Mail & Guardian
Mail & Guardian
angelo louwlatest news & developments
Counting the cost: Used plastic straws were collected at Khung Bang Kachao Urban Forest and beach during the Trash Hero initiative in Bangkok. In South Africa the move away from plastic straws may be motivated by consumer concerns. Photo: Mladen Antonov/AFP/Getty Images
ANGELO LOUW

Companies are grasping at straws

Companies are keen to ditch plastic straws, but replacing them with single-use alternatives is not the best option, environmentalists say

  • Sheree Bega
7 min read
Stuck: The department of forestry, fisheries and the environment does not support establishing a new multilateral environmental agreement on plastics, according to a leaked document, and to the dismay of environmentalists. Photo: Paul Botes
ALBI MODISE

Plastic: South Africa is 11th-biggest litterbug

The country risks ‘pariah status’ for approach to global plastic waste crisis

  • Sheree Bega
6 min read
The first round of plastic treaty negotiations saw positive outcomes but oil producing countries, at the behest of big oil and petrochemical companies, could dominate the treaty discussions. (Waldo Swiegers/Bloomberg/Getty Images)
ANBEN PILLAY

Environmental organisations demand halt to unnecessary plastic production

NGOs are calling on the department of environment to introduce stricter measures for companies manufacturing and using plastic products

  • Chris Gilili
3 min read
Industrialised nations often ship their waste to poorer countries under the premise of recyclability, fuelling industries that harm local populations
ANGELO LOUW

Plastic pollution a huge threat to marginalised groups, UN report finds

Industrialised nations often ship their waste to poorer countries under the premise of recyclability, fuelling industries that harm local populations

  • Chris Gilili
4 min read