INDEPENDENT ELECTORAL DEPARTMENT OF FORESTRY,COMMISSION FISHERIES & THE ENVIROMENT
THE NATIONAL WASTE MANAGEMENT STRATEGY Minimising the country's waste
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outh Africa faces numerous waste management challenges including the growing volumes of waste generated due to economic and population growth and the complexity of waste streams generated. The lack of sufficient recycling infrastructure, reclamation systems and insufficient funding mechanisms further add to the complexity of this composite challenge. Central to these challenges; is a need for continued coordination and sharing of resources across the three spheres of government as well as industry and civil society to make momentous changes in the waste management sector. South Africa is also experiencing severe constraints in terms of the availability of landfill space, as well as challenges in operating and decommissioning landfills in a manner that is compliant with licensing conditions. Furthermore, once disposed of to landfill, waste is no longer economically productive, and, in the absence of landfill gas capture, landfills generate methane which is a potent Greenhouse Gas. According to the 2018 State of Waste Report, in 2017 South Africa generated 55 million tonnes of general waste, with only 11% being diverted from landfill. In the absence of aggressive strategies to avoid waste generation, the total volumes of waste generated will increase in future, which will in turn require greater effort in waste diversion, simply to maintain the current rate at which landfill airspace is depleted. This is already recognised as being unsustainable.
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Municipal Focus
For these reasons, diverting waste from landfill is a key imperative for the country’s National Waste Management Strategy. South Africa’s strategy for diversion of waste from landfill is based on building a secondary resources economy around the beneficiation of waste as part of the circular economy. This is through among others, the recycling of paper, glass, plastics, metals, tyres, power generation waste, waste oils, pesticides, batteries, lighting equipment, and recovery of construction and demolition waste to substitute recycled content for virgin materials. Waste minimisation is accomplished by waste pickers who perform the crucial first step in extracting recyclable and reusable materials from the waste stream and initiating their revalorisation. Part of the value chain, is the private sector on the basis of opportunities to generate revenue by reusing and recycling waste or to reduce production costs by avoiding waste or substituting recycled and recovered materials for virgin materials where recovered materials are less expensive. The National Waste Management Strategy which was approved by Cabinet last year, sets the priority areas which includes driving the recycling economy, implementing a varied regulatory system, creating jobs and SMMEs, promoting public awareness and supporting waste service delivery amongst others. As we grow our ocean economy, we also have to be cognisant of the
