bottle
recycling and collections. Self-adhesive label manufacturer UPM Raflatac and label printers Java Print partook in the trial with bottler Oasis Water. “Lab results following the trial have shown a more than satisfactory result,” said Extrupet joint managing director Chandru Wadhwani, adding that the new wash-off label adhesive used in the trial easily washed off the PET flakes created as the plastic bottles underwent recycling. “The chemical composition of the new wash-off label adhesive makes it easier to remove during recycling, and the glue retention on the label has met our recycling standards requirements,” he said.
ECO-LABELLING: Yvonne Griesel and Gerrie Swanepoel of Oasis Water take a closer look at the new eco-friendly wash-off labelling trialled on 10 000 of their bottles recently
