Cape Town – South Africa's unemployment rate is at a record high of 30.8% in the third quarter. In searching for solutions, the ''green economy'' sector can help contribute to the country's economic recovery.
With the World Economic Forum reporting that by 2050 there may be more plastic in the ocean than fish, plastic is a good place to add impetus to furthering the green economy, especially with landfill space at a premium.
The Department of the Environment, Forestry and Fisheries has. Newly gazetted regulations for plastic retailers will ensure full responsibility is taken for their consumed products and the impact it will have on the environment.
Doing their part to drive much-needed education, awareness and behaviour change is local packaging manufacturer Tuffy. Stimulating demand for product made from recycled material is what Tuffy is all about.
It has partnered with the WWF to fight plastic waste in South Africa and has been making products out of recycled material since 1986.
'’As a true pioneer in the circular economy, Tuffy recognises the great work the WWF is doing in the space. So, we approached the WWF to collaborate here and assist their efforts. For every pack of Tuffy refuse bags you buy, we donate to the fund,’’ Tuffy’s’ Rory Murray said on Friday.
’’As a brand, we are recycling around 100 tons of plastic a month, but what’s important here is that the recycling sector in South Africa created over 50 00 jobs last year, and that goes from waste collectors to sorters to producers of pellet that comes out of recycled plastic.
’’A large portion of those are low-entry jobs. They are not necessarily high-skilled but that all contributes to a decent income. So it’s a big sector in SA and the SA plastic recovery rate is one of the highest in the world.
'’’We are using too much plastic in its virgin format. This is why we are involved with the WWF and the SA Plastics Pact. We need to convert consumers from virgin plastic to recycled plastic because then the resource material is extracted from the environment once and it is reconstituted as it gets recycled every time into a reusable or recycled item.
’’In the past recycled plastic used to be of an inferior quality and it’s not that way any more. Most of your shopping bags are made of recycled plastic and refuse bags and it’s very difficult for the consumer to tell the difference.
’’As long as it is not in direct contact with foodstuffs, recycled plastic is fit for purpose and even if it has been in contact with foodstuffs, you can laminate recycled plastic in the middle and virgin plastic on the outside so that you bring down the percentage of virgin plastic in packaging.
’’The whole push for us is to get the acceptance of products made from recycled plastic or a high percentage of recycled plastic.’’
Murray is excited about what the future holds in partnering with organisations like the WWF, which promotes the single extraction of a resource and employment creation.
’’A brand tackling it (plastic awareness) on its own, that makes some noise, but getting involved with organisations like the WWF, that is pushing the circular economy principle through the SA Plastics Pact.
’’What they are saying is, plastic is not necessarily evil, as long as it’s handled in the right way. So by recycling, you get to use the resource again and again and again.
’’So the extraction from the environment happens only once so it doesn’t become a single-use item because it gets reused and turned into other products, and in that process it creates jobs all the way down the stream.’’
Due to the fact that the country is running out of landfill space, says Murray, by keeping plastic off the landfill – through separation at source and collecting initiatives – it’s a huge boon to the economy and the green economy.
Asked why it’s so important for manufacturers to use more recycled plastic, Murray said: ’’The more that product is made from recycled plastic, the more demand there will be for recycled pellet. More recycled pellet means less waste in the environment and less pressure on landfill. The circular economy really is a win-win for all.’’
Tuffy was the first organisation in the country to be certified for using 100% recycled material in its refuse bags (75% of the recycled content is the waste generated by the public that would otherwise end up in landfill) and the first to receive accreditation from an international product verification company to verify the claim 100% recycled.
Murray said the City of Cape Town is talking about targets of zero-waste landfills in the next three years.
’’That would mean that at home everything is recycled. So everything goes to a recycled plant. Cape Town is leading the charge and other provinces are seeing what is happening in Cape Town.
’’Primarily, the first win for a municipality is that the burden on waste collection is hugely reduced once consumers start recycling.'’
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