September in South Africa is known as Heritage Month. Indeed on 24th September we celebrate National Heritage Day.
As a country, we have incredibly diverse heritage; both culturally and environmentally. Indeed, from a biodiversity perspective, South Africa is listed amongst the top 20 for the most biologically diverse countries in the world. At the same time, we also have the dubious distinction of being known as one of the most unequal countries in the world, reporting a per-capita expenditure Gini coefficient of 0,67 in 2006, dropping to 0,65 in 2015. The Gini coefficient is a measure of statistical dispersion intended to represent income inequality.
We’re therefore confronted with a unique challenge; the need to bridge the gap between rich and poor through meaningful job creation and economic development and the need to pursue a mechanism for doing so that continues to preserve, and indeed enhance, our rich heritage.
Members of the South African Plastics Pact are playing their part by working towards our four ambitious targets which are ultimately designed to move the needle towards creating a circular economy for plastic packaging in the country.
But the SA Plastics Pact members can’t achieve this in isolation. Consumers have a role to play, and during the month of September we will be runing an education campaign to provide some basic steps that consumers can take to play their part in creating a circular economy for plastic packaging in the country.
When it comes to taking individual action, it often feels like we have to mae massive changes to our lives to make an impact. Whilst that would be great, its not practical for most people, and it overlooks the fact that incremental changes shift systems.
When it comes to plastic, Individual actions make a difference and small steps shift systems
We all have a role to play, and it starts with becoming an “Active Citizen”
So what is step one for an active citizen (AKA a caring consumer)?
A caring consumer:
- Refuses unnecessary plastics
- Chooses refillable or recyclable plastics
- Separates recyclable plastics for recycling
Simple actions can make a huge impact!
When it comes to refusing unnecessary plastics, how do we know what makes a good plastic and what makes an unnecessary one?
We’ve tried to answer this question with this blog post.
We’ve also listed 12 items that are problematic and unnecessary, which you canlearn more about via the video below:
