The Responsible Packaging Management Association of Southern Africa (RPMASA) together with eThekwini Health have launched The Happy Drum Project providing thousands of community members access to clean containers for drinking water within the Metro and KwaZulu Natal region.

The Happy Drum project was launched to support the eThekwini Safe Drum Policy which the Department of Health will be launching soon. The purpose of the project is to stop the sale of used chemical and industrial drums and containers which pose serious health and pollution risks to the public, and health of the city. According to the new policy, companies and persons found guilty of supplying used drums and containers to traders and the public will be prosecuted.

According to Stats SA only 42% of the 13.8 million households in SA have access to running water in their homes and only 35% of the 2.6 million households in KwaZulu Natal. Thousands of people within the Mhlatuze, Msunduze and eThekwini area now have access to clean drinking water; a necessity taken for granted by most South Africans.

The Happy Drum project was launched to replace old drums with new affordable pink drums specifically for water collection and storage. Many used chemical and industrial drums and containers are sold daily by informal traders throughout the country to the urban and rural poor communities which are then used for collecting and storing water for drinking and domestic purposes; but this poses many health risks.

The Happy Drums project is aimed at educating the public and industry about the dangers of used chemical and contaminated drums for domestic purposes and removing them from the public domain.

“Death is roaming in the rural parts of the world and nobody cares,” says Liz Anderson, President of the RPMASA. “Surviving in the villages is a tough job. There is no access to running water and sufficient transportation.

We’ll reach more than 20 000 households in the first phase of the project and we hope to expand quickly next year to reach thousands more. We are hoping that the Department of Health will progress plans to roll out this project on a national basis once the first phase is complete.”

Anderson continued, “Our common vision is improving the lives of the poor informal urban and rural communities within our developing country. The project requires a mindset change and support from industry. When you look at a cheap used drum, some people would say the (chemical) one from the traders is cheaper than the pink drum. But when you factor in what you’re receiving in terms of health and safety the pink virgin drum is cheaper and safer to use and might actually be a life-saving decision. There has been very limited support and we urge organisations nationwide to demonstrate their social & environmental responsibility and support the Happy Drum initiative.”

For more information about the RPMASA and the Happy Drum Project contact their offices on (032) 942 8256 or visit their website www.rpmasa.org.za

Notes to Editors
The RPMASA is part of a network of organizations’ around the world that follow the entire lifecycle of Industrial packaging. RPMASA addresses economic, legal and regulatory concerns associated with drum and container use and uplifting the standard of drum reconditioning through global best practice, having a seat on the UN Committees of Experts for Transport of dangerous goods and the GHS, National Standards Committees and the Waste Act Steering committee.