Joining many around the world in this year’s Plastic Free July 2025 the CSIR is highlighting how technological solutions can contribute to reducing plastic pollution. Researchers can calculate the flows of plastics in the economy and assess its impact on various strategies to reduce future plastic pollution in South Africa. In a study funded by the South African Department of Science, Technology and Innovation through the Waste Research Development and Innovation Roadmap, CSIR researchers Prof. Suzan Oelofse, Dr Valentina Russo and Prof. William Stafford tested and applied the Pew Charitable Trust and Oxford University’s ‘Pathways’, a modelling framework and software tool that analysed current and projected plastic material flows.

Increasingly, plastics are found where they do not belong. “At a country-level, we have been able to identify interventions that include reduction in virgin plastic production and use, substitution of plastic with paper and other compostable materials, design products and

packaging for recycling, increase collection rates, increase recycling and proper disposal of plastics that cannot be recycled economically,” says Oelofse.  Collectively, the identified interventions could achieve a 63% reduction in plastic pollution by 2024 when compared to the business-as-usual scenario, where no interventions are implemented. To achieve this reduction, all interventions should be implemented concurrently, ambitiously and immediately.

Along with the effects of strategies and policy interventions on reducing plastic pollution, while ensuring socioeconomic development by providing jobs and infrastructure at a reasonable cost, the research team modelled three distinct scenarios which, when traded off against each other, resulted in helping to find the sweet spot (optimal solution) combination that can increase plastic waste collection, recycling and safe disposal to sanitary landfill, and reduce the demand for plastics.

Details in their published paper highlight that plastic pollution in the environment is set to almost double by 2040 if no interventions are implemented. If current practices and policies remain unchanged, globally plastic waste is projected to triple by 2060, while an estimated 30 million tonnes of plastic waste have accumulated in the oceans between 1970 and 2019.

Their published insights into South Africa’s experience in addressing plastic pollution and waste flows reveal that the informal waste sector collects 76% of all plastic that enters the recycling stream, whereas most plastics are collected as mixed municipal solid waste with limited plastic separation at the source. But due to the growing production and consumption of plastics, the lack of a circular economy for plastics, as well as the high prevalence of uncollected waste and the mismanagement of disposed waste, plastic waste is leaking into the environment, contributing to air pollution through open burning, land pollution and freshwater as well as marine pollution.

“Perhaps more concerning is that less than 10% of plastic waste is recycled per year; the remaining collected plastics are simply incinerated or disposed of at landfills, where it will take up to 500 years to decompose,” says Oelofse. “As much as 25% of plastic waste is thought to be mismanaged, and a large portion of the mismanaged plastic waste is burned at open dumps, posing a threat to human health and contributing to local air pollution and climate change.”

During Plastic Free July 2025, people are encouraged to take on a full month challenge to avoid the use of single-use plastics, which is quite a complex challenge due to the heavy reliance on plastic’s versatility, lightweight, robustness and relatively inexpensive production. But beyond these benefits, plastics’ durability and resistance to degradation contribute to environmental concerns, particularly regarding waste management and pollution.

Action, awareness and interventions are set to continue even as the month comes to a close. Global commitments and binding regulatory instruments will need to align with the national context and be subject to national action plans. The South African government is actively addressing plastic pollution through a multi-pronged approach focused on prevention, collection and awareness. This includes implementing the legislated Extended Producer Responsibility schemes, supporting waste management services, promoting public awareness campaigns and fostering a circular economy for plastics. Paper and packaging, electronic equipment and lighting, which require producers to manage their products' end-of-life, including collection, sorting and recycling, are included. 

“The five-year targets for the legislated Extended Producer Responsibility regulations will potentially avoid 33% of total plastic pollution over the period 2023–2040. Aquatic pollution will be reduced by 25%, land pollution by 33% and air pollution from open burning by 35%, respectively”, says Oelofse.

The International Negotiating Committee mandated by a United Nations resolution is currently working on a global treaty to address plastic pollution, aiming for adoption in 2025. South Africa is involved in negotiations to reach an agreement on a new treaty to combat plastic pollution and will participate in the final negotiation meeting scheduled from 5 to 14 August 2025 in Geneva, Switzerland. Oelofse will attend as a scientific advisor with the South African delegation. 

Captions

Figure 1: System map for South Africa showing plastic flows in 2020. The arrow width indicates the plastic mass flow (Sankey diagram) (Stafford et al. 2022)
Figure 2: Waste drop-off facilities offer residents free access to drop off recyclables (Source: Suzan Oelofse)
Figure 3: Sorting it out! Sorting unsorted waste is messy and hinders recycling efforts. South African households and businesses should start categorising waste to help close the recycling loop (Source: Suzan Oelofse)
Figure 4: To understand its composition, waste is sorted and weighed by type. This involves sampling, sorting, weighing and data analysis (Source: Suzan Oelofse)