Lighting the way for change
"Africa will no longer be a dumping ground, but will be part of change."
A new era of waste management was introduced by Ballito’s recycling business queen at the llumination Engineering Society of South Africa (IESSA) annual conference at Salt Rock Hotel recently.
Founder and owner of Reclite SA (Pty) Ltd and the official driving force behind the Lighting Industry Waste Management Plan, Patricia Schröder said exciting times are coming.
“Government called for industries to develop their own waste management plans in December last year and take ownership for their products’ end of life,” said Schröder who has won many a business award including the 2016 Ilembe Chamber Entrepreneur and recently the Margaret Hirsch Woman in Business Achiever of the Year 2018.
She said electronic and lighting waste is one of the fastest growing problems with more than 120 million lighting lamps imported to SA annually. All of them, including LED”s, contain hazardous components and they all have an end of life.
“This plan effects the business to consumer cycle and moves away from the linear economy of buying, using and throwing away a product to a circular economy of buying, using and recycling. Manufacturers and importers will have to pay an environmental levy which in turn will fund the various components such as recycling collections points, incentives for consumers to return their waste, transport of recycling, managing of the process and research and development.”
The lighting industry is still working on perfecting the plan, which will be submitted to parliament for approval in September.
“Seeing all the opposition companies like Phillips, Osram and Eurolux sitting around a table and working together for the greater interest of not only the environment, but South African society is a great step forward.”
She said the waste management plan will effect everyone – from the consumer of lighting products to the guy running around with a trolley collecting recycling.
“This extended producer responsibility will have a huge ripple effect for the greater benefit of everyone and will bring about exciting change which we have seen happen in first world countries already.
“Africa will no longer be a dumping ground, but will be part of change.”
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