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Environmental News

Energy efficiency a priority in air conditioning

6th July 2018 Multinational electronics conglomerate Samsung has designed an energy efficient air conditioning system with the aim of helping to alleviate the pressure placed on South Africa’s strained natural resources. Since the recording of global temperatures began in 1951, the 17 warmest years were within... →

Key enviro assessment launched for SA gas and power networks

By: Nadine James 6th July 2018 The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and the South African National Biodiversity Institute are undertaking a strategic environmental assessment (SEA) for the development of a phased gas pipeline network and the expansion of the electricity grid infrastructure (EGI) corridors.... →

New tech, investments can reduce water crisis

By: Donald Makhafola 6th July 2018 New technologies for water and wastewater treatment plants, as well as investments in ecological infrastructure, could reduce the risks of water pollution and failure of critical water supply infrastructure in the country, says global engineering and infrastructure advisory firm Aurecon South... →

Photo by Bloomberg
COLLABORATIVE MANAGEMENT South Africa is depending on a complex and technically challenging bulk-water supply which requires a high level of expertise and coordination

Environment-friendly design for art gallery

By: Schalk Burger 6th July 2018 The Norval Foundation art gallery, established by the Norval family and which opened in Steenberg, in Cape Town, in April, hosts works by a range of South African artists and has architectural and civil engineering features aimed at promoting environment-friendliness and sustainability, the... →

Photo by Dave Southwood
NORVAL FOUNDATION ART GALLERY The gallery has rooftop solar photovoltaic panels, a building management system, water-saving measures, a grey-water purification system and stormwater return to the wetland

Pick n Pay trials compostable carrier bags in Cape Town

By: Marleny Arnoldi 3rd July 2018 Pick n Pay has become the first South African retailer to trial compostable bags as an environment-friendly alternative to plastic bags. →

Hope for Johannesburg waste pickers

By: News24Wire 3rd July 2018 The future of Johannesburg's waste pickers — people who make their living by searching through garbage for things to recycle — may be looking brighter, GroundUp reports. The City has committed to including waste pickers in its recycling initiatives. But an organisation that works with waste... →

World Bank approves $2.1bn loans for Nigerian projects

By: Reuters 29th June 2018 The World Bank said on Thursday it had approved a total of $2.1-billion in concessionary loans to fund projects in Nigeria aimed at improving access to electricity and promoting governance. The projects approved by the International Development Association (IDA), the bank's low-interest arm, are... →

No Day Zero for 2019 – City of Cape Town

By: News24Wire 28th June 2018 The City of Cape Town has announced that the dreaded Day Zero – the day when most of the taps will be turned off – will not happen in 2018 or 2019. The City of Cape Town said on Thursday that provided that adequate water restrictions are maintained, "the City is confident that there will be no... →

Local celebs pledge to give up plastic bags

By: News24Wire 28th June 2018 More than 30 local celebrities and influencers will pledge to give up plastic shopping bags in July, backing the Rethink the Bag campaign's latest initiative. The Plastic-free July campaign kicked off at the Two Oceans Aquarium on Tuesday evening with big names such as Jack Parow and Roxy Louw in... →

Pikitup to roll out mandatory separation-at-source programme

By: Marleny Arnoldi 27th June 2018 The City of Joburg and waste management company Pikitup have launched a mandatory separation-at-source programme to contribute to increasing recycling rates in South Africa. →

City of Joburg and Pikitup's mandatory seperation-at-source programme recyclables collection bags

WGC report a first step in understanding gold’s GHG footprint

By: Anine Kilian 27th June 2018 While there is limited published data on gold’s global carbon footprint, research by the World Gold Council (WGC) has determined that total greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions from newly-mined gold are significantly lower than those of other major metals and mined products. “Gold is also valuable and,... →

Saldanha Bay aquaculture development zone gets green light

By: Marleny Arnoldi 22nd June 2018 The proposed sea-based Aquaculture Development Zone (ADZ), in Saldanha Bay, in the Western Cape, has been granted an environmental authorisation. →

Getting below the surface of the Cape Town water crisis

By: News24Wire 22nd June 2018 It will take three months and cost R350-million for a small-scale temporary desalination plant to produce enough water to raise the level of Cape Town’s supply dams by just 1%. Yet the small amount of rain over the long weekend in April raised the dam levels by more than 1% – free of charge.... →

Durban High Court lifts Shongweni landfill interdict

By: African News Agency 22nd June 2018 An interdict brought by a Durban community preventing national waste management firm EnviroServ from operating its Shongweni-based hazardous landfill site was lifted by the Durban High Court on Thursday. Judge Johan Ploos van Amstel lifted the restrictive interdict claiming it had served its... →

Increased drive towards using natural gas

By: Jessica Oosthuizen 22nd June 2018 There is an increased drive in the local boiler industry towards converting from using coal to using natural gas, as coal – despite its being the cheapest fuel to use – is becoming increasingly problematic, says heat and energy generation equipment provider Steam Generation Africa MD John Rundle.... →

BOILER DISTRIBUTION Steam Generation Africa is the local distributor for boiler specialists Cochran UK products

NGOs rate South Africa’s transition to a green economy at five out of ten

By: Nadine James 21st June 2018 Nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) on Thursday released the findings of new research, which describes South Africa’s transition to a low-carbon, sustainable and inclusive future as “stuck in first gear”, with ambitious policies but slow implementation. The ‘South Africa Green Economy... →

Poor people most vulnerable to climate change – economist

By: African News Agency 21st June 2018 An estimated 20-million people will be pushed into poverty because of climate change in 2030, which may possibly rocket to more than 100-million people if speedy social developments are not conducted, an economist said on Wednesday. “We estimated that 20-million people will be pushed into poverty... →

Emission abatement technology could drive industrialisation – EPCM Global

By: Nadine James 20th June 2018 South African firm EPCM Global Engineering has partnered with Luxembourg-based Carbon Process & Plant Engineering (CPPE) to bring its emissions abatement technology to Africa, in a move that could spur industrialisation, says EPCM Global CEO Tumi Kgomo. He explains that the technology, which was... →

'The future we don't want is already happening' – climate change expert

By: News24Wire 20th June 2018 The future we don't want is already happening with more intense droughts, floods, heat waves, blackouts, food shortages and sea levels gradually rising. It may sound like a post-apocalyptic movie, but delegates to the Adaptation Futures 2018 conference in Cape Town heard that these climate change... →

City of Cape Town will take 3 years to deal with drought impact - De Lille

By: African News Agency 19th June 2018 It will take at least three years for the City of Cape Town to deal with the impact of climate change and the current drought on the city, Cape Town mayor Patricia de Lille said on Tuesday. Welcoming delegates to Adaptation Futures 2018, the world’s leading conference on climate change adaptation... →

Photo by Reuters
Cape Town Mayor Patricia de Lille

Over 1 000 international delegates gather in Cape Town to find ways of adapting to global climate change

By: News24Wire 18th June 2018 In the beginning the conversation about global climate change focused on cutting greenhouse gas emissions to keep Earth's temperatures from rising dangerously high. Later, another conversation developed alongside the first, which said even if we stopped all greenhouse gas emissions today, we... →

Consciousness needed for chemical use

15th June 2018 The use of chemical compound Difluoromethane (R32) refrigerant in air-conditioning systems as a ‘green’ alternative to R410A demonstrates the global impact of the phasedown programme initiated by the Montreal Protocol and Kigali Agreement, according to specialty chemicals and gases supplier... →

ENVIROMENTALLY INNOVATIVE COMPOUND R32 has higher pressures than many mainstream refrigerants, in addition to mild flammability

Technology at the fore

By: Halima Frost 15th June 2018 Various speakers discussed new technologies and applications in the thermoplastic welding industry at the Thermoplastics Welding Technology Day, hosted by industry body Plastics SA last month. The discussions ranged from single-user welding technology to new applications (apps) revolutionising... →

PRODUCTS ON DISPLAY The new Hurner Smartline butt welding machine and clamp was on show

Carbon-content waste disposal rethought

By: Paige Müller 15th June 2018 In light of the Department of Environmental Affairs’ (DEA’s) imminent ban on all forms of liquid waste to landfill set for August 2019 and the ban on hazardous waste to landfill with a calorific value greater than 25 MJ/kg since August 2017, waste management service provider Interwaste states... →

WASTE-DERIVED FUEL Interwaste has invested a significantly in the development of alternative waste solutions aimed at turning harmful waste into waste-derived fuel

Sustainable construction championed for building industry

By: Tasneem Bulbulia 15th June 2018 Sustainable construction should be pursued instead of green building, and using concrete can help achieve this, as it is quite a sustainable material, advances technical services provider for concrete The Concrete Institute (TCI) MD Bryan Perrie. TCI is well poised and equipped to promote this,... →

Photo by Bloomberg
VERSATILE Concrete is a sustainable material, with design flexibility, as it can be constructed into any shape, design and finish

Entrenched player furthers green building

By: Tasneem Bulbulia 15th June 2018 Leading construction materials company AfriSam believes that it is important for all industry roleplayers to play an active role in furthering green sustainability initiatives in the built environment, and the company is pursuing this through partnerships and relationships with stakeholders, says... →

EVERGREEN AfriSam has sponsored a number of awards to recognise notable achievements and work in sustainable building

Averda launches hazardous waste management system

By: Nadine James 15th June 2018 Healthcare institutions have a legal duty to ensure that their hazardous waste is managed responsibly, and Averda has introduced the Averda TruTrak to demonstrate its commitment to the responsible management of hazardous waste products. Averda South Africa healthcare head Eugene Barnard explains... →

EUGENE BARNARD The Averda TruTrak system enables clients to access automated waste-tracking and record-keeping capabilities through an online client portal

WWF calls on airline industry to help stop the trafficking of wildlife

By: Kim Cloete 14th June 2018 The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) has called on airlines and airports to work together to stop widespread wildlife trafficking. “Wildlife trafficking is a global challenge. The very existence of wildlife is being threatened,” WWF private sector engagement team director Afsoon Namini, told... →

Draft National Climate Change Bill published for comment

By: African News Agency 11th June 2018 Environmental Affairs Minister Edna Molewa has published the draft National Climate Change Bill for public comment in the Government Gazette, her department said on Sunday. "The purpose of the bill is to build an effective climate change response and ensure the long-term just transition to a... →

Photo by Creamer Media
Environmental Affairs Minister Edna Molewa

DEA, Unido to host roadshow on HFC phase-out

By: Marleny Arnoldi 8th June 2018 The Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) will collaborate with the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (Unido) to host a roadshow with the aim of engaging stakeholders about the Hydrofluorocarbons Phase-Out Management Plan (HPMP) for South Africa. →

S Africa must maintain cost-competitive sector

By: Jessica Oosthuizen 8th June 2018 It is vital for South Africa to maintain a manufacturing sector that is internationally cost competitive and can produce quality end-products, says Germiston-based material transfer solutions provider Weba Chute Systems MD Mark Baller. “The manufacturing industry has been under a lot of... →

LATEST TECHNOLOGY Weba Chute Systems uses the latest techniques and technologies to ensure optimum accuracy during the design and engineering phases, which also facilitate improved efficiencies

Good corporate citizenship in a post-State-capture South Africa

By: Kim Cloete 8th June 2018 A string of corporate governance failures and climate change challenges have cranked up the pressure on companies to become better corporate citizens and take care of the environment they are operating in. The renewed emphasis on governance and sustainability is not limited to the private sector,... →

Petco confident in South Africa’s PET recycling resilience

By: Marleny Arnoldi 7th June 2018 Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) recycling company Petco describes 2017 as one of the most challenging years for the company, with a 13% year-on-year consumption decline in the local PET market. →

Photo by Marleny Arnoldi
Petco chairperson Dr Casper Durandt speaks at the Petco AGM

Rhodes’ Centre for Biological Control awarded R68m contract to help control alien plants

By: Marleny Arnoldi 6th June 2018 The newly-established Centre for Biological Control (CBC) at Rhodes University has been awarded a R68-million contract by the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA). →

DEA Deputy Director General Dr Guy Preston & Centre for Biological Control Director Professor Martin Hill

UN, CSIR Africa Waste Management Outlook considers African context

By: Marleny Arnoldi 5th June 2018 The starting point for the ‘Africa Waste Management Outlook’, which was launched by the United Nations (UN) and the Council for Scientific and Industrial Resources (CSIR) on Tuesday, was the global waste management outlook that was published by the UN in 2015. →

Photo by Marleny Arnoldi
CSIR principal scientist Professor Linda Godfrey speaking at the launch of the Africa Waste Management Outlook

UN, CSIR launch Africa waste management outlook

By: Marleny Arnoldi 5th June 2018 The United Nations (UN) Environment Programme and the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) on Tuesday released Africa’s first consolidated waste management outlook, which seeks to outline and address the impact of mismanaged waste on the continent. →

Electronic waste dumped in Africa by developed countries to supposedly be reused, can end up in landfills

By 2050 there may be more plastic in oceans than fish – UN

By: News24Wire 5th June 2018 Plastic pollution in the oceans has reached a stage where microplastics – pieces smaller than 5mm – now outnumber stars in our galaxy, according to UN secretary general António Guterres. And by 2050, he says, if present trends continue, there will be more plastic in the world's oceans than fish.... →

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Agriculture Construction Gold Expertise Port Harbour Business Cutting Efficiency Fire Screening Surface System Aluminium Engineering Manufacturing Packaging Paper Storage Waste Concrete Innovation Projects Testing Coal Design Energy Environment Gas Health ... more

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