Eco Minute 13:30

BULLETIN 20 May 1:30 pm

Good afternoon, here is your Eco Minute:

# The KwaZulu-Natal government plans to establish the country’s largest energy generation site at Richards Bay Industrial Development Zone. Speaking to a delegation of the private and public energy sector, Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs MEC Sibuniso Duma said this adds new power generation capacity. He says the site will focus on renewable energy, energy efficiency, solar technologies, wind turbines, and energy storage components:

# University of KwaZulu-Natal graduate, Vincent Piki, has expressed concerns over the inadequate laws against the proliferation of microplastic pollution in the world’s oceans. Minuscule pieces of plastic, invisible to the naked eye, affect the growth and reproductive health of marine organisms. Piki says binned plastics usually end up in landfill sites, and the residual microplastics get carried by water streams, including sewage flows, into rivers and the ocean. He adds South Africa is presently addressing the microplastic pollution situation.

# And finally: New rules come into effect today to ensure the European Union takes greater responsibility for its waste. The new Waste Shipments Regulation sets out stricter rules on the export of waste to non-EU countries. These exports have increased by 72-percent since 2004, amounting to 35 million tons per year last year. The new regulation also provides more deterrent sanctions against criminals involved in illicit waste trade.

Stay tuned for more news………….