Open field used as waste deposits dumping plastic and bottles by community members pose a serious health risk for those living in those areas. AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh
IN many neighbourhoods across South Africa, open fields are used as waste deposits, such as plastic and bottles, by community members, posing a serious health risk for those living in those areas, which calls for even more community awareness of the dangers posed by waste plastic and bottles.
Although some communities and governments understand, agree, and acknowledge that something must be done about this environmental crisis, the problem with plastic remained rife and showed no signs of slowing down despite initiatives to keep these communities free from waste plastic and bottles.
According to the October 2024 report by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World Economic Forum (WEF), while plastic offers convenience, its downsides are becoming harder to ignore.
“Customer reviews increasingly call out destinations, attractions, and businesses plagued by plastic litter, signalling a shift in customer expectations.
“Beyond the visual pollution, microplastics have also emerged as a growing health concern, prompting people to demand changes in how businesses handle plastic,” read the report.
Waste experts have highlighted the negative impact of littering, which damages the environment and affects the air people breathe in their respective communities.
Muzi Mkhwanazi, Pikitup Spokesman, explained the problem of plastic waste left in landfills, adding that it affects even the value of the property.
"Plastic is not as biodegradable as other kinds of waste streams like wood. So it lives for a very, very long time. If you compact it, it eats up space in our landfill airspace. It's difficult to compact; it becomes a nuisance when there's wind to neighbouring or adjacent properties around this landfill site. Then we get complaints from people. It also goes into our wastewater streams, contaminating and killing fish. It is a real, real problem,” he explained.
Whole Earth Recycling manager Carmen Jordaan said that informal recycling at landfills posed health hazards to the pickers and called for nonrecyclable plastics and bottles.
"If we stop using non-recyclable plastics in our packaging material and encourage more people to start recycling, we will have a better recycling rate. Although there is sorting at the landfill, it is not ideal as it is mixed with food and medical waste, which is not hygienic."
A 2018 research report by the U.N. and the Centre for Scientific and Industrial Research in South Africa estimated that Africa's average waste collection rate was 55%, and only 4% of it was recycled.
This is below the African Union's target for municipalities on the continent to recycle at least 50% of their waste by next year.
Meanwhile, waste plastics and bottles were not the only nuisance bothering many in townships and suburban areas; air pollution was also a problem. A 2019 parliament report by the Department of Environmental Affairs showed that some townships were among the most polluted regions in the country.
According to Infrastructure News, the Vaal Triangle, followed by the coal fields of the Mpumalanga highveld and the third worst air quality, can be found in and to the north of the Waterberg in Limpopo.
“The worst air pollution in the country is in the suburb of Three Rivers in Vereeniging and the nearby townships of Sharpeville (at Vanderbijlpark) and Zamdela (at Sasolburg).
“On the Mpumalanga highveld, the towns with the most heavily polluted air are Standerton, Delmas, eMalahleni (formerly Witbank), Middelburg, Hendrina, and Ermelo.
“In the Waterberg region, the towns of Lephalale (formerly Ellisras), Thabazimbi, and Mokopane (formerly Potgietersrus) were singled out for their dirty air,” read the report.
Of the three worst areas already mentioned above, several towns and neighbourhoods had air pollution that reached unacceptable levels at least once (and in some cases more often) in 2018.
The areas were: Phalaborwa, George, Bellville South, Cape Town City Bowl, Cape Town Atlantic Seaboard, Goodwood, Khayelitsha, Table View, Bedfordview, Springs-Etwatwa, Springs Central, Vanderbijlpark, Olifantsfontein, Thokoza, Alexandra, Buccleuch, Soweto-Jabavu, Olievenhoutbosch, Rosslyn, Bloemfontein Central, Port Elizabeth-Walmer, Durban Central, Chatsworth, Durban-Wentworth, Marikana, and Mahikeng.
Data from the 2023 World Air Quality Report by IQAir showed that numerous cities and towns across the country remain exposed to dangerous levels of air pollution, with a city in Gauteng ranking as the worst in Africa.
According to the report, South Africa ranked 47th among 134 countries and regions globally for recorded air pollution levels, nearly four times higher than the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended limits.
However, the report noted that assessing air quality across Africa is difficult because 34% of the population is in areas without public air quality data.
thabo.makwakwa@inl.co.za
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