A Review of Plastic Waste Management Practices: What Can South Africa Learn?
Zvanaka S. Mazhandu, Edison Muzenda, Mohamed Belaid, Tirivaviri Mamvura, Trust Nhubu
Abstract
Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) is composed of items that are discarded or disposed of daily including paper, plastics, glass, metals, used gadgets, paint and old furniture. The plastic waste stream has proven to be problematic to manage sustainably on a global scale. Various researchers are trying to come up with innovative ways of alleviating the detrimental effects of plastic on the environment. Examples include the production of liquid fuel and synthetic gas through pyrolysis and gasification of plastic waste, use of microbial strains that can break down polyethylene, manufacture of plastic-infused tar, use of plastic waste in cement and concrete as well as its use in the manufacture of bricks. Conducting public awareness and outreach programmes has also been found to be beneficial in reducing plastic littering. This paper reviews South Africa's strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities in plastic waste management as well as lessons from other jurisdictions that can be adopted in South Africa making it a role model for Africa with regards to plastic waste management. There exists an untapped opportunity for improvement of post-consumer plastic recycling rates to levels comparable to other recyclables in the country through compulsory separation of waste at source. Hence an enabling environment should be created to encourage this practice. Since this will require a fully functional waste management infrastructure, collection services should expand to cover rural areas and informal settlements while industries can assist municipalities to upgrade infrastructure through the extended producer responsibility (EPR) scheme. In addition, there is potential for more jobs to be created in the waste sector through recycling as compared to landfilling, thus urgent attention is needed to divert 100% waste from the landfill. Finally, the integration of informal waste pickers into the waste management chain should be prioritised.