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The New Waste Act, to be finalised by the end of 2010, will have serious implications for business if not taken seriously.
South Africa is faced with disposing more than 26.4 million tonnes of rubbish per annum; conservatively speaking, our population of approximately 48 million people generates an average of 550 kilogrammes of waste per person per year.
Waste is the keyword here. An alarming percentage of what we throw away probably need not have been wasted to begin with.
We have a range of different waste products to manage, from spoilt food items to e-waste, which comprises discarded electronic and electrical equipment such as mobile phones, computers and various appliances.
It seems very few of us really know what to do in order to reduce the load; and if we do, it is inconvenient to ‘do the right thing’.
Many people are not aware of the entrepreneurs in our country who make a living from recycling waste. We have an inventive population who not only manages waste, but there are those who manufacture saleable objects from plastic, tin cans, and other waste items that empower them – this helps them to earn their keep.
Stan Jewaskiewitz, vice president of the Institute of Waste Management of Southern Africa (IWMSA), is committed to focusing all the Institute’s attention on reducing, reusing and recycling, and sees plenty of potential employment for budding entrepreneurs in 2010.
He says, “There needs to be a cohesive effort on the part of all the players in waste management to educate people about the crisis facing all of us if we don’t curb our wasteful behaviour.”
The problem is something we cannot ignore: 1 200 landfill sites releasing huge amounts of methane gas produced from decomposing food and organic wastes into the atmosphere; toxic waste leaking into water tables; supposedly green areas strewn with plastic and broken glass; lead- and mercury-ridden fish from the incorrect disposal of discarded electronic equipment; and a generation for whom asthma has become the norm from the effect of the quality of our air from pollutants.
Landfill gas comprises 60% methane and 40% carbon dioxide, which are known as greenhouse gases that are responsible for climate change.
According to Alistair McMaster, consultant at PURE Carbon Services Africa, the frequency of large flood events between 1967 and 2002 was every 12 years – this has increased to every 1.4 years from 2003 to 2008. The situation is becoming worse.
He further indicated that 18.1% of methane is produced by rotting waste.
The amount of land required per capita to dispose of waste generated impacts hugely on our ecological footprint; each one of us is responsible for the waste that we generate.
According to Deidré Nxumalo-Freeman, the Eastern Cape chairperson of IWMSA, “It is our social responsibility to be good to the Earth and to reduce and control the amount of waste that we create. Changing our habits is crucial, and by reducing the amount of waste we produce and reusing or recycling is inevitable, we will reduce the use of virgin materials – the energy needed to produce the materials and the amount of waste going to landfill sites.
“Businesses need to be a lot more aware of their waste as well; again, there are great opportunities to support local entrepreneurs.
“Many schools also recycle their waste to earn extra money. Businesses should partner with these entrepreneurs and schools – it’s a win-win situation,” she adds.
Dr Suzan Oelofse, IWMSA Central Branch chairperson, concurs: “First and foremost, businesses should do what they can to minimise the generation of waste and communicate their success to the employees. If people see that they make an impact, they are more likely to continue doing the right thing.
“Businesses should further set an example by supporting and initiating waste reuse and recycling initiatives. Move away from paper-based systems where practical and possible. Recycle printer cartridges, e-waste etc.,” she says.
“By encouraging waste separation at source in the workplace, they will do their bit towards sensitising people to do the same at home.
“Business can also consider partnering with municipalities in waste awareness campaigns, i.e. what are recyclables? Where can it be dropped off? etc.,” adds Dr Oelofse.
We need to tread lightly on the planet.
Jewaskiewitz advises that we should go back to basics and educate our children properly.
“We need to get people excited about the many and varied career opportunities in waste management and make sure they know how serious a threat is posed by badly managed waste,” he says.
He encourages all those involved to band together, saying: “We at the IWMSA will be taking a much stronger position in the industry regarding waste management, and we urge all companies to follow our example.”
The waste industry currently finds itself facing a number of challenges, particularly with respect to the new Waste Act (Act 59 of 2008), which came into effect in mid-2009.
In terms of the Waste Act, a National Waste Management Strategy (NWMS) must be implemented within two years. The preparation of the NWMS is far advanced and should be finalised by the end of 2010. This will have serious consequences for the industry in terms of compliance requirements and heavy penalties that can be imposed.
This raises the question of whether the industry, including local government, has the necessary capacity to implement the proposed NWMS.
In addition to the challenges posed by the Waste Act, further challenges exist in terms of the lack of service delivery in many of our municipalities relating to waste collection and disposal.
Government intervention is urgently required to remedy the situation if the objectives of the Waste Act and NWMS are to be achieved.
This serious situation has also been recognised by the South African Local Government Association which, together with the IWMSA, is planning a programme of training courses to assist municipalities with the development of the necessary capacity to implement and manage the new NWMS and provide the necessary service delivery with respect to waste management.
The Institute of Waste Management of Southern Africa
www.iwmsa.co.za
