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Recycling & Waste Management News

Wastepaper R&D receives R2m from local industry body

By: Khutso Maphatsoe 27th March 2020 Fibre Circle, the producer responsibility organisation (PRO) for the paper and paper packaging sectors, has earmarked R2-million for research and development (R&D) in the areas of alternate and innovative uses for recovered paper as well as the provision of recycling equipment for micropreneurs... →

Waste generation likely to increase during national lockdown

By: Simone Liedtke 26th March 2020 Waste generation at households is expected to increase as South Africans prepare to stay indoors for the next three weeks, the Institute of Waste Management of Southern Africa (IWMSA) said on March 25. Owing to this, the institute said it supported the continuation of waste collection, processing... →

Facility upgrades help to ramp up supply

By: Halima Frost 20th March 2020 Local high pressure pump supplier Werner South Africa Pumps & Equipment has successfully improved its turnaround time from between four and six months to between two and three months to manufacture a truck mounted pump system, depending on the unit ordered. “This is subsequent to the... →

UNDER THE PUMP Werner Pumps has managed to increase its turnaround time, to relieve the pressure of increased demand, by upgrading its facilities

Cape Town commercial building showcases pioneering use of ecobricks

By: Kim Cloete 19th March 2020 A new building under construction at Cape Town’s V&A Waterfront has become among the first commercial buildings in the world to use ecobrick technology. Recycled beverage bottles, including the typical ‘Coke’ 2 litre bottles, are being used as ecobricks in the construction of The Ridge, a... →

A recycling plan to clear wind turbine blades from landfills

By: Bloomberg 9th March 2020 It’s difficult to recycle a gigantic wind turbine. The blades are built to withstand extreme weather, from scorching desert heat to hurricane-like winds, and that means their life almost always ends in a landfill. In Europe alone, about 3,800 blades will be removed every year through at least... →

Company to improve processes with new furnaces

By: Cameron Mackay 6th March 2020 Local metalworking company Thomas Foundry is set to improve and increase the efficiency of its metalworking and manufacturing processes with the purchase of four new induction furnaces. The order was placed in September last year to replace three decommissioned furnaces – a 1 t furnace and two 5... →

FORGING AHEAD The company has purchased 4 new furnaces to reduce electricity consumption, improve quality and productivity, improving environmental compliance and reducing maintenance costs

Mpact performs well, despite 2019 financial year not having gone ‘to plan’

By: Simone Liedtke 4th March 2020 The weak South African economy, low business and consumer confidence, as well as the re-emergence of load-shedding and uncertainty in a number of areas, had a marked impact on paper and plastics packaging business Mpact’s customers and consumer-facing business in 2019. This resulted in tough... →

Mpact's paper punnets

Beware of biodegradable and compostable plastics – Plastics SA

By: Khutso Maphatsoe 28th February 2020 The introduction of bioplastics to South Africa’s burgeoning and well-developed recycling industry should carefully be considered, says plastics industry association Plastics SA. Bioplastics are plastic materials produced from renewable biomass sources that are not grown or intended for human... →

LITTERING IS TRASHY Alternatives to conventional plastic packaging do not change consumer behaviour with regard to littering

Products reduce plastic waste, improve packaging

By: Khutso Maphatsoe 28th February 2020 Packaging supplier Baypac Solutions’ innovative solutions have resulted in its customers being able to reduce their use of disposable plastic by 50% on average. Using one or all of Baypac Solutions’ Lock n Pop adhesive, Anti-Slip sheets and 55-layer Nanotechnology stretch film can halve stretch... →

Retailer to reduce single-use plastic impact

28th February 2020 Retail company Pick n Pay is moving to dramatically reduce the impact of single-use plastic and packaging by 2025. Since 2018, the retailer has successfully implemented a number of initiatives to reduce packaging and single-use plastic at its stores and throughout its supply chain. →

Flooring company to start green project

By: Halima Frost 28th February 2020 Flooring contractor KBAC Flooring will handle a 1 400 m2 external raised paving installation project in Centurion for M&T Development, set to start in April 2020. The project is believed to be the first of its kind in Africa using a unique locally manufactured product. KBAC Flooring will... →

UPLIFTING Raised flooring allows for increased aesthetic appeal and accesses to hidden building services

Cableway company is taking on a mountain of waste

By: News24Wire 27th February 2020 There is an ongoing battle to keep Cape Town's iconic Table Mountain clear of rubbish. The Table Mountain Aerial Cableway Company (TMACC) is actively engaged in recycling the rubbish that accumulates as a result of human activity on the mountain. →

Chemists develop process to turn rubbish into graphene

By: Schalk Burger 21st February 2020 Rice University laboratory chemists, led by James Tour, have in the science journal Nature introduced a process by which almost any source of carbon can be turned into graphene flakes, the university said. The gram-scale bottom-up flash graphene synthesis process is quick and cheap and can... →

FLASH GRAPHENE Undergraduate intern Christina Crassas, chemist James Tour and graduate students Paul Advincula and Duy Luong turn carbon black into graphene in a flash

Ethical engagement rings that are truly eco-friendly, guilt-free

By: Bloomberg 20th February 2020 When Krish Himmatramka was working as an engineer in the oil industry, he would spend his spare time in his trailer in northern Louisiana scouring the Internet for the perfect engagement ring for his girlfriend. But he struggled to find one that was ethically and sustainably produced. After... →

Renewed call to ban disposable cylinders

By: Darren Parker 14th February 2020 Despite various heating, ventilation, air-conditioning and refrigeration (HVAC-R) industry participants contesting the banning of disposable gas cylinders in South Africa for years, there is no indication of a decision on the matter being reached. South African Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning... →

TIME TO SCRAP THIS PRACTICE Disposed cylinders create about 3 150 m3 scrap metal and can explode if not thoroughly evacuated

Refrigerant recovery service set for expansion

By: Darren Parker 14th February 2020 Speciality chemicals supplier A-Gas South Africa is planning to expand its rapid recovery refrigerant service nationally this year. This follows the appointment of A-Gas business development manager Grant McGill in September last year. →

IT’S A GAS The Rapid Recovery service is up to ten times faster than traditional refrigerant recovery methods

Construction starts on Western Cape waste disposal facility

By: Simone Liedtke 7th February 2020 The construction of the first of nine new regional waste disposal facilities in the Western Cape has started in Mossel Bay. The new facility will serve multiple municipalities along the Garden Route and is aimed stimulating the waste economy, creating jobs and reducing the environmental impacts... →

Pikitup warns of service disruption

By: Marleny Arnoldi 7th February 2020 Johannesburg municipal waste manager Pikitup’s services were disrupted on Friday owing to protest action by Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) employees, over a payment dispute. The EPWP employees were contracted by Pikitup to assist in clearing the waste backlogs that accumulated over the... →

Oil recycling foundation reaching out to farmers

By: Tracy Hancock 7th February 2020 The further farmers are from a town or city, the more likely they are to find it difficult to dispose of used oil responsibly, says nonprofit organisation Recycling Used Oil Saves the Environment Foundation CEO Bubele Nyiba. Although this is not an excuse, he emphasises that, as farmers live off... →

NO TOWN TOO SMALL Used oil collectors travel to various small towns throughout South Africa, where farmers can dispose of used oil at automotive workshops

CCBSA introduces new 2 ℓ returnable bottle

By: Simone Liedtke 5th February 2020 Coca-Cola Beverages South Africa (CCBSA) has introduced a 2 ℓ returnable bottle made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic that offers consumers value for money and is also good for the environment. The new returnable bottles can be reused up to 14 times, after which they can be recycled... →

Even if world reuses 50% of plastics, it won't be enough, says Jefferies

By: Bloomberg 4th February 2020 Even if countries aggressively tighten regulations, the planet will still struggle to recycle 50% of its plastic waste in ten years time, according to a report from Jefferies Financial Group. Deepening concern over the rising mountain of discarded plastic will force governments to toughen rules,... →

Averda secures three-year AMSA contract

By: Tasneem Bulbulia 27th January 2020 End-to-end waste management company Averda has been awarded a three-year contract by steel producer ArcelorMittal South Africa (AMSA) for the collection, transportation and disposal of several complex waste streams including sludge, coal tar, oil and grease, effluent, borax and phosphates,... →

Dubai Airports single-use plastics ban in effect

24th January 2020 In a bid to manage its environmental impact, international airports authority Dubai Airports Company reports that its self-imposed ban on single-use plastics at both of Dubai’s airports has been put into effect from the beginning of this month. →

TERMINAL PLASTIC USE Dubai Airports will be terminating all single-use plastic from its airport effective January 1, 2020

Accessories supplied for diverse industries

24th January 2020 Pumping equipment supplier Werner Pumps is now able to supply an extensive range of accessories for the wastewater treatment, construction and engineering industries as the sole agent for German tool supplier HAAS Abwassertechnik in South Africa. →

QUICK FIX These pipe stoppers are effective tools for quickly and reliably sealing or closing off pipelines during repair and maintenance work

Water reuse schemes offer investment opportunities for PPPs

17th January 2020 In the water and wastewater treatment industry, proven technologies are paving the way for a strong business case for bulk water reuse, says optimised resources management company Veolia Group. →

THE NEXT STEP Government needs to attract private sector funding to meet its water and sanitation infrastructure development requirements

South Sudan plans environmental audit of oil fields in move to curb pollution

By: Reuters 10th January 2020 South Sudan is launching a tender for a comprehensive environmental audit of all its oil-producing fields in a bid to reduce pollution following years of neglect, the government said on Friday. Oil sales bring in almost all the revenue of the East African nation, which has boosted output to stand... →

Pick n Pay aims to cut its food waste by 50% by 2025

By: Simone Liedtke 18th December 2019 Twenty of supermarket Pick n Pay’s biggest suppliers has joined the chain store in a new global project to combat food waste. Backed by ten of the world’s largest food retailers and manufacturers, the initiative will focus on in-store and supply chain food loss and waste. →

National Waste Management Strategy comments now open

By: Simone Liedtke 18th December 2019 Members of the public are invited to submit comments and inputs on the Draft 3rd National Waste Management Strategy. The revised and updated Strategy was published in Government Gazette 42879 earlier this month, on December 3, as a requirement of the Waste Act to establish the National Waste... →

Pick n Pay introduces packaging-free zone, expands its 'nude' produce wall

By: African News Agency 4th December 2019 South African retailer, Pick n Pay on Tuesday said it is piloting a new packaging-free zone as one of its efforts to lead the change in reducing packaging and plastic waste. The retailer said that the ‘pick and weigh’ shopping experience will also provide customers with the opportunity to... →

Waste management, recycling needed for sustainability

29th November 2019 Waste management and recycling practices play an important role in South Africa’s sustainability drive. With the conservation of resources being the responsibility of all governments, South Africa introduced the Carbon Tax Act with the aim of reducing carbon emissions by 34% by 2020 and 42% by 2025. →

AGAIN AND AGAIN Nampak has undertaken to recycle and reuse plastics in their plight to produce sustainable packaging

Company installs leachate tank at landfill

By: Mc'Kyla Nortje 29th November 2019 Industrial and commercial steel water-tank manufacturer SBS has recently installed a 500 m³ capacity landfill leachate storage tank with a floating cover at a landfill site in Stanger, KwaZulu-Natal. The ST21-03 SBS tank measures 14.33 m in diameter and 3.17 m in height. →

SAFELY CONTAINED Once the leachate liquid is safely contained, it requires further processing to obtain an environmentally safe liquid

Company launches first plastics research centre

By: Halima Frost 29th November 2019 Specialist chemicals company Clariant last month announced the inception of its EcoCircle centre of excellence, based on its plan to offer significant support to reduce, reuse and recycle. The first such centre will be based at Clariant’s Masterbatches Business Unit in Pogliano, Italy, and aims... →

BACK TO GREEN The EcoCircle center of excellence brings with it support of the reduce, reuse and recycle concept

Innovation key in reducing sector impact on environment

29th November 2019 The energy and electrical sectors should be at the forefront of innovation to reduce its impact on the environment, says diversified power management company Eaton South Africa’s Energy Saver System business development manager Marcel Buckner. “This at a time when the world’s focus is... →

GOOD GAS The Xiria switchgear system does not use harmful sulphur hexafluoride gases

Water-treatment technology launched in Amsterdam

By: Halima Frost 29th November 2019 Earlier this month, flow control, filtration and environmental technology supplier Flowrox launched its Flowrox Corona non-thermal plasma water-treatment technology at the Aquatech expo, in the Netherlands. The Flowrox Corona was selected as one of the finalists for the Aquatech Innovation Award... →

PURI-FECT The Flowrox Corona uses cold plasma technology to purify wastewater before being reintroduced into the environment

South Africa needs comprehensive plan to tackle plastic waste – Creecy

By: Simone Liedtke 22nd November 2019 A comprehensive plan is needed to tackle the plastic waste problem countrywide and to reach the ideal of a plastic-waste-free South Africa by 2030, Environment, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Barbara Creecy said on Friday. Speaking during a keynote address at the Plastics Colloquium, in Gauteng,... →

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

Kudos for local industrial demolition company

By: Schalk Burger 22nd November 2019 The safe decontamination and demolition of three redundant gold and uranium complexes earned local industrial demolition company Jet Demolition an international recycling and environmental award from construction information firm KHL Group and the European Demolition Association. The project... →

L2D commits to cutting its carbon emissions

By: Simone Liedtke 15th November 2019 With a vision to be the leading South African precinct focused retail-centred real estate investment trust, Liberty Two Degrees (L2D) has made commitments to changing some of its business operations that will support accelerated and positive changes by reducing carbon emissions, water use and... →

Topics In These Articles

PROJECT Resources Tourism Africa Coal Energy Environment Health Petrochemicals Power SECURITY Technology Water Global Ccs Institute International Energy Agency Lanzatech Samancor Chome Swayana Inductotherm Thomas Foundry Castings Metso Transnet Africa Energy Indaba Concrete Gas Ghana Indaba Projects Solar ... more

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