Environmental Affairs to probe recycled bag claims
The department will be liaising with various bodies to ensure that manufacturers of plastic carrier bags comply with the regulatory requirements and standards of their products.
THE Department of Environmental Affairs says it will probe reports into claims that some plastic supermarket carrier bags are not recycled as stated by some chain stores. The department said they has noted ‘with concern’ an article in the Sunday Times recently which claims that “millions of branded plastic supermarket carrier bags claimed to be recycled are not”.
The article further alleges that ‘to cut costs, the plastic manufacturers, known as converters, started adding chalk (calcium carbonate) as a cheap filler to the mix, sabotaging the mechanical process used to recycle the bag’.
The department will be liaising with the National Regulator for Compulsory Specifications (NRCS) and the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) to ensure that manufacturers of plastic carrier bags comply with the regulatory requirements and standards of their products.
Read also: Study says 90% of seabirds have ingested plastic
“In 2003, South Africa introduced plastic bag regulations in a bold move to address the challenge of plastic bag litter. The regulations essentially made the provision of thicker, more durable plastic bags compulsory. The compulsory specification was subsequently developed, prescribing that only plastic carrier bags and flat bags of the minimum thickness of 24 microns can be manufactured or imported into the country at a levy of 3 cents (now 6 cents) a plastic bag,” the department said.
Since the inception of the levy in 2004, National Treasury has been collecting the Plastic Bag Levy. The money collected goes into the National Revenue Fund and National Treasury allocates a portion of it to the department for regulation of the thickness of plastic bags,” said the department.
The Paper and Packaging Industry Waste Management Plan provides effective and efficient ways through which plastic bags can be recycled, thereby ensuring that they are diverted from landfill sites.
You may also be interested: More microplastic bits in our oceans than stars in our galaxy
The department has published a call for the development of, among others, Industry Waste Management Plans for recycling purposes and diverting waste from landfills.
Like our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter to keep up-to-date with local news.
