Plastics have become a hot topic. News stories about plastic on beaches and in the oceans abound, and policymakers have begun to respond with bans or limitations on single-use plastic items.
The plastics industry has been selling us a false narrative: the plastics crisis is much more than a waste-management problem. The real story starts as soon as oil and gas are extracted from the ground, and continues long after plastic waste enters the ocean and other ecosystems. Not only is plastic production a major source of greenhouse-gas emissions, it also releases a wide range of other chemicals, many of which end up in our lungs and stomachs.
To keep global warming within an acceptable range, we absolutely must reduce the amount of plastic we produce, consume and discard. This is not a problem that we can recycle our way out of. Less than 10% of all plastics ever produced have been recycled. In the case of the United States, less than 10% of plastic waste is recycled; the rest is incinerated or dumped in landfills.
Some of these measures are already being adopted. In Asia, entire cities are moving toward zero-waste solutions through decentralised, community-led initiatives, bans on single-use plastics, and lobbying against waste incineration. Many of the solutions remain to be discovered and developed, but Asia is proving to be the engine of change.
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
SEKGABO MOLELEKOA: Recycling has a crucial role in uplifting the economyThe PET Plastic Recycling Company estimates recycling of plastic bottles created thousands of income opportunities last year and to date has saved over 4.3-million cubic metres of landfill
Source: BDliveSA - 🏆 12. / 63 Read more »
Project aims to turn students into skilled, ready-to-operate entrepreneursDepartment of trade & industry and African Development Bank want to produce graduates with their own businesses
Source: BDliveSA - 🏆 12. / 63 Read more »
SA needs the rest of the African continent as much as it needs usThreats of violence were the last thing on my mind as I got up to deliver, at a small community centre in Cologne, Germany, a speech condemning xenophobia and racism in modern society. This article started off well & he either lost his plug halfway through or just doesn’t get it.
Source: SowetanLIVE - 🏆 13. / 63 Read more »
EDITORIAL: Christo Wiese looms large over Shoprite discordFractured board is more likely to distract management than provide the support it needs
Source: BDliveSA - 🏆 12. / 63 Read more »
The Trackhawk is a street-brawling JeepThe world’s most powerful SUV is in need of some anger management, writes Denis Droppa
Source: BDliveSA - 🏆 12. / 63 Read more »
Dangote Industries to spend $2bn on Togo phosphate projectThe firm will mine an estimated two-billion tonnes of phosphate in Togo for processing as much as one-million tonnes of fertiliser a year at a Lagos facility
Source: BDliveSA - 🏆 12. / 63 Read more »