Coal

Coal will remain part of South Africa’s energy mix into the 2040s and improving the energy availability factor of the current power stations is a pressing matter. Those are the sentiments of the Minster of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Barbara Creecy.

Creecy was speaking at the Mining Indaba in Cape Town, which took place between 6 and 9 February 2023. She stressed that understanding the physical and economic risks was essential to approaching the complex question of balancing energy security in the context of the climate transition.

“Our government has never advocated a sudden or precipitous move away from either coal-fired generation or towards a low-carbon economy. The National Development Plan and Eskom have talked about attaining net-zero emissions by mid-century, nearly 30 years from now.

“Building a low-carbon economy and a climate-resilient society will not happen overnight. It requires wide reaching technological, economic and societal changes,” Creecy said.

With the implementation of the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Regulations, and the imposition of bold targets for the diversion of waste from landfill, society’s demand for recycling services is increasing.

The City of Cape Town is encouraging residents to take advantage of this emerging need to uplift their communities, by establishing small recycling businesses and registering these with the City for inclusion on the Waste Recyclers Map.

Alderman Grant Twigg, MMC: Urban Waste Management, City of Cape Town, is calling on residents who are looking for work to consider starting small businesses in recycling. Recycling has significant potential to create jobs as well as to preserve our precious natural environment. For this reason, residents are being encouraged to establish their own small recycling businesses.

However, all those who wish to explore opportunities in this sector should also be aware that they must get accreditation from the City to legally operate. Accredited businesses may also qualify to apply for recycling tenders in coming years as recycling services are expanded throughout the municipality. Furthermore, the City can help promote these businesses via the Waste Recyclers Map – an interactive tool for residents that shows the recycling businesses operating in each area, and what recyclables they accept.