Eco Minute

BULLETIN 22 August 1:30 pm

Good afternoon, here is your Eco Minute:

# Retailer group Pick n Pay has partnered with the non-profit E-waste Recycling Authority as it rolls out its newly designed electronic waste. According to WasteAid, about 360-thousand tonnes of e-waste is generated across South Africa each year, with Gauteng responsible for approximately 55-percent of this total. The bins to be placed at Pick n Pay stores are expected to collect one-thousand tonnes of e-waste annually. Pick n Pay says the e-waste bins will help create employment for people with disabilities through specialised training in repairing, refurbishing and recycling e-waste.

# The Shoprite Group is pioneering renewable energy in Cape Town by wheeling excess solar power from Checkers Hyper Brackenfell at the Fairbridge Mall, through the city’s energy grid. This initiative reduces reliance on the national grid and supports Shoprite’s climate goals. The solar photovoltaic system, operational since 2021, generates 35-percent of the mall’s electricity needs. This project marks a significant step toward Cape Town’s energy independence.

# And, heat deaths in Europe could triple by the end of the century, especially in countries such as Italy, Greece, and Spain. This is according to a study published in Lancet Public Health, coming on the back of a series of scorching heatwaves across the continent. Today, heat-related deaths in Europe stand at 44-thousand. Researchers warn that deaths from warm weather could kill 129-thousand people a year if temperatures rise to three degrees Celcius above preindustrial levels.

Stay tuned for more news………….