ENVIRONMENT Minister Valli Moosa’s backing down on his plan to ban plastic shopping bags and instead set a new limit on their thickness, has been greeted with scepticism and a strike threat by the Congress of SA Trade Unions (Cosatu).
Moosa, who first announced two years ago his intention of banning plastic bags thinner than 80 microns as from January next year, dropped those plans on Thursday and set the lower limit at 30 microns, with effect from May 2003.
The new regulations would also prohibit advertising on bags thinner than 80 microns, which will make them easier to recycle.
But Cosatu said on Friday it saw the compromise as having no effect as 70 000 jobs could be lost if the new regulations were to be carried out.
Cosatu president Zwelinzima Vavi said on Friday that unless supplemented by other measures, the regulations would result in larger retailers shifting to imported 80 micron bags.
”The result would be an increase of over one percent in food prices – an unacceptable outcome given the current devastating food inflation.
”Furthermore, if consumers then decide to re-use the bags, we could lose up to 70 000 jobs of supermarket packers,” he said.
Addressing the media at the offices of the Chemical, Energy, Paper, Printing and Wood Allied Workers Union (Ceppwawu), Vavi accused the government of ignoring any alternative proposals, including specific plans for recycling which would have a lower cost and create more jobs, since it first announced its plans two years ago.
”The government rejected research sponsored jointly by Nedlac constituencies, including its own representatives, yet it has published any other evidence to support its own positions.”
The only expected benefits from the new regulations would be reduced litter, while pollution from the production of the plastic bags would remain.
Cosatu feared it would have no choice but declare a dispute at Nedlac, which could affect the country’s ability to host the upcoming World Summit on Sustainable Development in a unified fashion.
Ceppwawu general secretary Welile Nolingo said the union would mobilise its 65 000 members against the regulations.
”We will go out to mobilise our members and also those from other Cosatu affiliates such as Saccawu who could also be affected by the new laws,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Plastics Federation of SA (Plafsa) has expressed ”disappointment” that Moosa had ignored its proposed alternatives to the new regulations.
Plafsa president Wolfgang Raffalsky said in a statement the federation had proposed a 25 micron limit and a moderate levy on plastic bags. The proceeds from this levy would be used for better collection of discarded plastic, and for regular clean-ups of ”hot spots”.
Education programmes would be launched to create public awareness of litter.
These activities would be controlled via a new Section 21 company that would include all major stakeholders, including government.
”As far as the industry is concerned, this proposal is a viable and sound alternative that would even create jobs, and the industry therefore believed that it was receiving the careful consideration of government and a favourable response was anticipated.
”The announcement of the regulations in parliament was therefore received with some dismay,” Raffalsky said. ? Sapa