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Recycling & Waste Management News

Solar power industry has opportunity to build recycling value chain from scratch

By: Marleny Arnoldi 18th November 2020 Solar photovoltaic (PV) power users, both utility-scale and rooftop users alike, will have to start thinking about, and develop, ways in which the waste of solar power generation facilities will be managed at the end of their lives. In terms of the industry’s regulatory requirements, the solar... →

Tech partnership brews beer from re-used water

By: Halima Frost 13th November 2020 Local water technology company Xylem has partnered with Berlin water utility Berliner Wasserbetriebe and the Kompetenzzentrum Wasser Berlin (the Berlin Centre of Competence for Water) to produce Berlin Reuse Brew. Berlin Reuse Brew is a beer made from purified and treated wastewater. →

Xylem Water Solutions treatment project manager Brendan van Wyk discusses the use of ozone and ultraviolet technology in the cleaning processes in breweries and wineries. Camerawork: Kutlwano Matlala. Editing: Nicholas Boyd. Recorded: 21.10.20

Calls for support for waste pickers on the rise

By: Simone Liedtke 12th November 2020 African Reclaimer Organisation (ARO) chairperson Eli Kodisang is calling for additional support for waste picker organisations and waste reclaimers as part of South Africa’s journey to reducing waste. Speaking during the virtual Plastics Colloquium on November 12, Kodisang lamented that the waste... →

African Reclaimer Organisation (ARO) chairperson Eli Kodisang speaking during the 2020 Plastics Colloquium. Video: Creamer Media's Kutlwano Matlala. Editing: Creamer Media's Nicholas Boyd.

'New roadmap' needed for South Africa to deal with plastic waste pollution

By: Simone Liedtke 12th November 2020 Although the plastics and plastic products industry contributed about R70-billion to South Africa’s economy in 2019, according to Plastics South Africa, plastic pollution has also had a significant impact on the country’s ecosystem services. Therefore, Environment, Forestry and Fisheries Minister... →

Environment, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Barbara Creecy delivers the keynote address at this year's Plastics Colloquium. Video: Creamer Media's Kutlwano Matlala. Editing: Creamer Media's Nicholas Boyd.

Flowmeters can reduce wasted energy

By: Cameron Mackay 6th November 2020 Specialised importer and distributor of industrial and electronic products Actum Group offers a range of energy efficient products to service a variety of industrial and electric applications. “In our energy efficiency range, we have world-leading brands that can help customers run not only a... →

WWF launches plastics report, encourages deeper collaboration to end pollution

By: Donna Slater 4th November 2020 All actors in the plastics value chain have a role to play in dealing with the plastic pollution challenge, and while there are various policies and actions in place, independent conservation organisation the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) says little can be achieved without deep collaboration,... →

Nurdle spill reignites Greenpeace’s plea for single-use plastic ban

By: Marleny Arnoldi 4th November 2020 Following a recent spill of plastic nurdles off the Southern Cape coast, Greenpeace Africa plastic campaign lead Angelo Louw says nurdle spills have destroyed South Africa’s coastlines over the past few years. He stresses the need for government to ramp up its efforts to eradicate single-use... →

Plastic nurdles

SABS calls for stricter self-regulation around hazardous waste disposal

By: Marleny Arnoldi 19th October 2020 Since the global outbreak of Covid-19, the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) has been refocusing its attention on improving its services to assist in the fight against the pandemic and the hygiene matters related to controlling the spread of infection. To this end, the SABS says the... →

Acquisition expands provider’s range of wrapping solutions

By: Mc'Kyla Nortje 16th October 2020 Acquiring Finnish stretch-wrapping machine manufacturer Octomeca in 2018 has allowed Switzerland-based packaging supplier FROMM Packaging Systems to expand its product offering to the packaging industry. Octomeca offers horizontal and vertical film-wrapping solutions, which enable the company to... →

WRAPPING IT UP The OMC-V2000 machine is indicative of FROMM’s innovative approach to ensuring the highest possible level of product protection and load securing

Expansion set for completion

By: Halima Frost 16th October 2020 Multidisciplinary consulting firm Zimile Consulting Engineers has announced that the expansion of the R14-million bulk water supply project in Underberg, for the Harry Gwala district municipality in KwaZulu-Natal, will be completed and handed over by the end of this month. “The project addresses... →

UPHILL BATTLE One of the challenges faced during the project entailed an uphill installation which Zimile Consulting Engineers successfully completed without complications

Tech helps address nonrevenue water loss

By: Halima Frost 16th October 2020 According to a rough consensus derived from its end customers and partners, about 38% of South Africa’s produced water is non-revenue water, but water technology company Xylem Water Solutions South Africa says its key technologies assist in addressing this challenge. Non-revenue water is water... →

SMART DETECTIVE The Smart Ball water leak detection an assessment tool can be deployed without having to disrupt the flow within the system

Proactive national water programme on the cards

By: Halima Frost 16th October 2020 The Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA), in partnership with various government departments, is addressing the country’s water woes with the development of a proactive national water programme that aims to offer tangible solutions to municipalities, the relevant government departments and... →

DBSA disruption specialist Johann Lübbe and infrastructure finance specialist Konstant Bruinette discuss the progress being made on a new national water programme that the DBSA is developing.

E-commerce spurs single-use packaging

By: Mc'Kyla Nortje 16th October 2020 The growth of the e-commerce industry has led to demand for protective and branded packaging, says sustainable packaging solutions provider Mielie Mailer cofounder and MD Trent Pike. Unlike warehouse-to-store fulfilment – usually by road, with consignments usually packaged in bulk format of about... →

RECYCLED WINE BOTTLES Company develops packaging solution that is plastic-free and made from recycled wine bottles

Data-driven approach for water approached

By: Halima Frost 16th October 2020 The time to apply a data-driven approach to optimise water distribution in South Africa is now, says consultancy firm Royal HaskoningDHV advisory group director Bongani Dladla. “This could be the country’s catalyst for digital transformation – the point when municipalities start using technology... →

TANK TRACING A data-driven approach will help optimise water use and its infrastructure suggest Royal HaskoningDHV

Easy-to-assemble water storage tanks launched

By: Halima Frost 16th October 2020 Steel products and related services company Structa Group recently launched the marketing drive for its new Circotank brand, which offers a range of rolled sectional steel tanks. Circotank is manufactured from galvanised steel sheet, cold rolled, with a stiffening profile. →

TANK TOP The Maxi range of tanks offers water storage capacity of up to 1.5Mℓ

Innovative recycling initiative receives funding

2nd October 2020 Recycling company Packa-Ching has seen community residents across South Africa making an income by selling their recyclable packaging, shifting a change in behaviour towards packaging waste and cleaning up the environment. The success of the Packa-Ching recycling business model has resulted in a... →

KEEP IT CLEAN Sasol has committed to fund 25 additional Packa-Ching mobile units across South Africa

Creecy hints to inclusion of green components in economic recovery plan

By: Terence Creamer 1st October 2020 Environment, Fisheries and Forestry Minister Barbara Creecy has indicated that government is likely to integrate green-economy components into the country’s Covid-19 economic recovery strategy, details of which are yet to be released by President Cyril Ramaphosa. Speaking during a webinar on... →

Photo by Creamer Media's Donna Slater
Environment, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Barbara Creecy

Maintenance work completed during lockdown

By: Halima Frost 25th September 2020 A team of eight work-at-height specialists representing rope access company Skyriders has safely completed the cleaning and maintenance of two storage tanks at a petrochemicals producer, in Mpumalanga. The maintenance project, which was conducted during Level 5 of the Covid-19 lockdown period,... →

Skyriders marketing manager Mike Zinn discusses a recently completed maintenance project that required specialised rope access expertise. Camerawork: Halima Frost. Editing: Nicholas Boyd. Recorded: 21.08.2020

IS programme gaining momentum

By: Tracy Hancock 25th September 2020 The Industrial Symbiosis (IS) programme of the National Cleaner Production Centre South Africa (NCPC-SA), a division of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, will play a significant role in helping the Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries (DEFF) meet South Africa’s... →

RECYCLING REWARDS Esilthuli Plastic Recycling is growing its production of recycled plastic products, creating jobs through its involvement in the Industrial Symbiosis programme

Industry appeals to country to separate paper products for recycling

25th September 2020 An interesting development as a result of Covid-19, lockdown and the slowed economy has been reduced availability of used white paper and secondary packaging such as cardboard boxes and newspapers. This is according to South African paper recycling association RecyclePaperZA. →

RECYCLING TRENDS South Africa’s paper recovery rate for last year is at 68.5% with 1.2-million tonnes of recyclable paper products diverted from landfill

Industry body submits plastic-waste guidelines to govt

By: Tracy Hancock 25th September 2020 South African plastics industry representative Plastics SA along with industry body Packaging SA and producer responsibility organisations (PROs) of various packaging waste streams submitted guidelines to government last month following the publication of draft Extended Producer Responsibility... →

PLASTIC STATS In 2018, 46.3% of all plastics placed on the market was collected for recycling in South Africa, with 352 000 t of plastics recycled

South Africa should ramp up e-waste recycling

By: Tracy Hancock 25th September 2020 The level of e-waste recycling in South Africa is extremely low. While 6 kg/y to 7 kg/y of e-waste is generated for every South African citizen only 360 000 t/y of e-waste is placed on the market. Only 7% to 12% of the total volume is being recycled formally. This percentage could be doubled when... →

REUSING RESOURCES With up to 99% of all components that comprise information technology devices being recyclable, the world’s finite resources can be saved

Creecy shares strides govt has made in circular economy efforts

By: Marleny Arnoldi 17th September 2020 Environment, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Barbara Creecy says government understands how green industries can open up new possibilities for development and create much-needed jobs in South Africa. Delivering a keynote address at the Waste Khoro 2020 event, which was held virtually on... →

Sasol to become first raw material supplier signatory of Operation Clean Sweep

By: Donna Slater 15th September 2020 Energy and chemicals group Sasol has become the first South African raw material supplier to the plastics industry to become a signatory of Operation Clean Sweep (OCS) – an international stewardship programme designed to prevent resin pellet, flake and powder loss and help keep this material out... →

Circular economy to be promoted through new waste strategy − Creecy

By: Donna Slater 14th September 2020 Environment, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Barbara Creecy says South Africa has aligned policy and strategy with the circular economy concept. This follows shortly after Cabinet's approval of the National Waste Management Strategy 2020 (NWMS). →

Japan continues to assist in oil cleanup off Mauritius coast

By: Marleny Arnoldi 2nd September 2020 Following a massive oil leak earlier this month from a stranded vessel off the coast of Mauritius, Japan has dispatched a third Japan Disaster Relief Expert (DRE) team to undertake on-site environmental assistance activities, at the request of the Mauritian government. The team left Japan on... →

Insimbi ‘cautiously optimistic’ as earnings fall

By: Simone Liedtke 24th August 2020 Germiston-based foundry Insimbi Industrial Holdings remains cautiously optimistic for the year ahead as its headline earnings a share for the financial year ended February 29, was 25% lower year-on-year at 10c a share. Earnings a share also decreased, but by 32% year-on-year, to 8c a share. →

Canal Walk awarded 5-Star Green Star rating for environment-conscious initiatives

By: Donna Slater 19th August 2020 The Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA) awarded Cape Town-based shopping centre Canal Walk a 5-Star Green Star Existing Building Performance v1 Rating earlier in August. The centre, which is co-owned by Hyprop Investments and Ellerine Bros, is the first super regional shopping centre... →

Fuelled by consumer demand, Tetra Pak takes steps to green processes and products

By: Donna Slater 18th August 2020 Food processing and packaging manufacturer Tetra Pak is taking steps to better align itself with the demand for more sustainable and environment-friendly packaging solutions. Tetra Pak president and CEO Adolfo Orive says the company has, over the course of 2019, witnessed awareness and... →

The use of recycled plastic used to store electrical energy demonstrated in the US

By: Rebecca Campbell 13th August 2020 Researchers in the US have successfully used recycled plastic to create rapidly-charging energy storage devices. The research team is composed of engineering professors and students at the University of California Riverside (UCR), and they have been working on using sustainable resources –... →

Photo by University of California Riverside
Left to right: Professors Cengiz and Mihri Ozkan.

Coca-Cola changes Sprite packaging to increase recycling

By: Tasneem Bulbulia 7th August 2020 The Coca-Cola Company in South Africa has stopped the production of Sprite’s iconic green packaging to produce fresh, new clear polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic bottle packaging. The transition to clear packaging means that more Sprite bottles can be collected, recycled and reused to make... →

Stricter compliance regulations for chemical disinfectants

By: Theresa Bhowan 7th August 2020 The Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in a dramatic increase in the demand for disinfectants to help mitigate the spread of the virus, which, in turn, has prompted the need for strict compliance in industrial and domestic cleaning companies and chemical cleaning suppliers. →

EMMA CORDER Consultations determine which chemicals would best suit a company’s requirements and assists in providing a methodology that would best suit the application of these products

Creecy extends public comment on compulsory proposed manufacturer recycling regulations

By: Donna Slater 5th August 2020 Environment, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Barbara Creecy, on August 5, granted a 30-day extension for public comment on proposed regulations regarding extended producer responsibility with regard to the management of waste post the consumer stage of a product’s lifecycle. Members of the... →

Air Envirotech launched to assist mining industry in creating ‘cleaner air’

By: Simone Liedtke 3rd August 2020 Air pollution, dust control and pneumatic product handling specialists Air Envirotech has started operating, providing a comprehensive range of air environmental and pneumatic conveying services, systems and technologies. The company mainly focuses on the mining, metallurgical processing and... →

Construction rubble is functional, says demolition expert

By: Mc'Kyla Nortje 31st July 2020 While a large proportion of demolition and construction rubble is allocated to registered landfill sites, it is critical to note that this material is often used to rehabilitate the landfill sites, says demolition solutions provider Jet Demolition contracts manager Kate Bester. She explains... →

GETTING IT SORTED The majority of construction materials can be sorted and cleaned mechanically either before or during demolition activities

Hempcrete advantageous for construction

By: Mc'Kyla Nortje 31st July 2020 Hempcrete provides several advantages when used for the construction of a building, says Cape Town-based architecture firm Wolf and Wolf Architecture founder and principal Wolf Wolf. Hempcrete is a fully biodegradable material that comprises hemp hurds – the woody core removed during processing... →

Photo by Wolf
SUPERIOR BENEFITS Hemp boasts several characteristics that make it superior from an ecological and economic perspective

Polyco investing in HDPE recycling infrastructure

By: Schalk Burger 30th July 2020 The Polyolefin Responsibility Organisation (Polyco) is investing in infrastructure and end-use development that is essential to growing the collection, recycling and beneficiation of polyolefin plastic waste. This follows research it conducted into the economic potential of one of its key market... →

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