By Nneka Nwogwugwu
Brand South Africa in collaboration with the Songimvelo Recycle, is creating awareness where they will not only talk about the ozone layer but also come up with solutions on how we can all go about reducing the impact that directly and indirectly affects our Ozone layer.
Songimvelo Recycle is an environmental organization that partakes in making sure that environmental justice is more than just creating campaigns but it ensures that companies and organizations are playing their part in being environmentally compliant within the South African Acts and Legislation.
Brand South Africa through its Play Your Part Programme, collaborated with one its ambassadors, Hugo Ngcobo, in raising awareness about the importance of recycling to keep the environment clean, and conserving natural resources such as timber and water. In addition, how the communities can play their part by not littering waste everywhere and burning fossil fuel, because it affects the Ozone layer and causes global warming.
“While we were looking at international and our national environmental calendar there was no specific date that was dealing with global warming and climate change, as these are the leading factors of our deteriorating ozone layer” says Play Your Part Ambassador, Hugo Ngcobo as quoted by brand south Africa.
According to recently released stats by RecyclePaperZA, during 2020, South Africans recycled 1.1 million tonnes of paper and paper packaging, putting the country’s latest paper recovery rate at 73%, up from 68.5% in 2019.
In addition to educating communities, according to Remade Recycling, the Department of Environmental Affairs in 2012 estimated that 65% of the waste that we produce in South Africa is recyclable, which is good news. However, out of the 90% of waste that’s landfilled, only 10% is diverted and recycle.