SPECIAL FEATURE
Tackling the Recycling Problem
She may not run road races any more , but WWF-SA ’ s Lorren De Kock still likes to get out for a run whenever she can , including when attending conferences on plastic production and recycling .
WWF-SA actively supports clean-up initiatives
Lorren presenting on the SA Plastics Pact
One sure way to catch the attention of
everybody at a conference on plastic waste and recycling , is to go out for a morning run before the next session , and return with a bag filled with waste picked up during the run ! This is what Lorren De Kock , Project Manager : Circular Plastics Economy at WWF South Africa ( WWF-SA ) did , during a morning run with fellow recycling campaigner and runner , Hanno Langenhoven of the Wildlands Trust . They found a clear plastic bag on their running route , then saw more plastic waste , so turned their run into a plogging run . They then took the full bag back to the conference , put it in front of the representatives of the plastic and recycling industries and said , “ Just a reminder of why we are here .”
Lorren ( 41 ) joined WWF-SA at the beginning of 2019 . Her background was in industrial engineering , management and technology , as well as environmental and process systems engineering . Her career path eventually saw her working as an independent consultant in the sustainability and environmental industries by 2014 , and five years later she was signed up by WWF-SA to focus on the impacts of various developmental paths on the environment and the socio-economic context in South Africa .
In terms of running , Lorren says that in her slightly younger days , she was a regular at road running events , doing many 10km and half marathon races when she lived in Johannesburg and Pretoria , and also mountain biking . “ However , my last half marathon was at the Two Oceans just before my first child , and I haven ’ t actually run a race in a while . Now I only run informally , and we run parkruns as a family in the Stellenbosch and Somerset-West area . I still like to run , as we all need to exercise and de-stress , and I find that it energises me and helps me to sleep .”
Environmental Engineer
In her role at WWF-SA , Lorren is very much focused on changing people ’ s usage of plastic in order to bring about positive environmental change . “ WWF-SA ’ s mission is to combat the consumerism that generates more and more waste , depleting natural resources , and to do that we need to reduce our consumption , and to get people to make smarter , more informed purchasing choices . It is about so much more than just beach clean-ups and recycling … we need an entire systemic change ,” she says .
“ As part of this , WWF-SA set up the South African Plastics Pact in January 2020 , with about 60 retailers and producers signing up . They have made a voluntary agreement to work towards increasing their recycled rate to 70 % and only putting recycled products out to market , while phasing out or eliminating problem plastics such as straws , earbuds or PVC . This programme has now been rolled out by many retailers on all their packaging components . Some started with in-house brand packaging , but then approached suppliers to put it on other brands as well , because they agree that consumers need to know what is recycled , and recyclable .”
In November last year , Lorren co-authored WWF-SA ’ s Plastics Facts & Futures Report . Having analysed the 2019 recycling figures from the Plastics SA recycling survey , she calculated that “ at current rates , it will take more than 20 years just to double the current percentage of plastic being recycled , with more than 750,000 tons of plastics currently going to landfill or leaking into the environment each year . And thus , Plastics SA ’ s target of ‘ zero waste to landfill by 2030 ’ is simply unrealistic , given the current trends .”
Misleading Messaging
Lorren explains that the background to the current global problem with plastic waste has been developing for many years . “ Since the 1970s , when plastic litter and debris started coming to the attention of consumers , recycling has been put forward as the ‘ silver bullet .’ Various mechanisms were used to assure the public that all plastic can be recycled , including placing a resin code with the recycling symbol and a number on some plastic products and packaging to entrench the perception that all is recycled . This is very far from true , however .”
“ Also , industry lobbyists have used elaborate advertising and narratives not only to mislead the public , but also to place the blame for plastic pollution squarely on the consumer . For decades , the global plastics industry entrenched this narrative through
Images : Courtesy Lorren De Kock & WWF-SA
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ISSUE 138 FEBRUARY 2021 / www . modernathlete . co . za Lorren enjoying a run at the Route 44 parkrun near Stellenbosch