September marks Heritage month and as we celebrate culture, diversity and traditions, it’s critical not to forget mother earth. Interwaste has committed to commemorating environmental Zero Emissions (ZeDay) as well as National Clean-up and Recycling Day for the month of September, as we believe that this subtle alignment gives us the opportunity to focus on how we drive and support zero emissions, the role that recycling plays, what these observations mean for our country’s heritage, and the environment as a whole.

AS PUBLISHED ON SECHE ENVIRONMENT NEWSLETTER

Regulation requires that landfill storage cells be monitored for 30 years after they have been used, as such, the cells from the end of the 20th century will, in the coming years, be confronted with the question of their future. Should we keep them as they are? Or should we / could we reuse the space?

Preoccupied with anticipating this problem and providing long term and responsible solutions, Séché Environnement is investing in a promising solution: landfill mining.

There has been mass production of plastic waste across the globe, driven by the need for food preservation solutions, customer convenience and attractive marketplace packaging. Therefore, we are seeing approximately 8.3 billion metric tons being produced annually. What’s worse however, is that 91% of this waste is not being recycled and, if we continue on this downward spiral, by 2050 there will be over 12 billion metric tons of plastic in landfill each year.

Africa is one of the fastest urbanising regions in the world – and it is widely accepted that the rapid urbanisation of its burgeoning big cities will play a vital role in the continent’s continued growth and development. But, are we thinking far enough ahead to plan for the resources that will be consumed, and the waste generated by this ongoing development as well as the rapidly growing populous of city dwellers? The short answer is no.