Forty-eight drums have been given to each of 13 Durban-based cooperatives owned by black women under the Safe Happy Drums initiative, launched in 2005 by the Responsible Packaging Management Association of Southern Africa (RPMASA) and the eThekwini Department of Health to help street traders and vendors avoid the risk of contaminating consumable liquids, such as water, juice or sorghum beer during transportation or storage.

South Africa has seen a number of deaths recently caused by drinking water contained in contaminated plastic drums.

RPMASA president Liz Anderson says that the project is an ongoing initiative to stop contaminated drums from being resold into the market and ensure that they are recycled and used in such a way that they are not harmful to people and the environment.

“We are working closely with the Department of Environmental Affairs to implement an industry [initiative aimed at] putting a stop to the resale of chemically contaminated drums. We are also hoping to start a national workshop to get industry and sponsors to contribute a small ‘green levy’ that will facilitate the collection of old drums and to upgrade and register the collectors,” she says.