PORT LOUIS, Mauritius, March 15, 2021/ -- By Karen Van Der Wath – President of We-Recycle Mauritius and Carbon & Energy Management Consultant
The
government of Mauritius have proposed bold new measures to curb plastic
waste. While the
intentions behind the mooted regulations are
commendable, we are firmly of the view that the proposed new policies
for the management of PET Plastic Waste, if implemented as per the
timelines, logistics and technicalities, could have a negative impact on
the various stakeholders namely manufacturers, importers, retailers and
consumers at large.
Non-biodegradable pollution is a serious
problem the world over, and regulators are finding ways to address this.
The European Union (EU) says that by 2030, all plastic packaging within
the trading bloc must either be reusable or recycled in a
cost-effective manner. According to authorities, demand for recycled
plastics in Europe has grown four-fold since 2015, leading to the
creation of 200,000 new jobs.
Corporates all over the world are
taking action too. Nestlé, one of the world’s largest food and beverages
company, plans to make 100% of its packaging recyclable or reusable by
2025, while also reducing its use of virgin plastics by one-third over
the same period. They are also committed to bringing sustainable
packaging to preserve purity to their consumers protected, always taking
into consideration the innovation and sustainability of their
packaging.
For instance, the S.Pellegrino product portfolio
features a variety of different packaging materials for different
purposes, favouring recyclable materials such as PET, glass and
aluminium. In order to increase the sustainable sourcing of their
bottles, they are supporting the use of recycled PET (rPET) where it is
technically feasible and when the feedstock is available. S.Pellegrino
is committed to using 35% rPET by 2025.
South African retailer Woolworths is working to ensure that all of its packaging is either reusable or recyclable by 2022.
However,
Mauritius on the other hand, is seriously considering how it can bring
an end to plastic waste on the island, and rightly so. Nevertheless, the
regulations in the pipeline are out of step with global best practices
and might have serious unintended consequences.
A few weeks ago,
the Ministry of Environment, Solid Waste Management and Climate Change
published draft regulations for the management of polyethylene
terephthalate (PET) bottles and containers generated by the food and
beverages industry.
From as soon as October this year, a very
complex deposit-refund system will come into effect, if the legislation
is passed. This will entail surcharges on products that rely on PET
packaging, with a rebate given to the consumer when the bottle or
container is returned.
We-Recycle agrees with the deposit-refund
system as part of ‘extended producer responsibility’. By placing a
reasonable economical value on each piece of used PET packaging, linked
with a proper collection system for used PET bottles, the country’s
plastic waste collection and recycling rates will vastly improve by
creating a mindset shift amongst consumers – as has been observed in
other markets all over the world.
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is a strong advocate of this approach.
Meanwhile,
with effect from February next year, authorities will ban the use of
PET for beverages where the bottle or container has a capacity of less
than 1 litre.
And in the long term, the use of plastic (HDPE) for packing in the food and beverages industry will be banned altogether.
This
roadmap gives food and beverages producers, importers and retailers
just a few months to achieve what other nations hope to achieve within a
decade.
The rules would be seriously difficult to adhere to. For
one, the country’s retail sector is dominated by small shops, most of
which do not have the resources needed to be compliant to the
deposit-refund system or the logistics for it.
The collection
infrastructure for both imported and locally produced PET bottles
subject to the deposit-refund system also need to be carefully planned
and put in place as the current informal recycling collection system in
Mauritius will not be able to cope with the increased volume of PET
bottles available for recycling.
The deposit-refund system will
negate the need to ban PET bottles with a capacity of less than 1 litre
as all PET bottles will be recycled, irrespective of its size or whether
it is imported or not.
As other countries and regions have
shown, there is no quick fix when it comes to plastic packaging. The
shift away from HDPE requires the establishment of new packaging
facilities and manufacturing processes, and this will take time.
In
our view, the best solution to the world-wide plastic problem would be
to ramp up our recycling industry and create a sustainable circular
economy, in which waste is eliminated by reusing resources. This will
require a targeted nationwide education programme – with the private
sector playing an important role – as well as financial incentives that
prompt changes in consumer habits. This is why we are in favour of an
expansion of the ‘extended producer responsibility’ framework.
Recycling
groups across Africa, Europe and Asia are taking innovative approaches
to the creation of a circular economy. In Tanzania, Arena
Recycling collects plastic waste from beaches in Dar es Salaam to
produce building materials for the construction of affordable houses,
toilets and other amenities.
Encouragingly, progress is already
being made in Mauritius. NGOs such as “We-Recycle”, “Mission Verte” and
“New Invaders Club” have reported a significant increase in the volumes
of PET bottles collected from their bins. This shows that public
awareness is on the rise.
Make no mistake, the private sector,
government and society at large are all aligned on the need to reduce
and ultimately eliminate plastic waste by recycling more. The move
towards a circular economy, with recycling and the reuse of resources at
the core, would accelerate the shift to a low-carbon economy and create
jobs.
No comments :
Post a Comment