It will take a concerted effort by businesses, civil society, educators and the government to solve the widespread problem of marine pollution in Nelson Mandela Bay.
This was the consensus on the second day of the waste enterprise development conference held by the Sustainable Seas Trust and the Nelson Mandela University business school on Tuesday.
The conference, supported by the Norwegian embassy, forms part of a series of workshops held by the trust to examine various aspects of marine pollution.
In conjunction with the workshops and research, the trust’s chief executive, Tony Ribbink, said the idea was to use the Bay as a proof of concept for an approach that could be used to clean up regions across Africa.
“This is the first step in a journey we’re starting and we need to do it together across all sectors,” Ribbink said.
“In terms of pollution, this is the second-worst continent.
“The prediction is that we will be the worst by 2050, and our goal is to turn that around by 2035, with Port Elizabeth being the cleanest city in Africa by 2021 – and that means cleanest [in every aspect], not just the marine environment.”
Ribbink said the trust was engaging with the Norwegian government on their mutual goal of reducing marine waste.
“They are committing a lot of money to healthy oceans – of which stopping waste is a huge component – and they are looking towards South Africa to help achieve that goal.”
Speakers at the conference said this goal could only be reached through collaboration between all stakeholders.
Coca-Cola Beverages South Africa environmental manager Ntsako Baloyi said: “As a company we thrive on partnerships.
“There’s a lot of work to be done, but you can’t do it on your own. Let’s see how we can support each other.”
Baloyi also encouraged the government to step in and ensure that plastic materials are recyclable.
“We need government to come into play and maybe help to legislate [to that effect].
“Some other countries only use recyclable plastic, but as a country we aren’t there yet.”
Meanwhile, the Rev Keketso Bloem, of the Uitenhage Ministers Fraternity, said faith-based organisations had a responsibility to join the battle against marine waste.
“I believe as a collective we can solve the issue of waste disposal.
“I encourage those who are informed to speak to their ministers, because the church should be a platform for sharing information, not just for sharing the Word of God.”
Sharing information from this platform, a member of the audience said, would be the first step towards a new activism.
“We were taught growing up that cleanliness is next to godliness,” she said.
“These are bread-and-butter issues.
“I was shocked to hear [on Monday] that 80% of the ocean pollution is caused by land pollution. As we clean our spaces [on land], that is [the issue] we are solving.”