Eco Minute 13:30

BULLETIN 27 September 1:30 pm

Good afternoon, here is your Eco Minute:

# The South African Weather Service has warned of a cold front expected to hit the southwestern part of the Western Cape tomorrow. Spokesperson Celeste Fourie says snowfall is expected over the high-lying regions of the Western Cape from Sunday morning, drifting towards the Eastern Cape by Monday. She cautions of snow reaching southern KwaZulu-Natal on Tuesday morning:

# The City of Cape Town says environmental factors are an ongoing threat to public health. The metro employs 209 environmental health practitioners, who are tasked with monitoring and managing all areas where the environment and public health intersect. Mayoral committee member for Community Services and Health, Patricia van der Ross, says the heat in summer increases the risk of food spoiling more quickly, germs spreading faster, and an increase in diarrhoeal disease:

# And finally, the deputy minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Bernice Swarts, says government’s introduction of the Climate Change Act and the extended producer responsibility regulations, is a significant shift in how the nation approaches waste. South Africa creates an estimated 122-million tonnes of waste per year, and only ten-percent is recycled or re-used, while the rest goes to landfills, or is dumped illegally. Swarts says the idea that waste could be a resource, rather than a burden, has reshaped industries, but adds that the waste crisis is far from being resolved.

Stay tuned for more news………….