South Africa Plastic Waste Management Market Overview, 2028

Plastics are low-cost, lightweight, and long-lasting materials that are easily moulded into a variety of objects for use in a variety of applications (Hopewell, 2009 and UN 2018). They offer significant advantages and have been a part of our life for a long time. Plastic is used in packaging and containers (e.g., soft drink bottles, lids, shampoo bottles). They can also be found in both durable and non-durable products, such as furniture and appliances (e.g., diapers, trash bags, cups and utensils, medical devices). Through its support of the manufacturing and other associated sectors, the plastics industry significantly boosts the GDP of many nations.

According to the research report “South Africa Plastic Waste Management Market Overview, 2028, published by Bonafide Research, the market is expected to add USD 33 Million in the upcoming period, 2023–2028. Based on service type, which comprises collection and transportation, recycling, incineration, and landfills. Based on service type, which comprises collection and transportation, recycling, incineration, and landfills. Reduction of landfill locations A lot of environmental issues arise from the disposal of waste in landfills. Recyclable items, such as paper, cardboard, metal, and plastic, are kept out of landfills. Requirements for Energy are Reduced. When compared, for instance, to the production of new plastic products, recycling plastic uses less energy and materials. Decrease in pollution Recycling the trash instead of dumping it in a landfill will help to cut down on the pollution that results from doing so. The carbon footprint of a product is also decreased by recycling different products, which results in lower carbon emissions.

Numerous efforts have been made in South Africa through the implementation of policy interventions that aim to minimise and discourage the use of plastics in order to address their negative impacts on the environment and human health: Additionally, the Waste Act's objectives are intended to be accomplished by the National Waste Management Strategy (NWMS), which is a legal obligation of the Waste Act. It was created to systematically enhance how South African industry stakeholders manage garbage. The policy recognises the delicate balance that must be maintained in South Africa between the need to safeguard and conserve the nation's natural resources and the social and economic development of an unequal society.

A plastic bag levy was introduced in South Africa around June 2004, at a rate of ZAR 0.03 a bag on certain types of plastic shopping bags, with the aim of reducing litter and encouraging plastic bag reuse. The levy was increased to ZAR 0.04 a bag from 1 April 2009 and further increased to ZAR 0.06 a bag from 1 April 2013 and to ZAR 0.08 a bag from 1 April 2016. From 1 April 2018, it was increased again to ZAR 0.12 a bag. The Minister of Finance stated in his budget statement that the plastic bag tax would rise from ZAR 0.12 to ZAR 0.25 at the start of April 2020. The National Treasury will also hold consultations in 2021 regarding expanding the present plastic bag tax to cover all single-use plastics used for retail consumption, such as plastic straws, cutlery, and packaging. After the levy was implemented, there was a slight decrease in the use of plastic bags, but this was short-lived as a result of the difficulties and barriers associated with implementing the legal or policy framework, such as poor and/or inconsistent enforcement, opposition to the legislation, and a lack of alternatives. All these factors have hindered effective and sustainable plastic bag waste management and the objectives of the levies imposed on plastic bags. Some of the plastic waste management companies in South Africa are Atlantic Plastic Recycling, DC PLASTICS RECYCLING (PTY) LTD, Mpact Recycling Durban, Maritzburg Plastics, Myplas (Pty) Ltd, Bonke Abantu Recycling & Waste Management, Plastics SA, KM Plastics, ECOmonkey Recycling, XAP South Africa Recycling, Fbt Plastics pty ltd and many more.

Considered in this report
• Geography: South Africa
• Historic year: 2017
• Base year: 2022
• Estimated year: 2023
• Forecast year: 2028

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Manmayi Raval

Research Consultant

By Service Type
• Collection & transportation
• Recycling
• Incineration
• Landfills

By Source Type
• Residential
• Commercial & institutional
• Industrial
• Others

By Polymer Type
• Polypropylene (PP)
• Low-density polyethylene (LDPE)
• High-density polyethylene (HDPE)
• Polyvinyl chloride (PVC)
• Polyurethane (PUR)
• Polystyrene (PS)
• Polyethylene terephthalate (PET)
• Others

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The approach of the report:
This report consists of a combined approach of primary as well as secondary research. Initially, secondary research was used to get an understanding of the market and listing out the companies that are present in the market. The secondary research consists of third-party sources such as press releases, annual report of companies, analysing the government generated reports and databases. After gathering the data from secondary sources primary research was conducted by making telephonic interviews with the leading players about how the market is functioning and then conducted trade calls with dealers and distributors of the market. Post this we have started doing primary calls to consumers by equally segmenting consumers in regional aspects, tier aspects, age group, and gender. Once we have primary data with us we have started verifying the details obtained from secondary sources. 
Intended audience

This report can be useful to industry consultants, manufacturers, suppliers, associations & organizations related to plastic waste management market, government bodies and other stakeholders to align their market-centric strategies. In addition to marketing & presentations, it will also increase competitive knowledge about the industry.