- Does South Africa have a plastic pollution problem? According to the SA Plastics Pact's first annual report, the amount of plastic recycled in 2020 was 43.2% of the total plastics placed on the South African market, with a 35.4% recycling rate for plastic packaging.
According to ESI Africa article published on February 17, 2023, the report also revealed that 81.2% of plastic packaging placed on the South African market by members was recyclable in 2021, compared to 80.7% in 2020.
In line with the SA Plastic Pact's sustainable goals, the report also reflected on the developments and impact made towards achieving its 2025 targets.
ESI Africa spoke to Roan Snyman, Circular Economy Analyst at GreenCape and SA Plastics Pact, and Michelle Penlington, National Executive, Marketing and Sustainability at PolyOak Packaging, to unpack the results of the report and to discover new ways to advance South Africa's plastics progress.
Though the report indicates that sustainable progress is being made in South Africa's plastics industry, the pair acknowledged that there are still many barriers that may discourage the prioritisation of recycling and the circularity of plastic packaging in South Africa.
Some barriers that were mentioned include:
- Highly recyclable packaging is typically more expensive
- New green initiatives are complex to launch
- There is a lack of asset-to-waste collection in households
- There is a lack of understanding of the various options for circularity in the plastics industry
- The are concerns from businesses surrounding how the quality of recycled plastic affects consumer choice
Penlington added that from a household or consumer perspective, there are numerous issues making recycling difficult. "Without a simple and consistent on-pack labelling system, consumers are often uncertain about what can and can't be recycled. There is also a degree of confusion and scepticism around greenwashing claims on packaging."
"When a pack claims to be reusable, recyclable as well as compostable, consumers get very confused, as they should. The industry needs a clear and consistent labelling system across all packaging formats. One that simply tells the consumer how to dispose of the pack responsibly at end of life," she commented.
“In pursuing a more sustainable, circular economy, the SA Plastics Pact clarified that the issue is not with plastics, but with problematic or unnecessary plastics.”
Creating more value at end-of-life
As a collaborative circular economy-driven initiative, SA Plastics Pact has dedicated itself to helping companies overcome barriers to recycling circularity and eventually ending the use of harmful plastics.
"The collective vision of the SA Plastics Pact and its members is a circular economy where plastic is valued, retained, reused and recycled with the benefits of job creation, economic growth and the prevention of plastic waste pollution in the environment," the representatives commented.
In pursuing a more sustainable, circular economy, the SA Plastics Pact clarified that the issue is not with plastics, but with problematic or unnecessary plastics. These include items that can be avoided or replaced by a reuse model; items that are non-reusable, not compostable or non-recyclable; items with hazardous materials; or items with a high likelihood of being littered, to name a few.
The report showed that South Africa has made tremendous progress in this regard, with 34.7 million fewer problematic or unnecessary items sold/distributed by members in 2021.
"The narrative here is key -well-designed plastics, those which can be reused or recycled back into high-value items, form a critical part of a healthy circular economy, and the Pact is working to transition towards this kind of plastic economy," the pair said.
"Working with brand owners and retailers to design their packaging with circularity in mind, means that more packaging will have value at end of life, and will therefore be recycled into other products and will reduce the amount of plastic packaging that ends up in landfill or the environment."
Solve plastic pollution in South Africa by taking steps to improve recyclability
In addition to ensuring that high-value plastics have a role to play in forging a circular economy, the SA Plastics representatives also cautioned South Africans on recycling properly. Correct recycling will avoid contamination and ensure that discarded plastics are reproduced into valuable items with a reduced environmental impact.
"Most plastics entering recycling plants in South Africa come from mixed sources (general waste). Therefore contamination levels are high, affecting the product's recyclability. Recyclers can see a high loss in tonnage from the input to the output of their plants because of this contamination. Contamination, therefore, also affects the profitably of recycling businesses, as these businesses must then pay to have the residue disposed of at landfill,” commented the representatives.
"The best way for households to avoid contamination is to separate their recycling at the source and rinse out food residues in the washing up (clean fresh water is not needed to rinse recyclables!). Paper for recycling should not be rinsed, but rather food residue picked off as much as possible. Separating recyclables into a separate bag also helps informal reclaimers, who then don't need to rummage through contaminated non-recyclables in search of higher value items."
Though many other complexities in the industry need addressing, the representatives are confident that Extended Producer Responsibility Regulations (EPR) will play a role in allowing companies to take accountability for their packaging materials and charging companies per kilogram of the packaging materials placed on the market.
"Once the EPR regulations start functioning as intended, there is a good potential for increased funding going into the collection and recycling sector, as well as stimulating improved design for recyclability."
There are also negotiations underway regarding a legally-binding United Nations Treaty centred on addressing plastic pollution globally and in South Africa. This may, in the future, contribute toward driving a circular economy for plastics in South Africa, where plastics are kept in the economy and out of landfills and the environment.
