Literature review: Social enterprises aimed at waste reduction and waste management in South African communities
Literature Review
October 2020
Social enterprises aimed at waste reduction and waste management in South African communities
IN SUM This study examines the available literature to indicate the role of social enterprises in South Africa in bringing about a transition to a circular economy which minimises waste and maximises resource use. Firstly, it describes South Africa’s current waste ecosystem and potential gaps between policy and practice. Thereafter, it outlines the social enterprises involved in recycling and organic waste reduction which have emerged to fill these gaps, in conjunction with their social upliftment goals. Finally, it considers the lessons South Africa can learn from social enterprises involved in waste reduction in other parts of the world. The literature reviewed in these sections indicates that social enterprises, if coordinated with other actors involved in the waste sector, have enormous potential to transform our conceptualisation and management of waste.
INTRODUCTION In a world facing unprecedented environmental degradation and resource depletion, a shift in the conceptualisation and management of waste is in dire need. The circular economy model, where waste is continually reinvented as a secondary input in a closed-loop system, provides an alternative and sustainable mode of production (Geissdoerfer et al, 2019: 762). While South Africa has made a commendable attempt to transition toward a circular economy, the gap between policy and practice is especially evident in the country’s waste ecosystem (Schenk et al, 2019: 80). Increasing waste generation from a growing population coupled with resource constraints faced by municipalities means that local government in isolation is not capable of bringing about a largescale shift to a zero waste economy (Linnay, 2013: 27). It is in this context that social enterprises may form an alternative to conventional waste management solutions, using community-based, “bottom up” approaches to reduce the amount of waste making its way into overcrowded landfills.
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