Plastic and other Environmental Dangerous Waste

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okie
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Re: Local celebs pledge to give up plastic bags

Post by okie »

My SO , Okiedokie went to supermarket today and was handed a nice sturdy paperbag with handles , for free , instead of plastic bags .
Told her that as from tomorrow , they will charge R2 each for the paper bags --but , plastic bags will still then continue to be charged for at 45 cents each :-?

I would have thought that it would make more sense to charge a lot of money for the plastic in order to discourage use of it , but instead they will continue to just charge a nominal amount for it , and people will just continue to rubbish it around the country side :X:


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Lisbeth
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Re: Local celebs pledge to give up plastic bags

Post by Lisbeth »

Someone has not understood what it is all about :O^ 0- In this way people will never be educated :no:


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Flutterby
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Re: Local celebs pledge to give up plastic bags

Post by Flutterby »

I was wondering why they don't sell paper bags instead of plastic!! 0*\


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Re: Local celebs pledge to give up plastic bags

Post by Lisbeth »

They are more expensive O**

The only way to teach people to bring their own shopping bag is to charge R5/10 for any kind of plastic.


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Re: Local celebs pledge to give up plastic bags

Post by Flutterby »

Exactly, charging 45 cents is not going to stop anyone buying a plastic bag...except maybe my dad!! :twisted: lol


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Re: Local celebs pledge to give up plastic bags

Post by Lisbeth »

Momo does not belong to the majority of the population lol


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Re: Local celebs pledge to give up plastic bags

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V&A Waterfront goes big on recycling in celebration of International Plastic Bag Free Day

2018-07-03 12:34 - Kavitha Pillay

t's International Plastic Bag Free Day on Tuesday, 3 July, and Cape Town’s V&A Waterfront, together with retailer Pick n Pay, is taking plastic recycling up a notch by implementing new initiatives to reduce plastic use at the precinct.

International Plastic Bag Free Day encourages people to live in a single-use plastic bag free world by using disposable bags and re-using plastic bags and items.

“Sound environmental alternatives to single-use plastic bags are available,” says the initiative, adding that hundreds of organisations and people will band together to raise awareness on the environmental impact and hazards of single-use plastic bags, and promote more sustainable solutions.

In the Mother City, the V&A Waterfront launched a public awareness campaign together with its tenant Pick n Pay to reduce single-use plastic.

In celebration of International Plastic Bag Free Day, Pick n Pay at the V&A Waterfront is offering shoppers to swop single-use plastic bags for cardboard carry-boxes and 100% biodegradable bags for the day - making the store the first retailer in the country to be completely plastic-free for the day.

Pick n Pay says that the one-day trial at its V&A Waterfront store will "gauge customer reaction which will inform further industry discussions on alternatives to plastic bags".

The biodegradable bags - given free to customers on International Plastic Bag Free day only - are made from starches, cellulose, vegetable oils and combinations, and for the customer trial will replace all plastic carrier bags, barrier bags and fruit and vegetable bags.
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We're at Pick n Pay @VandAWaterfront for the launch of a campaign to reduce the use of plastic bags in celebration of International Plastic Bag Free Day 2018! #plasticfree #plasticbagfreeday #PlasticBagsBan #PlasticFreeJuly 7:29 AM - Jul 3, 2018

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We're at Pick n Pay @VandAWaterfront for the launch of a campaign to reduce the use of plastic bags in celebration of International Plastic Bag Free Day 2018! #plasticfree #plasticbagfreeday #PlasticBagsBan #PlasticFreeJuly 7:29 AM - Jul 3, 2018

In addition to these single-use plastic bag alternatives, customers can purchase fabric bags at Pick n Pay and at the Waterfront, produced by Township - a woman-owned, local community-based sewing and craft company that uses recycled materials to make the bags. The bags are priced from R20 and some of the proceeds go to the communities that make them.

Executive for Operations at V&A Waterfront, Andre Theys, says that the precinct is conscious of the urgent need to protect oceans from rising plastic pollution.

"At the Volvo Ocean Race Summit and the inaugural Ocean Life Festival in November last year, we made a public comment to do everything possible to eliminate single-use plastics across our property," says Theys.

With about 16 000 people working at the Waterfront and approximatley 26-million visitors a year, Theys says that "by appealing to our tenants and staff, and educating visitors to support our vision for a more sustainable plastic-free future, the V&A Waterfront can drive meaningful environmental change and become a bulwark between a sea of plastic waste and the ocean."

V&A Waterfront will also have an educational activation to inform visitors of the damage caused by regular plastic use and single-use plastics, particularly emphasising its negative impact on marine life.

Swop plastic bags for a reusable V&A Waterfront bag

Shoppers are encouraged to make a pledge to reduce their plastic footprint by swopping plastic bags for a reusable V&A Waterfront bag made from recycled PET bottles. There will be two containers set up at the Waterfront between 3 - 9 July, where shoppers can make the swop.

In addition to offering an alternative to single-use plastic bags, the V&A Waterfront revealed a striking installation of a whale skeleton made from recycled plastic products, which can be viewed at the Victoria Wharf centre court for a limited time. Highlighting the drastic effect plastic pollution has on our ocean life, visitors are allowed to walk "inside" the skeleton to take photos.

Other campaigns to reduce plastic use and increase recycling

The launch of the plastic bag alternatives is an additional effort made by the V&A Waterfront which currently has environmentally responsible and sustainable measures in place to reduce plastic use, such as the implementation of a 'plastic gobbling marine drone' known as a WasteShark, which will trawl the ocean surface picking up as much as 500kgs of ocean trash at a time.

In 2017, V&A Waterfront CEO David Green announced that the company is set to ban plastic bags and bottles from the precinct, and the Waterfront introduced incentives for tenants who adopt proper waste disposal and recycling methods. Over the past year, the V&A Waterfront says it recycled 2 500 tons of waste and collected and diverted over 6 300 tons of waste from landfill sites - of which 81 tons came from waterways and the Maritime industry. "Approximately 24% of all the recyclable waste has been plastic," says V&A Waterfront.

Additionally, many restaurants in SA have already pledged to do away with providing customers with plastic straws with drinks and plastic bags with take-aways.

ALSO SEE: #StopSucking: SA restaurants say 'No to straws!'

While fishing and unregulated ocean use has led to much damage, one of the major contributors harming marine life is plastic pollution.

With only 0.4% of South Africa's ocean regions currently protected, a campaign - part of a new coalition - aims to achieve 5% protection of South Africa’s oceans within Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) by 2019, 10% by 2020, and eventually protect at least 30% of our oceans by 2030 for long-term sustainable use.

Called the Only This Much campaign, it reports that South Africa's entire Marine Protected Area network is less than one third the size of Kruger National Park. Click here to join the campaign online.

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Did you know that South Africa's entire Marine Protected Area network is less than one third the size of Kruger National Park?

This small amount is only 0.4% of South Africa's oceans which are proclaimed as 'marine reserves'.

Dr Jean Harris of Wildoceans says that MPAs provide "ecosystem services, ocean risk mitigation, food security, ecotourism benefits, moderation of climate change, and improving resilience to impacts of other global stressors". She says that the alliance hopes to boost marine conservation in SA and "catalyse action across the region.”

This new alliance of national and international organisations aim to build support for these MPAs by creating awareness of its value. It has even seen the support of world-renowned conservation influencers such as Leonardo DiCaprio who has taken to Twitter to encourage support of the #OnlyThisMuch campaign for greater protection of SA's oceans.

How to reduce plastic use and save our oceans?

- Join the “Only This Much” campaign and spread awareness.
- Make ethical and sustainable seafood choices - follow WWF SASSI to check.
- Stop buying and using plastic products. Reuse old plastic bags when shopping and invest in reusable straws.
- Don't buy items that exploit marine life.
- Get involved in a beach clean-up, and pick up litter whenever you see any along the coast. Read here for more information.
- Visit Aquariums to increase your love and knowledge of marine life.


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Lisbeth
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Re: Local celebs pledge to give up plastic bags

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War on plastic leaves manufacturers clutching at straws

2018-07-03 07:53 AFP

For decades, plastic straws have been essential props for cocktail makers, smoothie lovers and fast food addicts.

But that may be starting to change, thanks largely to vigorous environmental campaigning.

Under pressure from activists, the European Union, Britain, India and even fast food giants like McDonald's have all made some headway towards bringing the use of plastic straws to an end.

And with public pressure growing on governments, particularly in Europe, to ban single use plastics, manufacturers are feeling the heat.

According to peer-reviewed US journal Science magazine, eight million tonnes of plastic are dumped into the Earth's oceans and seas each year – 250kg every second.

For years, the focus of environmentalists has been on plastic bags. But plastic straws have now come into the spotlight, thanks in part to images that have gone viral on the internet.

One online video about the danger posed by seemingly innocuous straws shows a sea turtle rescued off Costa Rica getting one removed from its nostril.

Warning: Graphic content

phpBB [video]


Baby steps

The British government in April said it planned to ban the sale of single-use plastics including straws.

The European Union followed suit in late May.

In India's commercial capital Mumbai, Burger King, McDonald's and Starbucks were fined for violating a ban on single use plastics, an official said earlier in June.

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi has pledged to make his country free of single use plastic by 2022.

Some corporations are also taking steps.

In the UK and Ireland, McDonald's has pledged to complete a transition to paper straws by 2019.

In France, the burger giant is testing alternatives.

The Hilton hotel giant in May vowed to remove the offenders from its 650 properties by the end of 2018.

"Laid end to end, the straws saved each year in (Europe, the Middle East and Africa) would exceed the length of the River Seine," the hotel chain said in a statement.

Pasta and bamboo sticks

There are alternatives to plastic straws, but they are much pricier.

The five-star Monte Carlo Palace hotel in Monaco has introduced biodegradable straws.

Others are using raw pasta and bamboo sticks.

The United States is resisting change while Europe takes the lead with biodegradable plastics made either from fossil fuels or crops such as potatoes and corn.

Some 100 000 tonnes of bioplastics were produced in 2016 in the world, according to Germany's specialist Nova-Institute.

In 2017, biodegradable plastic production capacity rose to 800 000 tonnes globally, the European Bioplastics industrial group said.

And while this may appear to be a step in the right direction, manufacturers are concerned about the impact outright bans would have on their sales.

"It's not a very good sign," said Herve Millet, technical and regulatory affairs manager at PlasticsEurope, the region's leading plastics manufacturers' association.

"But ... big corporations also have concerns over their image and they must at least try to find a way to respond to society's expectations."

No miracle cure

Europe's top plastic straws manufacturer Soyez, which is based in France, is also uncertain about how to make the transition.

"The problem isn't new and it's serious, so we obviously need to find alternatives," the company's director Pierre Soyez said.

"We've been working on this for several months," he said, adding that it was "really complicated" to try to make the shift overnight.

Experts, meanwhile, warn that biodegradable plastics may not be a miracle solution anyway.

"People think that biodegradable means nothing is dumped in nature. But that's not the case at all," engineer Virginie Le Ravalec of the French Environment and Energy Management Agency.

A separate collection system for bioplastic waste would need to be set up in order for the shift to really work, and that would involve millions in investment from states.

Activists fear, however, that biowaste may end up in the oceans – much like plastic has for decades.

"Over periods of days, weeks or even months, a bioplastic item could present just as much threat to marine life as a conventional plastic item," Fiona Nicholls of Greenpeace warned.

As such, Nicholls says humanity's only hope is to reduce our use of plastics.

"Swapping one plastic for another ... is not a fix to the plastic pollution problem that our oceans and waterways face."


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Flutterby
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Re: Local celebs pledge to give up plastic bags

Post by Flutterby »

At a couple of restaurants we've been to recently they either have paper straws or ask if you would consider not using a straw! \O


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Lisbeth
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Re: Local celebs pledge to give up plastic bags

Post by Lisbeth »

A good sign \O Straws seem like a drop in the ocean, but a start and better than nothing \O


"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world." Nelson Mandela
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