It adopts the internationally recognised waste management hierarchy, which considers disposal of waste as the last resort and encourages a reduction of waste entering the system. Consequently there are no incentives for reducing waste and industries are not required to submit plans for waste management when commencing a new business. Mix of welldeveloped and poorlydeveloped areas population influx has created many informal and congested pedestrianonly settlements in open spaces and on the peripheries of towns and cities. Institutional challenges to municipal waste management service. In south africa, 10 million tonnes of food go to waste every year. Future directions of municipal solid waste management in africa. Challenges and opportunities associated with waste. A rapid increase in municipal waste volumes is a problem in urban areas resulting in. There are, however, solutions to south africas waste management problems. Comparison of solid waste management practices by income level 5 2.
Solid waste management is a challenge for the cities authorities in developing countries mainly due to the increasing generation of waste, the burden posed on the municipal budget as a result of the high costs associated to its management, the lack of understanding over a diversity of factors that affect the different stages of waste management and linkages necessary to enable the entire. There are, however, solutions to south africa s waste management problems. Solid waste management swm is a major problem for many urban local bodies ulbs in india, where urbanization, industrialization and economic growth have resulted in increased municipal solid waste msw generation per person. Mar 22, 2017 core to the vision for waste management in india is the use of wastes as resources with increased value extraction, recycling, recovery and reuse. What is the solution to south africas waste management. Education and training in the realm of effective and efficient waste management is also a key focus for us. Solid waste management challenges for cities in developing. Linda godfrey is the principal scientist and manager of south africas waste research, development and innovation roadmap implementation unit, which aims to improve the reduce the amount of waste the country generates while also creating new opportunities from the reuse, recycling and recovery of rubbish. Waste generation projections for 2025 by region 10 5. The high decomposable biowaste contents and the optimal moisture content for aerobic decomposition of the solid waste make it suitable for composting chakrabatrti et al.
Waste generation estimates on how much waste is generated in africa are based on urban areas, as there is. Despite the role that the informal sector contributes to waste management and socioeconomic development, as well as environmental sustainability, the urban development and planning policy in south africa has not embraced and integrated informal systems of municipal waste management in its policy framework. In line with the above, south africa is not an exception in terms of ineffectiveand inefficient municipal solid waste management. Reducing food waste could be a fundamental strategy to improving food security. This book chapter highlights the drivers and state of swm in rsa and suggests.
Thus, the priority of a waste management system 9 must always be the provision of a. What is the solution to south africas waste management problems. A blueprint for waste management in africa horizon 2020. Waste management department of environmental affairs. Provided the current economic drivers continue, recycling will be more costeffective than disposal. According to media reports south africa is facing an enormous challenge in the form of an excessively high rate of unemployment, which is stated to be currently above 25%. Solid waste management swm is a challenge in developing countries such as the republic of south africa rsa. Ogola and others published management of municipal. Only 10% of waste recycled in south africa statistics south. South africas waste management challenges include a growing population and economy, increasingly complex waste streams and a limited understanding of waste flows. In addition, the european federation of public service unions recently published a report on waste management in. Acpec joint parliamentary assembly 1214 february 2014. Southern african development community waste management.
This is according to united kingdom based waste specialist, sarah edwards, from rws environmental consultancy. Waste management facilities will have to be licensed and must appoint waste management officers responsible for abiding by legislation. As the institute of waste management of southern africa iwmsa, we have also witnessed a serious decline in the standard of landfill operation and management throughout south africa, particularly at municipal level, which in turn creates a domino effect and contributes to the dwindling capacity and eventual closure of these facilities. The municipalities in south africa were mandated by the constitution of the country to provide a number of basic services including solid waste management to their citizens. Effluent discharge investigations are among the methods used by many researchers and institutions as a tool to supervise the quality of water for the management of pointsource. Currently the focus in south africa has been on waste disposal rather than on waste prevention.
Current waste generation per capita by income level 10 6. The department environmental affairs dea, national waste management strategy nwms 2011. The staggering numbers behind south africas food waste. Some pointers for south africa 9 labour, lower energy inputs required, the demand for materials in manufacturing, and policies that push recycling so that economies of scale can be reached. South africa realized the impact of waste on the environment and a policy. Challenges in determining the correct waste disposal solutions for. Waste management is emerging as a key sector for sustainable development in south africa with opportunities for enhancing investments in carbon credits that target reduction of methane from landfills and moveable assets in relation to environmentally sound equipment required for effective waste management. The truth about our food waste problem wwf south africa. Cooperatives in south africa face numerous challenges including the.
This has provided the authorities responsible for waste management in south africa with new challenges. The latter is unable to provide a service proportional to the needs, due to institutional. Waste management licenses and registration on the national south african waste information system and provincial waste information systems where applicable are required. Until recently, the focus in south africa for example. Africa institute of south africa, aisa, pretoria, south africa. Aktsoglou department of production engineering and management, school of engineering, democritus university of thrace, 67100, xanthi, greece. South africas good waste management practises lessons learned abstract the current poor state of waste service delivery by south african municipalities is a concern due to the potential impacts on human health and the environment. All municipalities are faced with similar challenges including lack of funding, low priority. Check for details with your local municipality, recycling companies and the frequently asked questions section of the iwmsa website. There are many challenges in the waste management sector that are holding south africa back from a cleaner and greener future. Poor waste management is increasingly becoming a big problem in many cities in subsahara africa and kyazanga is no exception. An investigation into solid waste management in townships.
The detailed report on the management of solid waste in south africa examines current conditions and developments as well as factors that influence the success of the sector. Mohee is the professor and research chair in solid waste management at the university of mauritius, mauritius. South africa can take advance of its close economic ties with these nations and learn from them to advance is green job agenda. Only 10% of waste recycled in south africa statistics. Tariff strategy 1 south african waste information centre. As a result of globalization, the quantity and generation rate of solid waste in africa have increased tremendously and this calls for the need to salvage the situation before it gets out of hand. There are currently many challenges in the waste management sector that are holding south africa back from a cleaner and greener future. However, this focus has faced a number of challenges and these include. Challenges and opportunities associated with waste management.
Ewaste is one of the fastest growing pollution problems globally but particularly in africa, given the presence of a variety of toxic substances which can contaminate the environment and threaten human health because of the primitive way of recycling and poorly managed disposal protocols. An evaluation of the municipal solid waste management system. Waste management in south africa is regulated by various legislation and different. The waste act 2008 provides a holistic approach to regulating waste management in south africa. Waste management in these countries is a major challenge for the years ahead. The policy and regulatory environment does not promote waste hierarchy. This is typical of waste management in developing countries, where disposal of waste, often to uncontrolled dumpsites, dominates 10. Did you know that 90% of an estimated 59 million tonnes of general waste produced in south africa in 2011 ended up in landfills, while only 10% was recycled. An evaluation of the municipal solid waste management.
Waste act nemwa, 2008 is a subsidiary act of the nema, which regulates the management of all waste within south africa as well as defines the different roles and responsibilities of the different spheres of government while implementing this mandate. For the waste sector in south africa this means care must be given to raw material use, product design, resource efficiency, waste prevention. The municipalities in south africa were mandated by the. The changing landscape in south africa and the drive towards creating a sustainable environment is progressing but not without its own set of challenges. An analysis of municipal solid waste management in south. Challenges in determining the correct waste disposal. Solid waste management challenges in urban areas of ghana. Solid waste management in african cities east africa 7 from such urban wastes to vary between 0. This report represents the second in a series of reports on municipal solid waste management in latin america1, africa and asiapacific.
Why food waste is a problem in south africa, 10 million tonnes of food go to waste every year. South africa s commitment to sustainable development. Sustainable waste management challenges in the south. For africa, all these problems are going to increase rapidly, as the amount of municipal solid. For the waste sector in south africa this means care must be given to raw material use, product design, resource efficiency, waste prevention, and minimization where avoidance is impossible. Availability of abattoir waste disposal data lacking due to poor record keeping nema. Government has made a global commitment to halve food waste by 2030. Co operatives in south africa face numerous challenges including the. Of this, fruits, vegetables and cereals account for 70% of the wastage and loss primarily throughout the food supply chain from farm to fork. There are multiple factors plaguing south africas waste management system at the moment, especially with environmentalists halting the traditional waste processing measures within the country. Ulbs need to be responsible for waste management, with the ulb commissioner and chairman directly responsible for performance of waste management systems. Dea municipal solid waste tariff strategy 3 solid waste disposal.
The initiative stems from south africas waste act, 59 of 2008 and related waste management strategy standards for waste collection. Today this is still the very core of the organisation. The waste management hierarchy consists of options for waste management during the lifecycle of waste, arranged in descending order of priority. Municipal solid waste msw management is a major environmental problems in growing city townships of south africa. In particular, for african countries, several authors 55,56 demonstrate how waste management in africa is a growing environmental and health problem, given the increase in waste generation and the inadequate msw management mswm systems.
The south african waste and recycling sector can be defined in terms of. To effectively manage waste, publicprivate partnership should be encouraged to jointly address waste management problems. The increasing practices of littering, dumping and burning of solid waste by households and industries though not extensively dealt with in this study in south africa has led to the finding that municipal solid waste is being irresponsibly managed. South africa, with an estimated 90% of all waste generated in south africa disposed of to land. Municipal solid waste management systems mswms comprise of waste generation, segregation at the point of generation, collection, transportation and disposal at the landfill. Waste management in urban centres of east africa has for a long time been centralised liyala 2011, with the useof imported refuse truck rotich et al. The blueprint includes recommendations on training, waste reduction, collection, sorting, recovery, reuse and recycling of. City of johannesburg integrated waste management plan 2011. Moreover, the current and the future production of e waste, the potential environmental problems associated with their disposal and management practices are discussed whereas the existing e waste management schemes in greece and other countries japan, switzerland are also quoted. When the iwmsa was established over 30 years ago, it was the vision of the founders to provide south africa with a clean and healthy environment. The objects of the waste act are structured around the steps in the waste management hierarchy, which is the overall approach that informs waste management in south africa.
Environmental health challenges that impact on waste management. Uganda like many countries in the world suffers from poor waste management. Thats a third the 31 million tonnes produced annually in south africa. Municipal solid waste management services in africa. Municipal solid waste management constitutes one of the most crucial health and environmental problems facing our three levels of government. To help, the eufunded iwwa project has provided a blueprint of the practical steps countries and regions in western africa could take to design and implement integrated waste management systems for local communities. Waste management is a challenge in most municipalities in south africa. There are multiple factors plaguing south africa s waste management system at the moment, especially with environmentalists halting the traditional waste processing measures within the country. In the past, the waste management sector was dominated by private sector with selective.
Waste act was promulgated with very little, consultation with abattoir sector, and little knowledge of the extent of abattoir waste production in south africa, and with no alternative solutions being offered to the industry. Acpec joint parliamentary assembly 1214 february 2014, mauritius note on urbanisation challenges, waste management, and development background subsaharan africa today is in the midst of a dramatic urban transition that will persist well into the. Reflecting on waste management strategies for south africa iaeng. Solid waste management in african cities east africa. School of accountancy, university of limpopo, sovenga 0727, south africa. Informal solid waste recycling is increasingly becoming evident and becoming part of the urban landscape. Only the manual waste collection process was used including carrying. Polokwane city in 2000 so as to address the problems of waste in the country. Of these, mismanagement and noncompliance are the most prevalent and damaging to the environment and society. Thus, the priority of a waste management system 9 must always be the provision of a cleansing service which helps to maintain the. A number of environmental and human health concerns. Effective swm is a major challenge in cities with high population density. Municipal solid waste management mswm system in east africa has changed from the colonial days in the 40s, 50s and. Linda godfrey is the principal scientist and manager of south africas waste research, development and innovation roadmap implementation unit, which aims to improve the reduce the amount of waste the country generates while also creating new opportunities from the.
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