Producer Responsibility Organisation Circular Energy NPC has partnered with Woolworths to manage the retailer’s dedicated in-store hazardous waste recycling containers and bring a new dimension to e-waste management.
 
Along with other companies that manufacture and import electrical, electronic, and lighting goods for sale, Woolworths is a member of Circular Energy, in accordance with the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) regulations promulgated by the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment. As an EPR-compliant member, Woolworths has committed to proper recycling and responsible management of products after use.

While Woolworths has been offering e-waste collection points for portable batteries and CFL lamps for some time, this integration with Circular Energy represents a significant advancement in responsible waste disposal.

Patricia Schröder, spokesperson for Circular Energy said, “The aim behind this collaboration is to make the process of disposing household portable batteries and lighting lamps not only easier, but also more environmentally-friendly and legally sound, encouraging greater participation in responsible e-waste recycling.”
 
“As part of our Good Business Journey and commitment to environmentally responsible practices, we have for many years provided specially designed in-store disposal bins for our customers. This way we encourage our customers to dispose of their hazardous waste items like redundant energy-saving light bulbs and batteries responsibly.  Our partnership with Circular Energy will reenergise this service and encourage our customers to continue partnering with us to make a positive impact on the environment and our communities,” says Feroz Koor, Woolworths Group Head of Sustainability.
 
See the list of Woolworths stores offering dedicated battery and CFL disposal containers: https://circular-energy.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Woolworths-Bin-Locations-2023.pdf

ENDS
 
MEDIA CONTACT: Rosa-Mari Le Roux , 060 995 6277, rosa-mari@thatpoint.co.za, www.atthatpoint.co.za 
 
For more information on Circular Energy please visit:
Website: https://www.circular-energy.org/  
LinkedIn: Circular Energ

As South Africa continues to roll out compulsory Extended Producer Responsibility schemes in accordance with refined EPR regulations, the critical role of waste pickers cannot be overlooked or discarded.
 
This is according to Patricia Schröder, spokesperson for producer responsibility organisation (PRO) Circular Energy. "Waste pickers are key actors in the waste management ecosystem whose contribution should be fully supported by EPR processes," she says.
 
EPR is a global initiative adopted by many countries, including South Africa, that places the onus on producers to manage the lifecycle of nominated products past their disposal stage.
 
The aim is to encourage the recycling of waste and reduce the burden on landfills.
 
The importance of waste pickers
The greatest contribution of waste pickers is that their activities divert recyclable products away from landfills where they would otherwise be lost. Instead, these materials are directed toward processing for economical reuse.
 
As a result, the work of the waste picker assists in mitigating climate change and improving the environment for their community.
 
Their work also relieves municipalities of the burden of sorting and separating recyclables from waste internally, reducing their operating costs in the process.
 
In addition, because waste reduction is a growing concern, the profession is a fertile channel for job creation.
 
"Waste pickers provide an essential service with hidden benefits we cannot afford to ignore," says Schröder.
 
Protecting pickers
According to the International Alliance of Waste Pickers, more than 22 million people around the world earn a living as informal waste workers. Yet, the organisation’s review of global EPR policies and practices suggests that EPR more threatens than supports these participants.
 
"South Africa needs to ensure its waste pickers are protected through formal, transparent programmes that fully integrate their services and provide fair compensation and incentives," says Schröder.
 
Waste Picker Integration Guideline for South Africa, published by the Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries (DEFF), offers 10 integration principles. These are:

• Recognition, respect and redress of unequal relationships between pickers and beneficiaries of their services
• Valuing waste pickers expertise and needs
• Meaningful engagement through legitimate platforms
• Using waste pickers' existing informal system as the basis for new formal recycling programmes and contracts
• Increased diversion of recyclables from landfills through cost effective means
• Evidence-based programmes and policies
• Providing an enabling environment at national, provincial and local levels
• Improved income and working conditions
• Fair compensation for services and savings
• Improved community and stakeholder perception of waste pickers as equal and active participants in the waste management process

 
Recent amendments to the Regulation Regarding Extended Producer Responsibility also entrench the importance of waste pickers by providing a formal definition for the term and including their participation in the definition of "collection".
 
An inclusive EPR
The successful implementation of EPR in South Africa demands that all stakeholders should benefit from the process and share in its ambitions.
 
This means waste pickers must be recognised as integral members of the waste management community and that any risk to them associated with EPR should be addressed promptly.
 
"Their participation in the EPR scheme is a significant step towards building an inclusive, sustainable waste management system in South Africa," says Schröder.

ENDS

MEDIA CONTACT: Rosa-Mari Le Roux, 060 995 6277, rosa-mari@thatpoint.co.za, www.atthatpoint.co.za 
 
For more information on Circular Energy please visit:
Website: https://www.circular-energy.org/ 
LinkedIn: Circular Energy

After enduring more than 200 days of load shedding in 2022, South African businesses and households are increasingly turning to solar power to meet their everyday energy needs. But as solar power installations boom, it is important that consumers are made aware of the need to properly dispose of solar panels after use.
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In 2016, the International Renewable Energy Agency and International Agency Photovoltaic Power Systems predicted that South Africa could accumulate between 750 000 and one million tons of photovoltaic waste by 2050. However, the rapid uptake of solar power by an increasing number of households and businesses could push this number even higher.

Solar power equipment typically has a lifespan of between 20 and 30 years, under optimal operating conditions. While this may seem a long way off, it is important that consumers are made aware of the need to properly dispose of used solar panels.

Who is responsible for recycling solar panels?
Under the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Regulations, which came into effect in May 2021, solar panel producers must take responsibility to ensure that much of their products are returned (and recycled by an accredited and licenced facility) after being sold and used. Manufacturers, importers, and brand owners are held accountable for the entire life cycle of the products they place on the market, from conception to post-consumer waste disposal.

But Patricia Schröder, spokesperson for the producer responsibility organisation (PRO) Circular Energy, says consumers still have an important role to play. “If South Africa hopes to shift to make a meaningful and sustainable shift to renewable energy, we must involve everyone across the energy value chain. This includes consumers.”

Schröder says consumers can help to ensure that solar panels do not end up having a detrimental impact on the environment by enquiring about and taking part in the recycling programmes offered by producers instead of disposal of the panels themselves. Visit Circular Energy’s website to schedule a collection service for your electronic disposal needs. 

Can South Africa recycle solar panels?
South Africa does have the capacity to recycle solar panels. The glass and aluminium frame of a solar panel makes up more than 80% of its weight and both these materials can easily be recycled.

Although silicon only forms a small part of the panel, it is regarded as a hazardous material that cannot be disposed of in landfills. South African regulations stipulate that solar panels can only be recycled at licensed recycling facilities. “When these panels end up in landfills, it not only means that recyclable materials are going to waste. Some solar panel components can be very harmful, even penetrating the surrounding soil and water,” Schröder explains.

Schröder says South Africans using solar energy should be applauded for investing in green technology at a time combatting climate change has become critical. “However, consumers must also understand the possible negative impact that this same technology can have on the environment if it is not disposed of correctly,” she concludes.

ENDS

MEDIA CONTACT: Rosa-Mari Le Roux, 060 995 6277, rosa-mari@thatpoint.co.za, www.atthatpoint.co.za  
For more information on Circular Energy please visit:
Website: https://www.circular-energy.org/  
LinkedIn: Circular Energy
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The legal criteria for Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) came into effect in May 2021.
 
EPR aims to ensure that producers are accountable for the whole life cycle of the products they market and sell, from conception to post-consumer waste disposal.
 
In South Africa, these producers are defined under the EPR regulations to include the full value chain: From manufacturers, converters, and refurbisher’s to importers and brand-owners.
 
Any person or category of persons involved in the commercial manufacture, conversion, refurbishment, or import of any new or used EPR items fall under this category.
 
Manufacturers and importers of packaged goods also fall under the definition of "producers" of packaging materials and will be impacted.
 
The onus now also falls on producers
According to Patricia Schröder, spokesperson for the producer responsibility organisation (PRO) Circular Energy NPC, this decision is a game changer.
 
“Before the passing of the EPR regulations, the public, including local governments and business’, bore the full financial burden and responsibility of waste collection and disposal,” she explains. “These regulations return the onus of responsibility to the producers of Electric and Electronic Equipment, Lighting and Light Equipment and paper, packaging, and single-use goods. They must be accountable for a product's whole lifespan.”
 
Schröder elaborates that it is intended that by making manufacturers financially and/or operationally accountable for their  end-of-life products, more waste will be kept out of landfills; and more recycling and other circular economy initiatives will gain traction.
 
“The producer of Electrical or Electronic Equipment, Lighting and Lighting Equipment and paper and packaging must be either the Brand Owner of the items using the packaging, the Retailer in the case of house brands, or the Importer of the goods contained in the packaging, according to international best practice. As it engages all stakeholders at every level of the packaging value chain, this innovative strategy might be a workable means to move towards sustainable waste management and a Circular Economy.”
 
With the development of the 2023 EPR plans underway, Schröder explains that the focus now falls on the submissions and ability of the PROs to meet the legislative requirements.
 
“It is now mandatory for producers to register with the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment (DFFE;) on their website and ensure that all recognised products are covered by an appropriate EPR Scheme.”
 
PRO’s can assist in reducing the administrative workload
She explains that producers must also comply to the following options,: they must join an existing PRO, or create and submit an independent EPR Scheme, (the 05 Nov 2021 deadline for this has already passed). to DFFE for their Electrical and Electronic Products, Lighting and Lighting Equipment and packaging.
 
“Joining a PRO is very beneficial, as it can help producers be compliant through its take-back scheme,” Schröder says. “In order to ensure that their Producer Members are fulfilling their legal obligations under the EPR Regulations, PRO's can offer them the advice and services necessary.”
 
In addition, she emphasises the interests of the various sectors should be safeguarded to enable the entire take-back scheme is both effective and affordable for producers. This entails meeting all legal requirements in accordance with best practice principles.
 
“It will be the responsibility of the PRO to drive sector-based waste minimisation programmes, manage financial arrangements for funds to promote the reduction, re-use, recycling and recovery of waste; drive awareness programmes and innovate new measures to reduce the potential impact of products on health and the environment.”
 
Schröder sums up the PRO’s primary goals as follows:

• Using a compliant effective and efficient system while adhering to stringent governance principles
• Promoting and putting the concepts of the circular economy into practice
• Contributing to the Sustainable Development Goals in order to make a real difference in the world
• Caring for the environment with a multifaceted, best practice strategy

 
“The PRO will be in charge of leading sector-based waste minimisation programs, managing financial arrangements for funds to support waste reduction, re-use, recycling, and recovery, and developing innovative solutions to lessen potential effects of products on human health and the environment,” she concludes.
 
ENDS

MEDIA CONTACT: Rosa-Mari Le Roux , 060 995 6277, rosa-mari@thatpoint.co.za, www.atthatpoint.co.za 
 
For more information on Circular Energy please visit:
Website: https://www.circular-energy.org/ 
LinkedIn: Circular Energy