First fishing net recycling facility

Commitment to a circular economy

SOUTH AFRICA: A groundbreaking pilot project at Cape Town’s V&A Waterfront will transform how fishing nets are recycled in South Africa – and potentially around the world – helping to address irresponsible disposal of the gear.

The project, led by OCEAN Action Network and Ocean Plastic Technologies (OPT) and supported by the South African Deep-Sea Trawling Industry Association (SADSTIA), will introduce the country’s first harbour-based net recycling facility at Collier Jetty where the V&A Waterfront has generously donated space for the project. 

The initiative highlights the fishing industry's commitment to sustainability through collaboration with entrepreneurs and innovators, aiming to set a precedent for broader change across the sector. Launched in response to increasing environmental pressures and the evolving Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) standard, the project addresses the urgent need for responsible disposal and recycling of fishing gear.

To support the net recycling initiative, SADSTIA has secured a grant of more than R600,000 from the MSC’s Ocean Stewardship Fund. The funding supports three innovative project components of which the net recycling initiative is just one.

All three components are designed to improve the environmental performance of the trawl fishery for hake through enhanced catch monitoring and stronger regulation. The partners for the two other project components – which aim to reduce interactions between trawl gear and seabirds and quantify and regulate the catch of species other than hake that are caught in trawl nets – are Imvelo Blue Environment Consultancy and the University of Cape Town’s Department of Biological Sciences.

Innocent Dwayi, Chairman of SADSTIA emphasised the importance of the grant from the MSC’s Ocean Stewardship Fund, saying: “This grant is a great opportunity to bolster the work our members are doing to fish responsibly and minimise environmental impact. All three project components utilise cutting-edge technology for the benefit of the ocean environment and SADSTIA is hugely excited about their potential to ultimately benefit fisheries in other parts of the world.”  

Onsite recycling

The fishing net recycling project addresses the challenge of end-of-life fishing nets by repurposing them. A micro-recycling pod developed by OPT will process discarded nets into raw material for high-value plastic products. OPT’s mobile “recycling pods” are equipped to shred, wash, dry, and densify plastic waste into high-value raw materials. 

“This is the first on-site recycling facility for fishing nets in South Africa, and possibly the world,” says Oliver Nudds of OPT. “Traditionally, nets are shipped to large, centralised facilities for processing. What we've built is a self-contained, modular unit that brings the solution right to the source.”

The recycling pod is capable of processing up to 100 kilograms of fishing net per hour. Nets are shredded, undergo a four-stage washing and drying process, and are then transformed into clean, 20 mm plastic flakes. Sorted by polymer type, the processed plastic is ready for resale. Because the material is cleaned and densified, it is no longer classified as waste, streamlining logistics and increasing resale value.

“What sets our system apart is the densification,” says Thomas Hansen at OPT. “You can fit nearly 37 tons of shredded plastic onto a truck, compared to 17 tons when transporting bales. This reduces transportation costs and emissions while maximising value.”

Designed for scalability, the containerised format allows rapid replication along South Africa’s coastline. Capacity can be expanded by simply adding another container, making the model ideal for broader implementation.

Commitment pays off for environmentalist

“For nearly three years, I’ve been in discussion with the industry about finding a solution to the problem of end-of-life fishing nets and any ghost nets found,” says Estelle van der Merwe, project lead from OCEAN. “The support was always there, but the challenge was logistical – baling, storage, and finding appropriate and cost-effective processing technology. That changed when Oliver Nudds and Thomas Hansen at OPT came on board.”

Van der Merwe brings decades of experience in environmental protection to the net recycling initiative. Since 2022, she has collaborated with SADSTIA and fishing companies I&J, Oceana and Sea Harvest, to develop sustainable solutions for recycling or upcycling end-of-life fishing nets and ghost gear.

OCEAN’S partnership with OPT, a company established in 2016 that specialises in container-based micro-recycling systems, has made the project feasible. 

Offering wider benefits

The project offers multiple sustainability benefits. Fishing companies can avoid landfill fees and meet environmental, social and governance targets as well as extended producer responsibility compliance requirements. Local communities benefit through employment and shared ownership, operating the pod under a cooperative model that reinvests profits from recycled materials.

“The South African hake trawl fishery has been a committed participant in the MSC programme since 2004. Maintaining their certification in an ever-evolving sustainability landscape has required ongoing efforts to meet best-practice levels and we’re very pleased to have been able to provide support to this exciting project,” says Michael Marriott, Programme Director for the MSC. 

“Mitigating the impacts of ghost fishing gear is crucial for the health of marine ecosystems and habitats and is required under the updated MSC Fisheries Standard. We hope that a successful trial will lead to widespread uptake of technology-based solutions such as this.”

"As the oldest working harbour in the southern hemisphere, caring for and protecting our oceans is a core responsibility that aligns with our broader commitment to sustainability. With several fishing companies operating within our precinct, it was a natural decision to donate space for this first-of-its-kind project in Africa and be part of a solution that redirects plastic waste towards purposeful reuse, while driving innovation and environmental change at the water’s edge,” comments Donald Kau, Head of PR & Communications, V&A Waterfront.

Education and transparency are core to the project’s design. A trained local team will operate the pod, with OCEAN providing oversight on logistics, financial management and data reporting. Regular updates on recycling volumes will be compiled into an annual sustainability report for industry partners and government regulators, including the MSC.

“This is more than recycling,” adds Oliver. “It’s about building a circular economy at the harbour’s edge – and it’s just the beginning.”

Navigating a new course