The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has proposed a three-step plan to significantly decrease plastic pollution in South Africa by creating a circular plastic economy. In their latest report titled Turning off the Tap: How the world can end plastic pollution and create a circular economy, the UN suggests reusing, recycling, and creating alternative means of plastic production as the key to tackling plastic pollution.
“Our analysis shows that you need to, on the one hand, reduce the scale of the problem, reduce the amount of plastic that is unnecessary or can be avoided completely, creating three market shifts that allow reuse through refilling. The second market shift is looking at the recycling market. It’s not only about good recycling management but about having more feedstock, more plastic that can be recycled. The third … is creating alternatives that don’t create a greater carbon footprint.” Sheila Aggarwal-Khan, Unep’s director of industry and economy, explained.
In South Africa alone, an average of 2.4 million tonnes of plastic waste is produced every year, equating to around 41kgs per citizen. To date, nearly 60% of the country’s plastic waste has been successfully collected and recycled.
The UN’s three-point plan can be the catalyst for South Africa to reduce plastic pollution even further. As one of the largest producers of plastic waste in the world, there is an urgent need for the country to curb its use of plastic both at the production and individual level.
Governments and policy-makers can play a significant role by incentivizing companies to transition to circular plastic economies in a bid to reduce plastic use and encourage more sustainable production and waste management practices.
The shift towards a circular plastic economy is also crucial in creating job opportunities and socioeconomic benefits for local communities involved in the recycling and manufacturing sector.
As negotiations continue for a legally binding instrument to end plastic pollution, the UN’s proposed three-step plan can serve as a call to action for countries worldwide to bring about real and lasting change in their plastic production, recycling, and waste management systems.
