No one needs a lesson on the long list of negative impacts plastic has on our environment. It endangers our wildlife, accumulates in landfill, releases toxic chemicals into our soil and water and, from a purely aesthetic point of view, plastic litter just isn’t pretty!

One of the biggest culprits? Plastic bags! Did you know it can take up to 1000 years for a single plastic bag to break down? Even then, it never fully disappears. Microplastics are everywhere: in our food, our water, our soil and our bodies.

Our town is renowned for its natural beauty, biodiversity and its proximity to Greater Kruger National Park – and many of us dedicate our daily lives and careers to protecting just that! Living in this town is a privilege and protecting our environment is a responsibility we take seriously.

Living up to our environmental responsibility

A crucial step in the battle against plastic waste – and one that is long overdue in Hoedspruit – is for our retail shops to stop offering plastic bags at checkout. Pick N Pay, Le Bamba and Spar are already giving us alternatives like asking for a cardboard box or a reusable bag but it’s time to make the switch to eco-friendly alternatives permanent and remove the plastic option altogether.

This initiative is not just about reducing waste – it's about embodying the values of conservation and sustainability that our town stands for. By taking action now, retail stores like Pick n Pay, Le Bamba and Spar can be leaders in environmental stewardship in Hoedspruit and across South Africa.

What would the impact be?

South Africans on average buy 2 new plastic bags a week (according to the 2017/18 SARS tax statistics). If we ban plastic bags in Hoedspruit, we could be saving around 312,000 plastic bags from ending up in landfill every year!

Africa at the forefront of the plastic bag revolution 

34 out of 54 African countries have placed regulations of sorts on plastic bags and 16 have totally banned their use:

- Rwanda is the world's first plastic-free country! They have banned non-biodegradable plastics since 2008 (with exceptions made for the medical industry). But what makes Rwanda even more unique is “Umuganda”, a national initiative on the last Saturday of every month where people aged 16-65 participate in community service such as cleaning streets.

- In 2019, Tanzania banned visitors from entering the country with any form of single-use plastic. A world first!

- Kenya used to go through 100 million plastic bags a year before replacing all plastic bags with bags made of thicker, synthetic fabric. Anyone found with a plastic bag (whether manufacturers, retailers or consumers) face fines of up to $38,000 ($500 for individuals), or up to 4 years in prison!

- In South Africa, Woolworths is leading the way: since 2022, all their food stores are now free of single-use plastic shopping bags.

It’s time for some plastic-free change

Join us in calling on Pick n Pay, Le Bamba and Spar and all other retail stores to eliminate plastic bags at checkout. Signing this petition will send a clear message: our Hoedspruit community is committed to protecting the natural beauty and ecological health of our town and everyone in it.

Your support is vital in making this change. Sign now to help us move towards a plastic-free town we can be proud of.

Sources

• https://blog.interwaste.co.za/know-waste/africa-leaders-in-plastic-bag-prohibition
• https://www.greenpeace.org/africa/en/blogs/11156/34-plastic-bans-in-africa/
• https://www.explore-africa.com/africa/how-plastic-vanishes/
• https://www.undp.org/blog/umuganda-rwandas-audacity-hope-end-plastic-pollution
• https://theafrican.co.za/environment/2022-09-30-has-south-africas-plastic-bag-levy-been-effective-in-reducing-pollution/