KZN Amanzimtoti River Catchment Project
Inkwazi Isu (Fisheagle Project) is the brainchild of a group of collaborators from Industry and Civil society who engaged with the eThekwini Municipality and put together a project to address education, infrastructure development and an Innovation Hub, to develop new ideas for entrepreneurs, to highlight plastic pollution on the KZN South Coast.
In Amanzimtoti, the stakeholders came together to design and implement a comprehensive difference in the way plastic waste is managed. After the last flash floods that covered the beaches with tonnes of plastic, local NGO Clean Surf Project decided that more had to be done than simply picking up after the problem. Two immediate interventions were required and the Inkwazi Isu was born. The KZN Marine Waste Network South Coast was formed and industry leaders including Coca Cola Beverages South Africa, SASOL, PETCO, Polyco, Polystyrene Association of SA, Plastics SA and local community leaders got together to address the situation. Coca Cola Beverages South Africa sponsored a Beach Rake with a Unimog, a multi purpose vehicle, which was being operated by Clean Surf Project and removed the smaller particles of plastic that cannot be picked up by hand, and therefore improved the quality of our beaches. SASOL funded a Baseline Study to quantify the problems and drew up a project to address the issues, education, collection at source, recycling, and river clean-ups.
Working closely with the Municipality, Industry and Civil Society, a support mechanism was established to empower local informal recyclers, local businesses and NGO’s to overcome the current practices of treating used plastic as a worthless product and enabling the potential of its recycling value to be reached.
By identifying and facilitating strategic partnerships and facilitating shifts in the collection and processing of recyclable plastic, KZN Marine Waste Network South Coast through the Inkwazi Isu provides improved environmental education and training, the development of infrastructure to supply Buy Back Centres and infrastructure to assist collectors and recyclers,developing a new locally based value chain for used plastic, which is essential for reduction, reusing and recycling.
Litter Booms help fight ocean pollution
World Oceans Day takes place in June each year and activities focus on preventing plastic pollution and encouraging solutions for a healthy ocean.
Plastics|SA has joined forces with environmentalists north of Durban, to fight ocean pollution by installing a litter boom at the Umhlanga lagoon. The boom was designed to trap litter and prevent it from entering the ocean and was launched in celebration of World Oceans Day.
“Our aim is to reduce the amount of litter that washes into the sea from the Ohlanga river. The litter boom floats on the surface of the water and acts as a trap that prevents all the floating litter from washing down into the estuary and into the sea. It then allows for that litter to be collected at one point. The device does not pose a risk to any species found in the lagoon.On the same day, a beach clean-up was organised by The Winds of Change Group and Point Yacht Club, who, between them, collected 400 bags of litter. Plastics|SA sponsored a public shark dissection and education session which took place on the Umhlanga Main beach, hosted by Steven Mabugana from Aqua Amazing.
Our partners on the day included DPAPP, Durban Green Corridor, Umhlanga UIP, Upper Umhlanga Security Trust, KZN Recycling Form, USE –IT, Tetrapak and AquaAmazing who did a shark dissection as part of the education drive to inform beachgoers of the effects of litter on our environment.
The Declaration of the Global Plastics Associations for Solutions on Marine Litter, launched in March 2011, is a global declaration and public commitment made by the international plastics community to address the issue of plastics in the marine environment, which includes Operation Clean Sweep.
The Operation Clean Sweep Programme South Africa was launched on Thursday, 8 June 2017 at Ushaka World, Durban during World Oceans Day Celebrations.
THE GOAL: achieving zero pellet, flake, and powder loss.
Most plastic consumer products are made from small plastic pellets the size of a small sunflower seed (without the shell). Plastic makers have developed an innovative program called “Operation Clean Sweep” to help keep these pellets where they belong – in factories, trucks and railcars and out of the natural environment. Download the manual and poster below for your manufacturing environment. Every segment of the plastics industry has a role to play—including resin producers, transporters, bulk terminal operators, recyclers and plastics processors—by implementing good housekeeping and pellet, flake, and powder containment practices.
2023 sees three local plastics companies signing the Pledge.
Three new companies have joined the fight against plastic pollution by signing the Operational Clean Sweep (OCS) pledge in Southern Africa. The Association of Rotational Moulders of Southern Africa (ARMSA), the Expanded Polystyrene Association of Southern Africa (EPSASA), and Kainotomia Polymers have committed to preventing resin pellet, flake, and powder loss to reduce the amount of plastic ending up in rivers and oceans.
Read the full Press Release here.
The following organisations are signatories of Operation Clean Sweep® (OCS)
Associations and PROs:
PETCO
POLYCO
ARMSA
EPSASA
SA Vinyls Association
SAPPMA
PCA
SAPRO
Converters:
Polyoak
Berry Astrapak
Plastic Bubbles
Neptun Boot
Kainotomia Polymers
Raw materials:
Sasol
Safripol
Recyclers:
Myplas
Tufflex
Logistics:
Unitrans Supply Chain Solutions
.
Key environmental education initiatives
Collector Training Workshops: Plastics SA is committed to enhancing recycling capabilities through specialised training workshops. These sessions empower individuals and businesses involved in collecting for recycling to adopt best practices, ensuring a more efficient and sustainable recycling process.
Community Clean-ups: Plastics SA actively supports and participates in beach, river, and community clean-up initiatives across the country. By collaborating with local communities, the organisation strives to raise awareness about the detrimental effects of plastic pollution and promote responsible waste disposal.
Municipal Engagement and Training: Plastics SA works closely with local municipalities to provide training to waste collectors and other stakeholders involved in waste management. This collaborative effort aims to improve waste collection processes and ensure the effective implementation of sustainable waste management practices.
Captain Fanplastic School Programme: Targeting schools, Captain Fanplastic delivers a powerful message about the importance of recycling. Plastics SA is a proud supporter of this educational initiative, which aims to instil environmentally conscious habits in the younger generation, fostering a culture of sustainability and responsibility.
River Clean-ups and Community Education: Plastics SA prioritises river clean-ups and partners with various organisations to deliver ongoing training and education to communities living near rivers and streams. Initiatives such as the Litterboom Project and the Inkwazi Isu River Catchment Project emphasise the significance of protecting water sources and preventing plastic pollution in these vital ecosystems.
Sustainable practices to safeguard aquatic ecosystems: Plastics SA is the custodian of Operation Clean Sweep (OCS) in South Africa which aims to make zero plastic resin loss a priority for the plastics industry. Spilled pellets, flakes, and powder can make their way into local waterways and ultimately estuaries and the ocean. This isn’t just an eyesore and a litter issue: pellets, flakes, and powder could accidentally be mistaken for food by birds or marine animals. OCS educates manufacturers and recyclers about safe and responsible manufacturing processes that strive towards achieving zero pellet, flake, and powder loss.
As a result of the success of the Fishing Line Bin project, more than 386 bins can now be found at most of the popular angling beaches around South Africa’s coastline, with plans to extend this number to 500 reaching as far afield as Mozambique. More than 350 kg’s of discarded fishing line have already been removed, some of which has been recycled into bush cutters line. In excess of 500 fishing hooks have also been retrieved from these bins.
These fishing line bins stand 60 cm high and act as repositories for used, discarded monofilament fishing line. Off-cuts of PVC pipe (donated by MacNeil Plastics) are used to create a uniquely shaped 60cm tall bin with a U-Bend end-piece that prevents the lines from being blown away. They are also resistant to the elements and corrosion and therefore ideal for long-term use on beaches.
Discarded fishing material (nets, mono filament line, and Cray fish trap anchor ropes) is responsible for damage to marine life. What makes it especially dangerous is that it cuts into the skin and flesh of larger mammals (i.e. seals). The material is also dangerous for human swimmers and boating as it can damage propellers of boats. By increasing public awareness about the negative impact of fishing line debris on marine life, water quality, and human welfare, the project’s goal is to reduce the amount of fishing line entering and remaining in the marine environment.
Plastics SA, the Dyer Island Conservation Trust and the Wildlife and Environmental Society of Southern Africa (WESSA), MacNeil Plastics, DPI Plastics and the South African Plastics Pipe Makers Association (SAPPMA) are building a nationwide network of monofilament recycling locations to make proper disposal of fishing line more accessible.
Our Fishing lines bins are proudly installed at Blyde River Cabins, Limpopo; Elephant Rock Eco Estate at their fishing dam, Herrel Farms at dams and rivers near Orpen Road; Klaserie Reserve on dams and the Klaserie River. A bin is also being used in the Timbavati Foundation Wildlife children’s museum to educate visiting children.
Who should get involved: Marinas, Fishing Clubs, Local Organisations, concerned citizens
Volunteer to install and maintain a monofilament recycling location. We will, with kind donation from DPI plastics provide you with your own monofilament recycling bin.
- Install the bin in a high traffic fishing area and regularly maintain it, separate any collected material and send the collected line to Plastics SA for processing.
- Track the amount of line you collect through our online database.
Where: A high traffic fishing area in your area (marinas, boat launches, parks, etc.)
Interested?
Plastics SA is happy to provide a bin and signage for bins. Email us and let us know how many bins you need and where we can send them.
Where to Send Collected Line?
Plastics SA, P.O. Box 1137, Sun Valley 7985
Plastics SA, supported by Producer Responsibility Organisations eWASA, Petco and Polyco recently sponsored the Save a Fishie Coast to Coast 24 campaign, led by renowned environmental activist Zoë Prinsloo. This inspiring initiative saw Zoë and her team at Save a Fishie NPC embark on a six-week mission to clean beaches along the entire South African coastline, from June 1 to July 13, 2024.
