According to the United Nations Environment Programme Report 2020, the total domestic waste generated by households in South Africa is estimated at 12.7 million tonnes per annum, and approximately 3.67 million tonnes of this waste is not collected and treated through formal waste collection systems, resulting in large amounts of waste being dumped in landfills illegally. While growing population and urbanisation are the key drivers of the spiralling waste crisis, industry and environmental experts identify major shortcomings in waste management in the country.

Brendon Jewaskiewitz, President, the Institute of Waste Management of Southern Africa (IWMSA) says, “We are sending almost 100 million tonnes of waste to over 800 landfills across the country every year. To put this into perspective, it’s roughly a football field size, 10 metres deep, of waste every single day. We are able to divert only roughly 10 per cent of our waste from landfill. And one of the main reasons is that landfill is still the most cost-effective option to deal with waste.”

Nick Mannie, Managing Director, Dolphin Coast Landfill Management, operated by Veolia, says, “As the population grows, there is an urgent need for adequate management of waste in all forms. But waste management is not accorded the priority it requires – neither from an essential services point of view nor from an investment point of view. Dump yards are mushrooming at an unprecedented rate in municipalities across the country. Investment in waste management infrastructure, right from basic equipment to advanced technology is lacking in South Africa.”

He attributes the waste crisis to lack of planning by officials. “There are no strategies in terms of spatial requirements and industrial growth. There is no plan for a new waste facility even when old and existing ones reach their capacity.”

Jewaskiewitz says, “When it comes to embracing the latest waste management practices, South Africa is at least 20 to 30 years behind developed countries. About 30 to 40 per cent of South Africa’s domestic solid waste is organic waste. Paper and packaging comprise about 10 to 20 per cent of the waste stream, followed by electronic waste and construction & demolition waste. We could potentially divert about 60 to 70 per cent of our municipal waste away from landfill towards reuse, recycling and recovery.”

In January 2021, South Africa published the NWMS 2020 (South Africa’s National Waste Management Strategy 2020). It is broadly focused on preventing waste and diverting waste from landfill by leveraging the concept of the circular economy to drive sustainable, inclusive economic growth and development in the waste sector, while reducing the social and environmental impacts of waste. The strategy outlines the national government’s approach to waste management for SA and includes actions to reach a set of goals: 40 per cent of waste diverted from landfill within 5 years; 55 per cent within 10 years; and at least 70 per cent within 15 years and zero-waste to landfill beyond 2035. Commenting on the NWMS 2020, Cecilia Kinuthia-Njenga, Director, Intergovernmental Support and Collective Progress Division, UNFCCC and former Head of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) Office in South Africa and Regional Programme Coordinator Southern Africa, says, “One of the biggest gaps in the South African waste management policy is not a lack of legislation or policy, but a lack of the capacity of the municipalities to deal with waste.”

Sharing a similar view, Jewaskiewitz said, “It’s very easy for the government to put targets in place but there are no effective strategies and practical solutions to achieve those objectives. There tends to be a lack of viable alternatives. We have massive unemployment, poverty and equity problems. Recent statistics show that about 35 per cent of all households have to rely on communal or household refuse dumps. Doorstep collection of waste has to improve.”

Kinuthia-Njenga gives step-by-step measures to achieve the NWMS 2020 targets. “The first step should be to get the infrastructure in place. Second is to ensure that separation at source is an integral part of the local plans. Raising awareness at the household level is important, because separation at source is very much to do with behaviour. The third step is to integrate the informal waste pickers into the overall waste management process of South Africa.” Finally, the municipal waste management system should align itself to achieve a circular economy, she points out.

Mannie notes, “Education and learning will play a significant role in trying to achieve some of these targets. This should be coupled with training of waste staff, a good design for recycling programmes at community level and making waste reclaimers an inclusive player in the diversion programmes. Developing an appropriate investment framework and encouraging economic incentives for material recovery as well as introducing penalties for not creating measurable initiatives for waste diversion particularly at industry level are some of the measures to be taken. Industries should embrace innovation and collaboration across sectors for waste material reuse. “

Speaking about challenges in dealing with hazardous waste management in South Africa, he says, “Veolia has been continuously assessing hazardous waste streams for alternative treatment methods and the value of where it could be used elsewhere or in another process as a substitute product. This means we need to have a good sense of the life cycle of the hazardous waste streams we deal with and collaborate with colleagues globally to ascertain if they have encountered similar challenges and learn from them so we can do something similar here.”

Public-private partnerships

Kinuthia-Njenga notes, “In countries such as Ghana and Kenya, the private sector takes an active participation in the CSR programme, funding and recycling. Unfortunately, in South Africa it’s negligible. Many big waste management companies are here but they have been squeezed out because the government does not have a deliberate public-private partnership arrangement. There is no competition and therefore no innovations.”

Jewaskiewitz notes, “The positive aspect is that we do have the capability to implement globally proven technologies within a short period of time. This is where the private sector can contribute. To enable public-private partnerships, we need to have the right skill set. But skill shortage is a huge problem in South Africa. We need an enabling environment which effectively penalises landfilling and incentivises diversion.”

There are various policy instruments, such as creating a local market for reusable and recyclable materials, to create that environment. There is unfortunately a huge economic and administrative crisis in South Africa, particularly in the public sector. Municipalities simply don’t have the funds or expertise to implement alternative solutions. This obviously then presents opportunities for the private sector, he notes.

Recycling landscape

Despite the challenges, South Africa’s recycling sector is advanced and is also growing, says Jewaskiewitz. “From 2018 to 2019, the recycling rate increased by roughly seven per cent. There is a huge demand for scrap metals from the private sector. But when it comes to municipal solid waste, paper and plastic are the two big commodities. As far as plastics go, we have a recycling rate of about 46 per cent, which is better than the plastic recycling rate of most European countries. “ However, when compared to Kenya, Ghana and Uganda, recycling is still in its infancy in South Africa, says Kinuthia-Njenga adding, “The problem with South Africa’s waste management and recycling systems is they are not decentralised.” Other countries such as Rwanda have been able to transform quickly. It was the first African country to ban single use plastic. It has moved into a model, where the communities take responsibility to keep Kigali clean, she notes.

Challenges galore

 The waste industry in South Africa is estimated to be worth about 25 billion rand, which equates to about €1.5 billion. It’s a sizable industry. But there are many challenges. Mannie says, “There is a lack of “vision” to see the ideal environment in which waste could be managed and a vision to commit to a road map to ensure success.” Jewaskiewitz lists a number of challenges in managing waste in the country. This includes lack of landfill space, funding and an integrated approach; rising transport cost, corruption and political interference. “The country is rapidly running out of landfill airspace, which is also one of the reasons why we are now being forced to look at alternatives in a much more serious way.”

Regulations & legislations

Taking a positive approach towards the new regulations, Mannie says the strengthening of existing legislations and new regulatory changes present an opportunity to raise the bar in waste management overall. This means ideation and innovation coupled with technology become the base for a new age thinking for managing waste effectively. Cost-effective solutions should be developed to manage waste, he adds.

Jewaskiewitz says, “The problems with the regulations indefinitely include lack of enforcement, particularly with respect to the municipal sector. In the absence of alternative technologies at an affordable price, the disposal to landfill will still remain the most cost-effective choice.”

He points out, in South Africa, domestic solid waste is the responsibility of the municipal sector. But the local municipalities are generally not able to meet current standards and requirements, leave alone new ones. So new regulations and standards should be brought in only after the basics are in place to manage waste.”

Kinuthia-Njenga says, “The future of waste management in South Africa lies in a decentralised system, which provides power, responsibility and resources to all stakeholders. Waste is generated at the household, it’s generated at industry, it’s generated within our communities, and therefore a model should start working with that in mind. Waste management requires the involvement of the whole society.”

Investment opportunities

Given the current scenario in South Africa, the private sector may look at the options of plastic recycling, waste-to-energy projects using different technology other than incineration and setting up material recycling facilities in communities which would encourage social cohesion and creation of jobs, says Mannie.

Green Cape’s Market Intelligence Report 2020 says, there are opportunities for value-add investors and businesses in organics, e-waste, plastics, and municipal contracts. “With implementation of EPR, landfill bans, landfill diversion targets, coupled with large investments into landfill diversion, and associational procurement, there are several opportunities for value-add investors and businesses in organics, e-waste, and plastics in Cape Town,” it notes.

The report adds that Cape Town hosts a diverse mix of organic waste solutions. Traditionally, the organic waste sector struggled to secure viable business cases. However, rising cost of landfilling, progressive regulations, investments, and upcycling innovation is changing this. “As far plastic, implementing progressive regulations, commitments to industry-driven agreements, and investments into large municipal material recovery infrastructure and initiatives, will support investments in plastic recycling in SA in the next five years.” Meanwhile, the City of Cape Town has included several actions and projects to boost e-waste recovery. These include new waste drop-offs, establishment of four new MRFs, and expansion of its separation at source programme. These initiatives will result in the extraction of household e-waste streams. The City has plans to outsource operations of these facilities to the private sector and then direct material to recyclers for processing. This should unlock private and MSW e-waste,” the report adds.