The draft National Circular Economy Action Plan (NCEAP) is still under development and has not been published or released for public comment, the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) states.

The DFFE says it is currently engaging relevant stakeholders as part of the development and consultation process.

Before publication, the department must complete the necessary consultation processes, including the publication of a notice inviting public comments, it says.

The DFFE is responding to a statement supplied to Engineering News, and published on July 1, in which industry organisation the Recyclers Association of South Africa (RASA) claimed that the draft NCEAP had been published on June 1.

The incorrect claim that the draft NCEAP has already been published is misleading and may create unnecessary confusion among stakeholders and the broader recycling and waste management sectors, the DFFE says.

The DFFE says it remains committed to a transparent, inclusive and consultative process in the development of the NCEAP.

Stakeholders will be afforded an opportunity to provide input through appropriate consultation processes, once the draft plan is ready for public participation, the department adds.

The RASA notes in a response emailed to Engineering News that none of the organisations involved in recycling were included in the consultation process that appears to be near a point of completion.

The association adds that it has no other option than to consider itself excluded, when all its efforts to ensure meaningful inclusion in the process have failed.