The fourth African Waste Academy webinar series took place on the 20th, 21st and 27th of August 2019, starting with Carol Maione’s presentation on “Using analytic data to study the waste tourism system: Supporting better decision-making to reduce marine litter”. Carol Maione’s study looked at the effect of the tourism industry on the accumulation of marine litter, focussing on two main study sites, located in a village near Nairobi, Kenya and two additional sites in Zanzibar, Tanzania. Following the growing awareness of the mismanagement of plastic, the project aimed to identify local solutions to the plastic issue by adapting established models to accommodate a local context, and ultimately increase the local drive to protect the natural environment. The paper addressed issues such as the impacts of tourism growth in a consumption driven society using both qualitative and quantitative approaches. The pdf slides used for the presentation can be found here.
The second presentation was titled “Why plastic bottles are not single use and other myths busted” and was delivered by the marketing officer of Petco, Kara Levy. She addressed the process involved in recycling within the value chain in South Africa. Due to the size of the current world population, the use of plastics is unlikely to be eliminated but there are numerous ways in which we can be smarter about the kinds of plastic we buy and what we do with it once it has served its purpose. Kara provides an enlightening look into the volume of plastics currently recycled in South Africa as well as the possibilities. Some of the busted myths include the various alternatives to plastic (such as the use of paper bags instead of plastic) and the popular idea that “biodegradable is best” which isn’t necessarily the case in a circular economy. Amongst the valuable information outlined is a key factor that recyclability should be a major consideration in the design of packaging products. The pdf slides used for the presentation can be found here.
The final presentation in our fourth webinar series was Ian Dommisse’s talk on “How to make EcoBricks” which included instructions for building EcoBricks as well as various uses and case studies where EcoBricks have been used in development projects such as the construction of crèches, schools, vegetable gardens and different types of furniture. The ability to utilize simple materials for greater functions than they were created to provide is a fascinating concept which is very relevant today. Ian addresses this concept of upcycling and the incentives which can be used to get people involved such as sports or competitions aimed at school pupils. The pdf slides used for the presentation can be found here.
“Using analytic data to study the waste tourism system: Supporting better decision-making to reduce marine litter” by Carol Maione:
“Why plastic bottles are not single use and other myths busted” by Kara Levy:
“How to make EcoBricks” by Ian Dommisse:
