3D printed biodegradable cups made from cornstarch and sugarcane.
Channel: Red Cup Village TV (South Africa)™
Date: 05/12/2019

South Africa is ranked 11th on the list of the worst offenders regarding ocean plastic pollution. According to WWF, over 80% of marine pollution originates from land-based sources. South Africa only recycles 16% of its plastic waste annually. The rest ends up at landfill locations, most of the waste washed into rivers (due to wind, littering, improper waste management, and the fact the landfills are overflowing) and eventually into the ocean. Sadly, 8-million metric tonnes of discarded plastics wind up in the ocean.

Plastic waste can remain in the ocean for hundreds of years. It represents a huge danger to marine animals, many of which get entangled in floating plastics or swallow plastic rubbish that they mistake for food. Not only is plastic a threat to sea creatures, but it’s also a threat to people who consume seafood. 

IMPACT OF SINGLE-USE PLASTIC PRODUCTION

The proliferation of single-use plastics around the world is accelerating climate change and needs to be urgently halted. The worldwide expansion of plastic production is fueled in part by the fracking boom in the US and most countries in the Southern African Development Community (SADC). The report says plastic contributes to greenhouse gas emissions at every stage of its lifecycle, from its production to the refining of it and the way it is managed as a waste product. This excessive production of plastics threatens attempts to meet the Paris climate agreement. If it continues at this rate, by 2050 plastic will be responsible for up to 13% of the total “carbon budget” – the effect equivalent to that of 615 coal-fired power plants.

Join us on the 29 Feb 2020 in Cape Town for the Cape Town Biodegradable Festival 
https://www.webtickets.co.za/v2/event.aspx?itemid=1495156939
http://www.capetownbiodegradablefest.com/
https://www.iol.co.za/capetimes/news/cape-town-to-host-sas-first-biodegradable-festival-38051323