The Environmental Affairs and Tourism Ministry, labour and business signed an agreement on the management of plastic bags on Wednesday.
The agreement forms part of the country’s waste management and environmental protection programme and effectively amends existing regulations on plastic bags, promulgated on May 9. The agreement comes into effect May next year.
The regulations set the absolute minimum thickness for plastic bags at 30 micrometers. No printing is allowed on bags of 30 micrometres.
Thirty micrometres is the set standard, some manufacturers maintain their machines can only produce bags of up to 24 micrometres thick. They will be allowed to manufacture bags with these machines for up to five years.
The regulations will be amended to allow for printing on up to 50% of the surface of the bag where the type of ink used has no detrimental effect on the recycling potential of the plastic bag, and of up to 25% where other inks are used. This will still ensure the bags can be recycled.
The agreement was signed by Environmental Affairs and Tourism Minister Valli Moosa, and representatives from the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu), National Council of Trade Unions, the Chemical and Allied Industrial Association and the Plastics Federation of South Africa.
Moosa said regulations aimed to address the problem of discarded plastic bags scattered about the land and encourage the re-use and recycling of plastic bags.
”The agreement will dramatically strengthen the recycling industry, creating much needed jobs for unemployment and retaining current jobs in the plastic industry,” he said.
Moosa said his department, in consultation with the Trade and Industry Department, will ask the South African Bureau of Standards to develop a standard for this.
The parties agreed business should disclose the cost of plastic bags. ”The full cost of the bags will be passed to the consumers.
At the moment there is a false impression that the consumers do not pay for the bag whereas the price is included in the groceries they buy.
”The retailers will now have to take off the money from the groceries and consumers will have a choice to pay for the bags. They can also re-use the bags,” he said. A Section 21 company will be established to promote efficiency in the use, re-use, collection, recycling and disposal of plastic bags and investigate and make recommendations to government regarding new markets for recycled material, Moosa said.
”A levy will be raised from the plastic bag manufactures to be used by the Section 21 company to achieve its objectives and the company will become the member of Proudly South African Campaign.”
”The campaign around plastic bags has raised unprecedented awareness about the importance and socio-economic benefits of environmental protection,” he said.
Cosatu general secretary, Zwelinzima Vavi said he was pleased a massive potential job loss had been averted and instead up to 4 000 jobs had been created.
”We are also pleased that the food prices will be lowered as food price inflation is a major concern for the poor.
”This is sign of victory following proper consultation and democracy,” Vavi said.
The agreement would not change the current labour practice with regard to till-packing services and till packers would continue working for the next five years, Moosa said. – Sapa