Plastic Pollution
latest news & developments
A failed plastic levy: The need for a total an on single-use plastic bags
South Africa's 22-year-old plastic levy has failed to curb the 8 billion single-use plastic bags consumed annually, leading to severe environmental and health impacts. This…
South Africa faces plastic pollution crisis, warns Water Research Commission
South Africa must urgently address escalating plastic pollution to avert a devastating crisis impacting humans, oceans, and aquatic life. The Water Research Commission issues a…
Human-made chemicals embedded across global oceans, major study finds
A groundbreaking analysis of more than 2 300 seawater samples shows that industrial chemicals dominate ocean pollution signals, even far from land
From Indonesia to the Southern Ocean: Marion Island’s growing plastic problem
A new 30-year study reveals that Marion Island, one of the most remote islands on Earth, is increasingly littered with plastic bottles and caps drifting thousands of kilometres…
Climate, pollution, biodiversity: UN report sounds global alarm
Transforming economies, energy systems and food production could prevent millions of deaths and halt biodiversity loss, the UN’s latest report finds
UN plastics treaty talks collapse
Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Minister Dion George said South Africa will continue working to end plastic pollution in the country and develop fair, practical regulations
Plastic pollution a global health emergency, says Lancet report
A new study links plastic pollution to disease, deaths and $1.5 trillion in annual health costs
Beyond the bin: Rethinking bioplastic waste for a circular future
Stellenbosch University has developed a process involving enzymes that can break down bioplastics
Fossil fuel and chemical lobbyists dominate global plastic treaty talks
Environmental groups warn of industry obstruction in global plastic treaty negotiations
World at crossroads as plastic pollution talks reach critical stage in Busan
A robust treaty addressing the lifecycle of plastics is crucial to averting disaster
Plastics industry ‘unduly influences SA’s global plastic treaty’
South Africa is a primary plastic producing country with significant imports of primary plastic for local manufacturing
Environmental efforts pay off: study shows plastic loads in petrels remain stable over decades
New research uncovers surprising stability in plastic ingestion among seabirds on Inaccessible Island
Plastics lids an ‘increasingly dominant’ pollution source on South Africa’s beaches
Most foreign drink bottles are dumped from ships, but loose lids drift from South East Asia
Marshalling for a plastic-free future
As world leaders meet at the fourth round of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on plastics, urgent, bold steps must be taken
South Africans agree with global consensus that single-use plastics should be banned
Nearly nine in 10 local survey participants believe global rules require a ban on unnecessary single-use plastic products most likely to become pollution