As South Africa promotes a sustainable approach to waste management, the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) plans to collaborate with waste reclaimer organisations to further integrate them into circular economy waste streams.

“Government, industry and civil society recognise the important role waste reclaimers play in the diversion of valuable resources away from landfills, and the need to formalise and protect these livelihoods and the circular economy they promote,” Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment, Barbara Creecy, said on Tuesday in Pretoria.

She said actors in the informal sector need to be educated on the differences between recyclable and compostable material, as well as the best practice with regards to identifying, collecting and storing the different materials.

It is estimated that there are between 60 000 and 90 000 informal waste reclaimers working at the heart of South Africa’s recycling economy, recovering mostly paper and packaging waste from households and businesses.

Data published by the packaging sector, prior to the Extended Producer Responsibility Regulations coming into effect, estimated that waste reclaimers collect 80-90% of post-consumer paper and packaging for recycling.

The Minister said the planned training and awareness programmes will make a great contribution to the formalisation of this often under-recognized and undervalued sector.

“A notable feature of the agreement between the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), the Government of South Africa and the Government of Japan, is the recognition of the informal sector’s role in waste management and the critical link it provides between households and recycling enterprises,” Creecy said.

This partnership comes after a bilateral meeting was held between President Cyril Ramaphosa and the late Prime Minister of Japan, Shinzo Abe, on 29 June 2019, prior to the G20 Osaka Summit.

During that meeting, the Prime Minister committed that Japan would make funds available to assist South Africa in addressing the leakage of plastic waste into the environment, especially in the marine environment.

This commitment has been fulfilled, as the CSIR has received biodegradation assessment laboratory equipment from Japan, which includes a respirometer, an automated titration system and an elemental analyser.

This will enable the CSIR, through its Biodegradation Facility, to test and verify biodegradation claims of alternative materials, including compostable plastics, as viable alternatives for problematic products.

The services that will be on offer through the donation will broaden transparency and ensure product claims can be tested in accordance with environmental labelling standards.

At the same time, the South African Bureau of Standards is currently in the process of developing local standards for biodegradable packaging.

“Inadequate waste management poses a significant threat to our environment, causing pollution to soil and ground water and undermining ecosystem functions and services.

“To improve waste management in South Africa, we have to progressively increase the number of households with access to weekly waste collection, improve landfill compliance and look to the future of waste disposal beyond landfilling. In this regard the reduction and recycling of waste plays an important role,” Creecy said.

Government aims to divert 40% of waste from landfills within five years through reuse, recycling, recovery and alternative waste treatment.

“We aim to reduce the current amount of waste by about 25% over the same period and ensure a further 20% of waste is reused in the economic value chain.

“Government has over the past year introduced Extended Producer Responsibility schemes for the packaging, eWaste and lighting sectors. We are currently consulting on extending these schemes for batteries, pesticides and lubricant oils,” Creecy said.

Regulations for organic waste treatment, as well as the composting of organic waste, were published earlier this year for implementation.

This will help ensure that organic waste, including food waste, is diverted from landfills and used in composting and other sustainable technologies.

According to the Minister, consumers are increasingly conscious of the impact of their choices on the environment and consequently, are constantly in search of products that are more environmentally friendly.

“At present, bio-plastics represent less than 1% of plastics produced annually. However, rising demand, and an increase in more sophisticated applications means production capacity is set to increase. Bioplastic alternatives exist for many current plastic products, and we expect consumer choice to drive their mainstreaming and increased uptake over time,” the Minister said.

Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation, Dr Blade Nzimande, and Creecy officiated the handover of the biodegradation assessment laboratory equipment to the CSIR in Pretoria.

The event was attended by a high-level delegation consisting of the Ambassador of Japan, Norio Maruyama, senior members from UNIDO, as well as the CSIR CEO, Dr Thulani Dlamini.

Source: South African Government News Agency