ReSource August 2013 by 3S Media

The official journal of the Institute of Waste Management of Southern Africa

Promoting integrated resources management

Landfills Designing to the Draft National Standard

Solid Waste

Waste Act implementation unpacked

Oilkol discusses a captive population

Marine Debris Summit

Collective action critical

ISSN IISS SS SSN 1 1680-4902 68 80-4 8080 0-49 0 902 90 02 0 2 R40 R R40.00 .0 .00 00 (inc (in (incl in ncl VA V VAT) AT) T • V Vol ol 1 15, 5, N 5, No o 3, 3 Au Aug A August ug gust ust 20 us 2013 2 013 13 3

Air Pollution A select few or a social cost?

Expert Opinion “Ensuring quality is managed from design through construction to reduce long-term environmental risk is imperative.” Jonathan Shamrock, Jones & Wagener

is printed on 100% recycled paper

Institute of Waste Management of Southern Africa

contents

Solid Waste

Cover strap

www.3smedia.co.za ISSN 1680-4902, Volume 15, Number 3, August 2013 The ofſcial journal of the Institute of Waste Management of Southern Africa Institute of Waste Management of Southern Africa

Promoting integrated resources management

The RéSource team stands firmly behind environmental preservation. As such, RéSource magazine is printed on 100% recycled paper and uses no dyes or varnishes. The magazine is saddlestitched to ensure that no glues are required in the binding process.

Landfills Designing to the Draft National Standard

Solid Waste

Waste Act implementation unpacked

Oilkol discusses a captive population

Marine Debris Summit

Collective action critical

ISSN IISS SSN 1 SS 1680-4902 68 80-4 8080 0-49 0 902 90 02 0 2 R40 R R40.00 .0 .00 00 (inc (in (incl in ncl VA V VAT) AT) T • V Vol ol 1 15, 5, N 5, No o 3, 3 Au Aug A August ug gust ust 20 us 2013 2 013 13 3

Air Pollution A select few or a social cost?

Cover Story

Expert Opinion “Ensuring quality is managed from design through construction to reduce long-term environmental risk is imperative.” Jonathan Shamrock, Jones & Wagener

Oilkol

is printed on 100% recycled paper

Canaries to crows

RéSource offers advertisers an ideal platform to ensure maximum exposure of their brand. Companies are afforded the opportunity of publishing a cover story and a cover picture to promote their products and services to an appropriate audience. Please call Christine Pretorius on +27 (0)11 465 6273 to secure your booking. The article does not represent the views of the Institute of Waste Management of Southern Africa, or those of the publisher.

Regulars

Recycling

President’s comment

Carton recycling climbs to 11%

Editor’s comment

Trekking for Trash duo reach

IWMSA News

Hot seat 8

Landfills: Setting the standard

Solid waste 10

Business unusual

finish line

Cash for Cans provides a livelihood

Investigating agronomy

22 39

Landfills

Air Pollution

Air pollution Carbon tax: A social cost?

New air quality standards imminent

Johannesburg: New waste management vision announced

Cape Town: Kraaifontein delivers

Marine Debris Summit: Collective action critical

Youth programme launched

Technology vs environment

Gauteng's first Class B liner landfill

CDM: Keeping it clean

Waste to energy

Hazardous waste Is e-waste valuable or hazardous?

infrastructure4

Hazardous Waste

A realistic perspective of energy optimisation considerations: Part IIl

Plant & equipment Gas detection simplified

Pilot Crushtec's dynamic expansion

in association with infrastructure news

Wastewater

Landfills

Unlocking conversion potential

Medical waste

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www.infrastructurene.ws

RéSource August 2013 – 1

KINGJAMES 24116

When you dump used motor oil into drains, or dispose of it unsafely, you’re not only threatening the environment, you’re threatening your well-being too. Used oil is a hazardous waste that can contaminate drinking water. Always use ROSE approved collectors and recyclers to dispose of your used oil. For more information call the ROSE Foundation on 021 448 7492. Email: usedoil@iafrica.com or visit: www.rosefoundation.org.za

RECYCLING OIL SAVES THE ENVIRONMENT

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President’s comment

Times of change It is often said that the only certainty in life is change. This is certainly the case in waste management in South Africa with a plethora of new regulations, standards and requirements being developed and introduced as part of the implementation of the Waste Act.

he month of June was also a time of change in the IWMSA with the resignation of Deidré Nxumalo-Freeman as president and the closure of the Health Care Waste Forum. The change in presidency a year earlier than expected has resulted in a longer term of office for me as president and the new vice president elected. You have my commitment that I will serve the IWMSA to the best of my ability during this extended term. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Deidré for her hard work during the time of her presidency and for establishing a relationship with the Department of Environmental Affairs on which the IWMSA can build going forward. I strongly believe that a strong relationship between government and the waste industry is imperative for addressing the challenges faced by the waste industr y and improving waste management. Congratulations also to Jan Palm on being elected vice president of the IWMSA. I am looking forward to working with you, serving our members and making a positive contribution to the waste industry in general. To the members of the now closed Health Care Waste Forum, I want to assure you that you remain valued members of the IWMSA. We will include topics relating to health care risk waste in our events, including at WasteCon 2014, as and when there is need. The African Medical Waste Association (AMWA) is acknowledged by the IWMSA as an organisation focusing on medical waste

management and, as such, their application for organisation membership has been approved. The IWMSA will support the activities of AMWA in a similar way as we support events and activities of our other organisation members. The training courses offered by the IWMSA are now really gaining momentum under the leadership of Gail Smit and the training committee. We get regular requests for accredited and non-accredited courses from numerous municipalities and now even from our neighbouring countries. It is encouraging to see that we as the IWMSA are expanding our impact through training into SADC. We would like to grow and expand our training offerings and therefore need more accredited facilitators and assessors. If you are interested, please contact the IWMSA head office. There are a few interesting upcoming events that I would encourage you to support. These are Landfill 2013 from 16 to 17 October in Muldersdrift, organised by the Landfill Interest group; the Eastern Cape Conference on 10 September in Port Elizabeth, organised by the Eastern Cape branch. I trust that IWMSA will go from strength to strength and that together we will make a positive impact on waste management in South Africa.

It is encouraging to see that we as the IWMSA are expanding our impact through training into SADC.”

Best regards, Suzan Oelofse, IWMSA president

Patron members of the IWMSA

RéSource August 2013 – 3

Editor’s comment Publisher: Elizabeth Shorten Editor-in-chief: Nicholas McDiarmid Editor: Chantelle van Schalkwyk Tel: +27 (0)11 233 2600 Head of design: Frédérick Danton Senior designer: Hayley Mendelow Designer: Kirsty Galloway Chief sub-editor: Claire Nozaïc Sub-editor: Patience Gumbo Production manager: Antois-Leigh Botma Production coordinator: Jacqueline Modise Financial manager: Andrew Lobban Marketing & events coordinator: Neo Sithole Distribution manager: Nomsa Masina Distribution coordinator: Asha Pursotham Administrator: Tonya Hebenton Printers: United Litho Johannesburg Tel: +27 (0)11 402 0571 Advertising sales: Christine Pretorius Tel: +27 (0)11 465 8255 christine.pretorius@lantic.net

Publisher: MEDIA No.4, 5th Avenue Rivonia, 2191 PO Box 92026, Norwood 2117 Tel: +27 (0)11 233 2600 Share Call: 086 003 3300 Fax: +27 (0)11 234 7274/5 www.3smedia.co.za Annual subscription: subs@3smedia.co.za R195.00 (incl VAT) South Africa ISSN 1680-4902 The Institute of Waste Management of Southern Africa Tel: +27 (0)11 675 3462 E-mail: iwmsa@telkomsa.net All material herein RéSource is copyright-protected and may not be reproduced either in whole or in part without the prior written permission of the publisher. The views and opinions expressed in the magazine do not necessarily reflect those of the publisher or editor, but those of the author or other contributors under whose name contributions may appear, unless a contributor expresses a viewpoint or opinion in his or her capacity as an elected office bearer of a company, group or association. © Copyright 2013. All rights reserved.

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Let’s dance

here is one thing – besides death and taxes – that is a certainty in life and that is: change is inevitable. With this edition of RéSource, the waves of change seem to have been constant, with a number of major announcements, projects and priorities having come to the fore between the last edition and this one. On a positive note, change with regards to the design and construction of landfills is finally being rolled out – as is evidenced in the hot seat where we focus on Jones & Wagener’s role in the design and construction of the first commercial hazardous waste cell adhering to the new Class A standards contained in the Draft National Standard for Disposal of Waste to Landfill (page 8). Although this is in line with Draft National Standards that still need to be promulgated, these standards have already been accepted to some extent by the industry at large and are therefore being rolled out in a number of projects. This edition also showcases the first Class B liner landfill in South Africa according to the Draft National Standards: Inter waste’s FG Landfill Site in Olifantsfontein (page 22).

A further highlight is the new waste management vision for the City of Johannesburg that the Mayor of Johannesburg, Councillor Parks Tau, rolled out at the recent Johannesburg Waste Summit 2013, which is featured on page 12. In the IWMSA, change has also been evident with Suzan Oelofse being announced as the new president and Jan Palm as vice president. As the RéSource team, we welcome both to their new roles and look forward to collaborating with them in the future. Already, Suzan has unpacked the changes to be wrought in local business practice with regards to waste management as a result of the Waste Act (2008) for our readers on page 10 in “Business unusual”. British-born philosopher and writer, Alan Watts, once said: “The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it and join the dance.” So I say, as change continues to be a certainty between this edition and the next, let’s dance!

The waves of change seem to have been constant, with a number of major announcements, projects and priorities having come to the fore

Chantelle van Schalkwyk

RéSource August 2013 – 5

Cover story

Canaries Canaries to Crows to Crows

Kaliningrad based research ship Academic Joffe in Antarctica.

Are we missing something?

here I live we used to have many Indian Mynah birds. These birds seemed to be territorial and they protected their areas. They also seemed to breed at an incredible rate and there were always lots of them. From what I have been told they were highly intelligent birds, as I am led to believe that they could be taught to imitate human speech. They are noisy birds and some humans considered them quite a nuisance – a problem species one could say – and many people were not happy to have them around and were trying to find ways of getting rid of the problem. I seem to remember conversations where it was said that one should not allow them to nest on your property, if you were so fortunate as to have a property. One of the reasons for this attitude was that, being territorial, the Mynahs would displace other birds from where they live. Even our cats were “dived bombed” by the Mynahs. I remember from my days at school the histor y of the mines and the fact that another bird, the Canar y, was kept underground in cages. This was done to warn the miners of undetectable deadly gas. Unfor tunately for you if you happened to be a Canar y, as the bird star ted going wild when it detected the gas and warned the miners. I say unfor tunate because if the miners did not pay attention the Canar y died, along with the miners of course. But the difference is that the Canar y was in captivity. The Canaries were used to indicate danger. A friend of mine had a pet Crow and, for me, it was a strange bird as the Crow does not occur naturally where I live. My friend's was the only place I ever saw a Crow. Well

6 – RéSource August 2013

lately I have noticed flocks of Crows in our area and this is rather strange. It is strange, as the Crow is a scavenger and I live in Johannesburg and have done so for the past 50 years. What, may one wonder, is the relevance of all this about the birds? Well, where we used to have many, we do not have any Mynah birds left anymore. Nobody killed them that I am aware of. They just packed up and moved on. One has to wonder why this happened. Is it that they detected changes in the climate that did not appeal to them? Or is it something else? Could it be that our air has just become too polluted for them to live and thrive in.

Whatever the reason, they were luckier than the Canaries. As for the Crows, could their presence have something to do with the increase of rats in the area that I live? Could it be that we have dead rats and other garbage around our area that attracts the Crows?

Whatever the case may be it does seem that, like the Canaries of old, the birds might be tr ying to tell us something and because they are not captive like the Canaries they just make a statement with their presence – or lack thereof. I suspect that what they are tr ying to tell us, is that our environment is changing and that we have to pay attention, or pay the consequences. The answer might lie in the way that we are abusing our resources and creating a huge rubbish dump on our planet. Simply moving the waste to dumps and other landfill sites can no longer be good enough. We have become resource consumers and creators of waste. If the Mynahs were captive like the Canaries, they might have died in their cages and we might have taken notice. What is also true is that we as humans are captive on our planet and when the environment becomes toxic, we are in a Canar y position. At Oilkol we have decided to adopt a policy of zero tolerance towards waste and the pollution that goes hand in hand with it. We all have a responsibility to manage the waste that we create to a state of zero pollution.

Cover story

Let's heed the indicators! Like birds of a feather, let's flock together. Join the Institute of Waste Management and manage the waste in South Africa effectively.

rW al t

O IL K O L

Oilkol has therefore implemented measures to insure that we do not pollute the air, the water or land from which we operate. Oilkol specialises in Hydrocarbon and Automotive related waste. Our strategy is one of life cycle management, where we are tr ying to ensure that the maximum usage is attained from any product that we collect and that nothing goes to waste or causes pollution. The principle is simple – what you don't measure, you cannot manage. As an example: When you have effluent water on your premises, clean it to drinking water specification before releasing it into the environment. If ever y company adopts this policy then it will relieve a lot of pressure on the environment. The pressure however will never fully disappear as we, as a species, are constantly increasing in numbers and this farm we call Ear th is already past its maximum carr ying capacity. It therefore goes without saying that we need to rethink the way in which we deal with the resources of our planet.

The Oilkol Environmental Seal of Approval® is also an Indicator. Frogs do not live in polluted environments. Therefore, where you see the seal displayed, it indicates an enterprise that is serious about the environment. When we, as a species, star ted exploiting the planet in the name of progress, we were so focussed on sur vival and growth that we did not pay attention to the damage we were causing. I guess, when in sur vival mode, one tends to do that and it might be understandable and even forgiven. The sad par t is that because of the amount of people living on the planet now and the fact that economic growth is hovering on collapse we, as a species, are continuing the uncaring exploitation of the planet.

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RéSource August 2013 – 7

Hot seat

LANDFILLS

Setting the standard

The construction of Cell 9 at the Holfontein H:H Disposal Site is the first commercial hazardous waste cell to be designed and constructed to the new Class A standards contained in the Draft National Standard for Disposal of Waste to Landfill, Jones & Wagener’s Jonathan Shamrock tells Chantelle van Schalkwyk.

outh Africa has seen the publication of numerous pieces of legislation and new regulations pertaining to the environmental engineering and management fields over the past few years. These new regulations are generally more stringent than the legislation they replace,” says Shamrock. He adds that an example is the new landfill barrier design standards. The barrier design standards included in the Department of Water Affairs & Forestry’s Minimum Requirements for Waste Disposal by Landfill (Second Edition, 1998) will be replaced by those in the Draft National Standard for Disposal of Waste to Landfill issued for comment under the National Environmental

Management: Waste Act (59/2008) (General Notice 615 of 2012, Government Gazette No 35572 dated 10 August 2012), once finalised and promulgated. “For municipal landfill sites, there will be a significant increase in containment standards with the inclusion of a composite liner consisting of a geomembrane in contact with a low permeability compacted clay liner or geocomposite clay liner. This is especially true for sites that had previously been classified as being in water deficit areas. Hazardous waste landfills now require an additional secondary composite liner similar to the minimum requirements lagoon standards.” Shamrock adds that the inclusion of composite liners in barriers undoubtedly increases the environmental containment standards of these facilities; however, it also introduces potential inter” face failure planes, Jonathan Shamrock, Jones especially when & Wagener applied to slopes,

I am very excited to be bringing one of the major contributors to geosynthetics research in the world to South Africa.

8 – RéSource August 2013

and it increases the complexity, time and cost of construction. “Proper planning during the design phase, including site-specific interface friction testing on the actual geosynthetics to be used with the actual site soil, is vital. There is currently very limited capacity to undertake this test work locally, resulting in the majority of the test work being conducted overseas, adding additional time and cost.” According to Shamrock, multiple composite barrier installation also highlights the importance of full-time quality assurance and quality control during construction. In fact, the need for construction quality assurance will be written into, and be a requirement of, the standard. “The contractor interfaces between the earthworks contractor and the specialist geomembrane installer determine the eventual success of a project, and ensuring quality is managed from design through construction to reduce long-term environmental risk is imperative,” says Shamrock.

Class A achievement Shamrock says the team at Jones & Wagener is currently nearing completion of the construction of the latest landfill cell, Cell 9, at

Hot seat

the Holfontein H:H Disposal Site (Holfontein) in Gauteng owned by EnviroServ Waste Management. The cell is the first commercial hazardous waste cell to be designed and constructed to the new Class A standards contained in the Draft National Standard for Disposal of Waste to Landfill and is five hectares in area. The cell is being constructed by Fountain Civil Engineering and the geomembrane liners are being installed by Engineered Linings. “As much as the addition of a composite liner in the secondary system offers improved environmental protection, it yields some complications in the design and construction of such liners,” warns Shamrock, adding that issues that had to be overcome included ensuring stability of the barrier package using textured geomembrane liners; providing an effective seal to the gravity drainage systems, which had to penetrate the barriers; and ensuring a practical arrangement of anchoring trenches for the multiple geosynthetic elements used in the design. However, these challenges were taken in stride by the team at Jones & Wagener, which was uniquely suited to the project because of its over-25 years of experience with barrier design in its Waste and Tailings Division, says Shamrock. “We also have a strong geotechnical basis for materials selection, application and analysis in our Geotechnical Division. Due to the nature and scope of the changes in environmental legislation, we have recognised the importance of having dedicated specialist teams in our Environmental Sciences and Environmental Engineering divisions that are tasked with keeping abreast of the changes and then passing this information on to our clients and to our designers to ensure they are incorporated into our designs.” Additionally, the team has also seen the benefits of a multidisciplinary approach to design, says Shamrock, and therefore ensures that constant feedback of monitored performance from its Environmental Sciences Division, which undertakes water quality monitoring, is incorporated into future designs.

Prioritising rehabilitation “Jones & Wagener is focusing on undertaking more rehabilitation work, especially projects using geosynthetics in rehabilitation,” continues Shamrock. He adds that based on a regulator and industry workshop conducted at the end of

2011, revised standards for the capping of waste facilities are also expected. “The new standards will undoubtedly contain geosynthetic elements. Again, the containment barrier philosophy will have to be applied with particular emphasis on interface friction design and the drainage of pressures below and on top of the geosynthetic elements in the cap to mitigate the risk of veneer failures.” Shamrock says the team at Jones & Wagener is also excited about the opportunity to work on general and hazardous waste disposal facilities in other African countries and apply the knowledge and skills they have learned in South Africa to these projects, which often have unique countryspecific challenges.

Staying focused “Keeping abreast of the latest developments, especially in the field of geosynthetics, is obviously one of our key focus areas,” he says. Jones & Wagener has a significant involvement in the Geosynthetics Interest Group of South Africa (GIGSA), including the immediate past president and the current president, who are employees of Jones & Wagener. “This ensures we are at the forefront of international best practice standards.” According to Shamrock, the next big challenge is applying what the team has learned in barrier design and construction on landfills to waste streams that now need suitable environmental containment as a result of their contaminating potential and in keeping with new legislation, such as ash disposal facilities and mine residue deposits. “Jones & Wagener has a sound knowledge of these waste streams as well as the operational methods used in their deposition through our involvement in these fields in the past, the new facet being the interaction of these facilities with geosynthetic materials, especially composite barriers.” Shamrock adds that in order to highlight the current state of the art and explore these potential challenges, the Landfill 2013 conference is being organised for later this year. The conference theme is ‘Effective

environmental protection from the residues of modern civilisation’ and it is being cohosted by the Landfill Interest Group of the IWMSA’s Central Branch and GIGSA on 16 and 17 October 2013 at the Misty Hills Conference Centre in Muldersdrift, Johannesburg. The conference will be followed by a one-day short course on geosynthetic barriers presented on 18 October by Dr George Koerner of the Geosynthetic Institute in Folsom, Pennsylvania, in the US. Dr Koerner will also present the keynote address on the first day of the conference, titled ‘Geosynthetics in Containment: Past, Present and Future’. “As vice chairman of the IWMSA Central Branch and chairman of the Landfill 2013 organising committee, I am very excited to be bringing one of the major contributors to geosynthetics research in the world to South Africa. I would like to encourage all IWMSA and GIGSA members to attend this event,” concludes Shamrock.

TOP TO BOTTOM RIGHT Construction of Cell 9 at the Holfontein H:H landfill site

RéSource August 2013 – 9

Solid waste

WASTE ACT IMPLEMENTATION

Business unusual By Suzan Oelofse

The preamble to the Waste Act (2008) is very clear that, as a result of this legislation, waste management in South Africa will never be the same again. This should send a clear message that ‘business as usual’ will no longer be sufficient.

he implementation of the Waste Act requires everyone involved in the value chain of goods – from manufacturing through to disposal of waste – to plan, think and act differently; thus, business unusual. A paradigm shift from end-of-pipe waste management towards waste avoidance, reuse and recycling in South Africa was first put forward in the White Paper on Integrated Pollution and Waste Management (IP&WM) (2000), and the first National Waste Management Strategy (1999). The Waste Act finally provides the legal basis to ensure its implementation. This alignment of South African waste management with international trends will therefore require a close look at the entire value chain of goods and services. The Waste Act imposes a general duty on every person or business to manage waste in a responsible way so as to reduce the amount of waste that is generated and to ensure that waste is managed in an environmentally sound manner by following the waste hierarchy. This should not be news to anyone operating a business in the global market. Many large businesses, especially organisations with ISO 14000 certification or with

international parent companies, already implement the basics of the waste hierarchy, but this is just the start of implementing the Act. So, what does ‘business unusual’ mean in the context of the new legislation? The Act provides for standards to be set at all stages in the waste management chain. The National Domestic Waste Collection Standards already prescribe quality standards for services and equipment. For example, receptacles for storage of waste must be rigid and durable to prevent spillage and leaking; it must be intact and not corroded or worn out; and it must be covered to prevent wind-blown litter. Collection vehicles must be appropriate for the task and terrain, and must be covered to prevent

the Act will thus have cost implications while ensuring that the standards are met at all times. Businesses and industry that outsource waste management to waste service providers have an obligation in terms of the general duty imposed by the Act to ensure that the appointed contractor will be able to provide the contracted service within the ambit of the relevant standards. Previously, only waste disposal and treatment facilities required waste licences. This situation has significantly changed with the implementation of the Waste Act (Chapter 5). All waste management activities that have or are likely to have a detrimental effect on the environment now require waste management licences. A list of these activities have been published and include storage of waste, reuse, recycling and recovery of waste, treatment and disposal of waste as well as the construction, expansion or decommissioning of facilities and associated infrastructure relating to waste management. Businesses that engage in waste management activities that previously operated without waste management licences may now require such a licence or licences to operate legally.

The Act provides for standards to be set at all stages in the waste management chain

10 – RéSource August 2013

littering during transportation. Therefore compliance to these standards will require regular checks and replacement of noncompliant receptacles and phasing out of non-compatible vehicles. Strict enforcement of these and other standards set under

Solid waste

Extended producer responsibility is an important waste management measure that is introduced by the Act (Chapter 4, Part 3) to minimise waste and increase recycling while protecting our natural resources. This provision places responsibility for the management of consumer goods at the end of their useful life, at the door of the producer. The aim is to encourage producers to rethink the input material used in manufacturing with the aim of reducing the consumption of natural resources while increasing the recyclability of the product. To achieve this goal, manufacturing has two options: substituting the use of natural resources with recycled materials when manufacturing consumer goods, or redesigning goods to use fewer natural resources. The implementation of Section 59 of the Consumer Protection Act, 2008, provides a form of extended producer responsibility. It requires that suppliers of ‘particular goods’ have to accept the return of such goods and certain wastes that cannot be disposed of into common waste collection systems. The supplier is required to accept goods or waste irrespective of whether that particular supplier sold the goods to the consumer in the first place. The suppliers then have the option to return the waste to the importers, producers or distributors of the goods or incurring the costs of disposing the waste themselves. This may result in suppliers of consumer goods having to store waste and engage in other listed waste management activities that may require a waste management licence. In addition, a supplier will not be allowed to charge consumers for this service, resulting in a cost

burden to the supplier to deal with the waste thus collected. Industr y waste management plans (IndWMPs) is another new addition to waste regulation in South Africa. The Waste Act (Chapter 4, Part 7) provides for voluntary and compulsory IndWMPs to be developed. Approval of an IndWMP has potentially far reaching consequences for the industry and consumers. Such plans will dictate how the waste streams from a specific industry or sector will be managed, including targets for waste minimisation and methods for monitoring and reporting. The minister or MEC may specify the extent of any financial contribution to be made to support consumer-based waste reduction programmes. Both industry players and consumers will be involved in the implementation of these plans. Industry will have to provide the means and systems for the collection and management of the waste stream and consumers will be required to take certain waste streams to specified collection points. It is likely that the collection points will be located at suppliers and producers. The successful implementation of an IndWMP will rely heavily on consumer awareness and participation. It is likely that the costs for implementing these plans will be recovered through levies charged on new products.

ACTIONS REQUIRED Manufacturers need to: • think of product design to support post-life recycling and minimise waste generation during manufacturing • understand their waste streams for reporting and management purposes • be aware of new developments including: • approvals of IndWMPs • declarations of priority waste streams • extended producer responsibility measures relating to specified products. Suppliers need to: • prepare for acceptance of end-of-life consumer goods that cannot be disposed of into a common waste collection system • manage the waste consumer goods in an environmentally friendly and cost-effective way in line with the relevant approved IndWMPs • apply for waste management licences if applicable. Waste management companies need to: • keep up with changing regulations and standards to ensure compliance • apply for relevant waste management licences • include the waste hierarchy in their service offerings • align their waste management offerings with the objectives of the National Waste Management Strategy • report data and information into the waste information system.

The administration around implementation of IndWMPs is bound to be cumbersome and costly. The minister also has the power to declare priority waste streams under the Act (Chapter 4, Part 1) for which management measures and handling requirements may be set. It is likely that such a declaration will impose requirements for additional capacity, infrastructure and costs, and for the safe management of priority waste streams. The Act (Chapter 6) also introduced a data reporting requirement, supported by the South African Waste Information System (SAWIS). It is envisaged that waste generators, transporters, recyclers, treatment facilities, disposal facilities and exporters will eventually submit data into the SAWIS, but reporting will be phased in over time. The Waste Information Regulations took effect on 1 January 2013 and everyone conducting activities listed in the regulations had to register on the SAWIS within 30 days. If you are not yet collecting data on the waste streams and quantities generated or handled by your business, it is certainly an opportune time to put systems in place to manage in-house waste data in a way that will streamline reporting into SAWIS. Suppliers of consumer goods that cannot be disposed of into common waste collection systems are encouraged to put systems in place to record data on the quantities of waste handled by them as a result of the Consumer Protection Act. Business unusual as it relates to waste management in line with the implementation of the Waste Act boils down to viewing and treating waste management as an important and integral part of any business and not just as an afterthought or something that waste management companies should deal with.

RéSource August 2013 – 11

Solid waste

JOHANNESBURG

New waste management vision announced A 20% reduction in waste to landfill by 2014 and 70% separation at source at household level in three years are two of the innovative targets announced by the executive mayor of Johannesburg, councillor Mpho Parks Tau, as part of a new waste management strategy for the city.

he strategy was launched at the Johannesburg Waste Summit 2013 at the Sandton Convention Centre. The aim of the summit was for delegates to explore all opportunities that flow from the implementation plan, with the hopes of soliciting wider support from and for the waste management sector. Some of the solutions to help South Africa deal with its social and environmental challenges may be a lot closer to us than we have appreciated, the summit heard. Johannesburg, like the rest of South Africa, faces the challenges of unemployment, poverty, inequality and an increasingly limited space to dispose of its waste. These challenges could, however, be successfully met by better managing the city’s waste.

Delivering the keynote address, Tau challenged the delegates representing various organisations in the recycling and renewable sector to find an appropriate word for what is presently called waste. He said this was necessary because of the increas-

This, however, would come with cost implications for Johannesburg citizens because the waste would have to be loaded on vehicles to be disposed of elsewhere.

Changing our waste consciousness “We need to think differently about waste,” said the president of IWMSA, Suzan Oelofse, speaking in her capacity as group leader: Waste for Development CSIR, Natural Resources and Environment Operating Unit Research. According to Oelofse, this change in the way we think about waste is needed if we are to meet certain key National Waste Management targets for 2016, such as the target of reducing recyclables diverted from landfill by 25%, as well as implementing waste (separation at source) in all the metropolitan municipalities and secondary cities, as well as the creation of 69 000 new jobs in the waste sector. She said there was a huge potential to recycle, but people needed to become aware, and although this awareness was critically needed, it also does not translate into action – or rather the practice of recycling. Currently, 73.1% of South African city dwellers do not care about recycling, with only 3.3% of the urban population recycling on a regular basis, according to a CSIR study titled Recycling Behaviour in South Africa, done in 2010. There are certain key drivers of social change that need to be in place in order for this awareness to be translated into action, namely motivation, ability and opportunity. “All three conditions must be met for people to change behaviour,” said Oelofse. She also shared lessons learnt from current or past awareness campaigns, like the fact that clean-up campaigns do not succeed in changing behaviour, or that incentives

Tau challenged the delegates to find an appropriate word for what is presently called waste

Councillor Mpho Parks Tau, executive mayor of Johannesburg

12 – RéSource August 2013

ing value that ‘waste’ was contributing to the economy. Delegates included representatives from community organisations, glass, plastic, paper, packaging and polystyrene industries. They compared best waste management practices from other parts of the world, including how the poorest citizens in some developing countries were using waste management to improve the standard of their lives while contributing to keep their cities clean. Drawing from experiences in Africa, Asia, South America and Europe, the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) representative, Cecilia Kinuthia-Njenga, shocked delegates by pointing out that 9.4 million tonnes of food – or a third of food produced in the world – ended up on landfill sites uneaten. The amount of food wasted and where it ended up struck a chord with the Johannesburg mayor. According to Tau, about a fourth of Johannesburg’s 4.4 million population went to bed hungry at least three times a year while food ended up on landfill sites. Responding to the startling numbers, Tau said Johannesburg was fast running out of landfill sites and might have to export its waste to neighbouring cities or provinces.

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Solid waste

ECO RANGERS LAUNCHED The Eco Rangers project was successfully launched at the Johannesburg Waste Summit 2013, as well as simultaneously at 200 earmarked schools within the City of Joburg municipality in peri-urban and urban areas, including township and town, targeting Grade 3 learners. The ultimate objective of the project is to fully integrate the Eco Rangers into the school’s programme. “Young people need opportunities to engage in meaningful activities, have a voice, take responsibility for their actions and actively participate in civic discourse. Pikitup drives development driven resilience for all and an important quality of life, at the same time promoting the importance of not littering and focusing on the value in recycling for South Africa’ economy,” said Pikitup’s executive director for Waste Minimisation Strategy & Programmes, Musa Jack. A Pikitup initiative, Eco Rangers was conceived as a platform to raise awareness and educate young children about environmental issues faced today, their impact and how they can be managed into the future. It developed characters based on and aligned with the National School Curriculum (NSC). The characters are named Litter-X (anti-littering message), Recylo (recycling message), Lynx (conservation message) and Sky (carbon footprint message). According to a statement released by Pikitup at the launch, positive youth development can be described as a philosophical practice that strives to enable programmes and or communities to engage youth in a manner that promotes positive and healthy transitions from adolescence to adulthood while enabling them to reach their full developmental potential. “So, to entrench understanding among young children that work needs to start now in order to secure our environment in years to come, we have established as an organisation that there is a necessity of galvanising a generation of environmentally conscious ambassadors who will be critical communicators of carrying the information relating to pollution and recycling as the voice of the youth,” said Jack. There are a total of 1 200 primary schools within the City of Johannesburg and the programme will continue to be tested on a small scale so that the feasibility of conducting a fully fledged programme aimed at only 200 pilot schools annually will have a positive outcome. As part of the edutainment, there will be roadshow visits to all schools, distribution of the teachers and leaner guides. As an incentive to the participating schools, there is also a competition element, which will encourage a healthy competition among the schools, learners and teachers. “Waste has become a resource and must be managed. Pikitup strives to continue to share information with the communities it operates in, using different platforms and providing access to a range of information advice, support and the work that we are currently doing and finding new and creative ways of turning trash into treasure,” concluded Jack.

associated with clean-up campaigns often reward bad behaviour. “Payment for clean-up campaigns must be decoupled from waste volumes,” she advised. She noted that the message of awareness campaigns needed to be clear, as well as that of “do no litter” or “reduce, reuse, recycle”, and that these awareness programmes must be ongoing in order to continue reminding people. Most

importantly, for the awareness campaigns to have any impact, the recycling initiatives need to be started and the infrastructure in place before creating awareness, otherwise participants would lose interest.

Waste pickers are key economic actors According to Njenga, not only are there 15 million waste pickers in developing countries

worldwide, but they are key economic actors and their choice of employment can form a viable source of alternate green jobs. She said the promotion of green jobs formed one of the greatest challenges for developing cities and required a multifaceted, multi-stakeholder approach – such as the approach instigated by the City of Johannesburg through the hosting of the summit. In investigating the international trends with regards to waste pickers, Njenga pointed out that recycling conserved more energy when compared to mining and raw materials processing and also allowed for a large participation of women and children. “However, there needed to be a certain degree of formalisation because the formalisation and organisation of the workers could turn waste management and recycling into a significant approach for social cohesion or inclusion.” Through the utilisation of waste pickers as key economic actors, a number of gains could be achieved by local municipalities and government, according to Njenga. These gains include economic savings for municipal waste management in developing countries, the generation of self-employment in poor populations, as well as waste pickers providing the largest portion of materials that re-enter the production process. “Recycling is one of the fastest growing sources of green employment,” said Njenga, adding that the waste and recycling market generated approximately US$437 billion (R4.31 trillion) per year worldwide. The formalisation or integration of waste pickers into the green economy opportunities would therefore yield significant benefits, such as an increased earning potential and better working

14 – RéSource August 2013

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Solid waste

conditions and social welfare for the pickers themselves. But most importantly, it can drive a community out of poverty, concluded Njenga.

Balancing the ecosystem in Johannesburg Human beings must take a leaf from nature where nothing is wasted and everything contributes to balancing the ecosystem. This was one of the major themes to emerge from the second day of the summit. This realisation coupled with the serious need for South Africa to find new and sustainable sources of energy, presented unlimited business opportunities. Growing populations – in particular in Gauteng, which has now surpassed KwaZulu-Natal as the most populous province in the country – have forced a mindset change and the need to think green. The number of people in Gauteng meant that landfill sites were fast piling up and new sites would be required to cope with the ecological challenges caused by this growth.

This, however, presented possibilities for innovation. One such opportunity has been identified by Novo Technology, a company in East Rand, Gauteng, that is turning the landfill sites into prospects for itself and the taxi industry. In one of a range of impressive presentations at the summit, Novo Energy technology manager Eddie Cooke, whose company is running a pilot project in Sebenza, near the OR Tambo airport, said his company was using gas extracted from landfill sites to make fuel for taxis. According to Cooke, about 60 taxis are already showing a reduction of up to 30% in fuel costs by converting from petrol to compressed biogases sourced from what is commonly referred to as dump sites. With taxis being the biggest consumers of fuel and therefore the biggest contributors to gas emissions, an uptake by more taxis could be a win-win for the environment and for the business, to say nothing of the possible reduction in the high cost of travelling.

RéSource August 2013 – 15

Recycling of Municipal and Industrial Waste

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Solid waste

CAPE TOWN

Kraaifontein delivers on expectations The Kraaifontein Integrated Waste Management Facility has not only been very well received by community members, but also continues to be praised for its design and functioning, councillor Ernest Sonnenberg, Cape Town mayoral committee member for Utility Services, tells Chantelle van Schalkwyk.

n 2011, the City of Cape Town opened its Kraaifontein Integrated Waste Management Facility (KIWMF), which was designed to ease the waste load in the area. The need for the facility was identified as far back as 2004 and it has been hailed as the first integrated waste management facility of its kind in South Africa. “As an integrated facility, it comprises a transfer station, drop-off facility, container handling areas for full and empty containers, a chipping area for the processing of greens waste, hazardous materials holding area for small quantities received at the dropoff and oil holding container for all waste,” explains Sonnenberg.

There is also a compaction hall for compacting waste into containers and a dual weighbridge system with two incoming and two outgoing weighbridges. “This integrated approach, having all activities of wastehandling on-site, is what makes the facility unique. Nearly half the waste that comes onto site is sorted and sold off to recyclers.” However, while the opportunities for recycling are limitless, one of the questions that needs asking is if there is a local market for the facility to supply with the recycled materials. “There is a market for the recyclable waste but some materials are exported due to the limited off take and price,” explains Sonnenberg. The facility is also an educational tool in the fight against an increasing LEFT 350 to 500 t of general waste is received at the facility daily BELOW Peter Novella, manager of Disposal for Solid Waste Management

16 – RéSource August 2013

waste stream, according to Sonnenberg. “The community has access to a one-stop drop-off operation where the manner in which waste is handled and sorted is clearly visible to anyone who visits it. Finally, the KIWMF offers great facilities for its employees, as well as excellent facilities for conferencing and educating the public.”

Teething problems Despite its high profile, the facility was not without what Sonnenberg terms ‘teething problems’. “A number of teething problems were experienced, which have now largely been addressed. The plant installed for compaction of the waste proved to be problematic and many of the components had to be upgraded to address design flaws in the initial stages,” explains Sonnenberg. He adds that another challenge was that detailed specifications of the plant were not readily available in order to conduct maintenance fast enough and certain electrical items were long-lead items, causing excessive downtime. “Spares for the plant were not bought at the start-up stage. Containers placed excessive wear on lifting pins and wheels on certain containers failed after a few months of use and had to be changed,” says Sonnenberg. A further challenge highlighted by the councillor was the under-resourcing of plant maintenance personnel for a plant of this size. However, most of these challenges have been successfully overcome through the upgrading of the plant design. “Containerlifting pins and wheels have been upgraded, some spare components have been procured for breakdowns and a fully kitted workshop has been installed. In addition to this, more personnel have been employed to deal with plant maintenance on-site.”

Solid waste

In fact, according to Sonnenberg, approximately 160 jobs have been created via the facility. “There are, however, a number of community members who believe that more jobs could have been created. Unemployment remains a problem and unfortunately the development of a facility such as this runs the risk of raising unrealistic expectations.”

Sustainable stream The facility currently receives 350 to 500 t of general waste per day, 80 t drop-off waste (this includes garage waste and rubble), 100 t green waste and 70 t recyclable waste from a variety of local areas, which include Kraaifontein, Brackenfell, Kuilsriver, Fisantekraal, Eersterivier, Westbank, Belhar, Kalkfontein, Milnerton, Du Noon, Parow and Joostenberg Vlakte, according to Sonnenberg. Keeping sustainability as his focus for the facility, Sonnenberg adds that pollution prevention was incorporated into the design of the plant. “All plant areas are linked to the sewer system in case of leachate runoff, and the site is adequately fenced off

for prevention of wind-blown litter. Internal bioswale is also fenced off to prevent litter going into the swale. Oil areas with potential for oil run-off have oil separator traps installed, which are pumped out regularly. All fuel holding areas are adequately bunded and drainage to oil separating traps as well. We have a housekeeping schedule for litter picking. Finally, a mechanical sweeper also frequents the facility and road outside the site.” This focus on sustainable design is also what has ensured that the facility be well received by the local communities and well utilised. “It’s been very well received and

The Kraaifontein facility receives on average 70 t recyclable waste per day

has been praised for its design and functioning. The community are happy with the facility and its location. One needs only to look at the numbers – with an average of 200 vehicles visiting the site every day – to see that many people have come to rely on it,” concludes Sonnenberg. RéSource August 2013 – 17

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Solid waste

FIRST AFRICAN MARINE DEBRIS SUMMIT

Collective action critical

The first African Marine Debris Summit has highlighted the urgent g need for collective action to be taken against the problem of marine debris facing the continent of Africa, finds Chantelle van Schalkwyk.

TOP Douw Steyn, director of sustainability, Plastics|SA ABOVE Rejoice Mabudafhasi, deputy minister of Environmental Affairs

18 – RéSource August 2013

he marine environment has manyy challenges. Global warming is visiblee within this sphere and its impact is difislowly being understood. Overfishing, acidifided cation and chemical pollution, with the added ain pollution of marine debris of which the main ega g product is plastic, are compounding the negarontive effect that humans have on the environment.” This was deputy minister of Environmental Affairs Rejoice Mabudafhasi’s main message during her speech at the summit, held from 6 to 8 June 2013 at the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) at Kirstenbosch in Cape Town. The summit, titled ‘African lessons to inspire local actions’, focused specifically on the issue of marine debris on the African continent. Plastics|SA, the umbrella body representing the South African plastics industry, joined hands with the Department of Environmental Affairs, SANBI and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in organising the conference, which brought together marine debris researchers, natural resource managers, policymakers, industry representatives and the nongovernmental community.

According to Mabudafhasi, marine debris is not just an unsightly issue that can have a negative impact on tourism and human health, but it is also responsible for the deaths of myriads of the creatures that inhabit the marine environment. “I am reminded again that 80% of all plastic found in the sea has its origins on land through littering and poor waste management, so this negative impact on the environment can be reduced and even stopped,” said Mabudafhasi.

A growing problem According to Douw Steyn, Plastics|SA director of sustainability, marine debris is a historical problem that continues to grow. “The world’s oceans and waterways are constantly polluted with a wide variety of marine debris ranging from cans and plastic bags to

Solid waste

derelict fishing gear and abandoned vessels. Many animals, such as sea turtles, seabirds and marine mammals, have been known to ingest and get entangled in marine debris, which may lead to loss of nutrition, internal injury, intestinal blockage, star vation and even death,” Steyn said. “International cooperation is needed to create public awareness while developing ways to decrease the amount of debris in oceans around the globe,” Steyn explained. “Marine debris is an international concern, not only because it washes up on beaches and shorelines worldwide, but also because debris can be transferred between countries, serving as a vector for alien animals and plants via ocean currents. International cooperation is needed to create public awareness while developing ways to decrease the amount of debris in oceans around the globe,” said Plastics|SA executive director Anton Hanekom, who also signed the ‘Declaration for Solutions on Marine Litter’ on behalf of South Africa’s plastics industry in 2011 when plastics industry representatives from across the world met in Dubai to create a global action plan for solutions on marine litter. This action plan described actions and identified approximately 120 projects that focused on reducing the impact the plastics industry has on the marine environment and pollution. “Plastics|SA was the only organisation on behalf of an African country to sign the declaration and we made it one of our goals to encourage collective action across the continent,” Hanekom said. “Hosting this summit has allowed us to clearly identify the extent of the problem of plastics in the marine environment, and we are now able to work towards a sustainable solution. As an industry, we recognise that we need to go about our business in a responsible way and although we may not yet have all the answers in place, this conference has allowed us to create a basis from which to work as we promote

the responsible use, reuse and recycling of plastics on a daily basis.” The extent of the problem of marine debris and its impact on sea mammals, fish and the environment was addressed from various angles by international experts on the topic, including prof Peter Ryan of the Department of Zoology,

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Percy FitzPatrick Ornithological Institute, University of Cape Town; Heidi Savelli of the UNEP; Dr George Hughes of the Tur tle Management Programme and Dr Martin Engelmann of PlasticsEurope.

Moving forward According to John Kieser, Plastics|SA environmental manager: Coastal Provinces International Coastal Cleanup Coordinator, the summit was an enormous success and has served a platform for a formal network to be managed by UNEP for African

countries on an issue that does not receive the same attention as in the developed countries. African countries in attendance at the conference included Kenya, Nigeria, Cameroon, Ivory Coast and the Seychelles, while Australia, Belgium and Germany also delivered presentations. Kieser added that the ills associated with a growing population and increasing economic growth will lead to an increase in marine litter from Africa. As such, it is positive that the goals of the summit were met, one of which was adopting the monitoring method used by the CSIRO in Australia. This will mean that in due time countries in Africa will be able to report on marine debris using the same methodology. “But the outcome of the event, which was groundbreaking, is the establishment of a Network for African Countries on Marine Debris. This will be administered by UNEP and technologically supported by Plastics|SA and its partners. “Plans are already afoot to promote and workshop the network at the Second Global Conference on Land-Ocean Connections, to be held in October in Jamaica, as it meets all the objectives of this conference. In short, Africa will start (although in a small way) the long path of the fight against marine debris and stop making plastics the pariah of the packaging industry,” concluded Keiser. BELOW 80% of all plastic found in the sea has its origins on land through littering and poor waste management

RéSource August 2013 – 19

Solid waste

Youth programme launched The minister of Water and Environmental Affairs, Edna Molewa, has officially launched the Youth Jobs in Waste Programme in Phuthaditjhaba, Free State.

he launch on 17 June 2013 formed part of the Department of Environmental Affairsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; (DEA) Environment and Youth Month celebrations. Speaking at the launch, the minister said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;The waste sector has been identified as one of the critical sectors with the potential to contribute substantially to the generation of jobs within the green economy. It is in this light that the department is increasingly expanding its programmes in job creation and enterprise development.â&#x20AC;? The Youth Jobs in Waste Programme is the result of a 2007 DEA study, which assessed the status of waste service delivery and capacity at local government level. The study presented an account of the backlog with

regards to solid waste service delivery in municipalities countrywide. The department developed this initiative in order to address this backlog. It was also developed in recognition of the fact that the waste sector is now, more than ever, ready for major investment in both infrastructure development as well as capacity building programmes to create decent jobs and fuel the green economy. An estimated 1 000 job opportunities will be created by placing young people in municipalities as landfill site assistants, waste collection administrators and environmental awareness educators. The programme will be rolled out in five provinces around the country. The Free State will see 330 young

people recruited for the project. There will 326 in North West and 140 each for Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and Limpopo. As part of the programme, and in response to the technical knowledge gap with regards to landfill site operation and management, the department conducted training sessions in all provinces in the 2011/12 fiscal year. The DEA now wishes to extend this training to other young people who will be placed in municipalities across the country. The minister concluded by emphasising that â&#x20AC;&#x153;it is important that the state improves its capacity to deliver waste services. This is not only to meet service delivery needs, but also to provide dignity and quality of life to our peopleâ&#x20AC;?.

20 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; RĂŠSource August 2013

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LANDFILL 2013 16 – 17 October 2013 18 October – Geosynthetic Barriers course

About Landfill 2013 The theme of the conference is “Effective environmental protection from the residues of modern civilization”. Landfill 2013 sessions will include the following topics: legal aspects, general waste, materials and design, coal ash facilities, waste and tailings facility case studies, monitoring, landfill failures and responsibilities, as well as feedback from Sardinia 2013 and an interesting initiative. Both international and local speakers will be presenting papers on these topics at this technical conference. Landfill 2013 is a continuation of a conference series that was originated by the Western Cape Landfill Interest Group and which has been successfully hosted every second year since 1997. Guest Speaker & Geosynthetic Barriers Short Course An international invited guest speaker, Dr George Koerner of the Geosynthetic Institute based in Folsom, Pennsylvania, USA, will present the keynote address on the first day, titled “Geosynthetics in Containment’; Past Present and Future”, will give a 1 hour presentation on “Landfill Failures” on the second day, and will conduct a Geosynthetic Barriers short course on 18 October 2013 from 08h00 to 17h00. Objectives The conference is aimed to facilitate the objectives of the LIG, being: x To

facilitate the exchange of scientific and technical information on all aspects relating to the landfilling of general, hazardous, industrial and mining waste.

x To

provide a forum for professionals working in the field of waste or residue management to meet and share their experiences and knowledge.

This is also in line with one of GIGSA’s objectives, which is to collect, evaluate and disseminate knowledge on all matters relevant to geosynthetics and related products, by promoting seminars, symposia and conferences . To access the Landfill 2013 Draft Programme, the short course contents and to register on line visit: www.iwmsa.co.za and click on Landfill 2013 For more information contact: Tel: 011 675-3462/4 or Email: iwmsa@telkomsa.net

Landfills

INTERWASTE

A landfill in the lead

Interwaste Environmental Solution’s FG Landfill Site in Olifantsfontein, Gauteng, is setting the standard by being the first Class B lined landfill in South Africa, pre-empting even the new draft regulations liner requirements for a Class B site, Interwaste director: Landfill Division, Leon Grobbelaar, tells Chantelle van Schalkwyk.

“A

Class B landfill is more effective in containing leachate than a GMB liner system and is the better option in relation to managing leakage and groundwater,” explains Grobbelaar. Interwaste purchased and assumed control of the operation of the Frik Groenewald landfill in 2008, after which the name was changed to the FG Landfill and new operation and development plans were compiled FIGURE 1 BELOW Landfill liner composition

and rolled out. These were approached in a phased manner for the 32-hectare site, with Phase 1 being the cell that was already in operation at handover, while construction on Phase 2 commenced in November 2010. Phase 4 is currently under construction, with construction on Phase 3 set to start in three years’ time. Specific to the development plans is the liner design for Phase 2 of the site, which is

ABOVE FG Landfill

based on the new Draft National Standards for Waste Disposal to Landfill in relation to a containment barrier for a Class B site. This design is not only in line with current minimum requirements, but is also the first to be developed in accordance with the new containment barrier system, pre-empting the new requirements. As Grobbelaar notes, various combinations of specific materials were tested for suitability in the composite liner before the contractor, Gundle Geosynthetics, and the Interwaste team decided on the final design. Some highlights of the landfill liner composition include a 150 mm stone leachate collection layer, a 150 mm under drainage and monitoring layer, a geosynthetic clay liner and the fact that geotextile has been wrapped around the stone drain in which the perforated HDPE leachate collection pipes are located.

Landfill cell development Phase 2 of the project commenced in November 2010. A number of challenges

22 – RéSource August 2013

Landfills

FG LANDFILL DEVELOPMENT BEFORE Project commenced November 2010

JUNE 2011 First area of silt removal (approximately 11 000 m3)

Remainder of silt to be removed (approximately 9 000 m3)

JULY 2011 Silt pumping in progress

Silt pumping almost complete and earthworks progressing

TOP Marius Conradie, Area Manager holding one of the specimens from the fish recovery project ABOVE FG cell construction

were faced on site, not least of which was a daunting amount of silt that had to be removed. “These high silt volumes were never anticipated,” says Grobbelaar. The team pumped silt for approximately 180 days with 100 and 150 mm pumps. The silt amounted to 22 000 cubic metres, mixed and excavated. Grobbelaar adds that other challenges included rock layers of up to 2 m thick encountered over 60 % of the excavation area, as well as securing high volumes of suitable stone with the correct engineering characteristics for the composite liner. The quantity of stone required totalled 10 750 cubic metres, with 5 000 metres of drainage pipes necessitated for underdrainage and leachate collection systems. As part of the Phase 2 design, a leachate pond was also incorporated with the capacity to handle 1 in 50-year floods. Another unique aspect of the cell development project, this time at the start of construction on Phase 4 of the landfill, was the relocation of almost 2 730 fish located in the on-site water bodies to bigger, more appropriately located dams in the area after having gone through an adaptation phase. Once completed, the entire FG Landfill facility will have approximately 4.5 million cubic metres of airspace. Phase 4 will be the biggest cell with approximately 1.3 million cubic metres of airspace available once completed. Phase 1 has 900 000 cubic metres of airspace, Phase 2 has 1 million cubit meters of airspace and Phase 3, the final phase, for which construction is set to commence in 2015/16, will have a projected 700 000 cubic metres of airspace available. Although this is a total of 3.9 million cubic metres, the 4.5 million cubic metres of total airspace quoted has also taken into account settlement over the years, explains Grobbelaar.

Peak performance The FG Landfill site is well situated between the three Gauteng metropolitan municipalities, namely the City of Johannesburg, the City of Tshwane

SEPTEMBER Earthworks progress. 2011 Stone stockpile in background for underdrainage and leachate collection layer Excavations for underdrainage taking place

Under-drainage wrapping material (PT 515)

Under-drainage pipe and stone

OCTOBER Under-drainage 2011 in Cell 1 nearing completion

Sandy drainage material placed over underdrainage system

GCL and HDPE liner works under way

Southern and western slopes covered with GCL and HDPE liners

RéSource August 2013 – 23

Landfill

LEFT FG Landfill phases 1, 2, 3 and 4 ABOVE Landfill phase 3 still to commence BELOW Phase 2 construction

and Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality. “This means we are ideally situated to service these communities, with the location allowing for a reduction in transport costs,” comments Grobbelaar. Currently, both Ekurhuleni and the City of Johannesburg waste management contractor, Pikitup, are using the facility. “Though we started by receiving, on average, 3 000 tonnes of waste per month, by June 2013 we were receiving 49 000 tonnes per month,” he says. These tonnages are facilitated by not only the innovative design, but also by the team and technology located on-site. The FG Landfill is equipped with three weighbridges that use the latest weighbridge software, which is integrated into the waste information system and which has been specifically designed for Interwaste. “This system captures, records and photographs

24 – RéSource August 2013

every transaction,” explains Grobbelaar. On average, the facility receives 1 900 tonnes of waste per day, which means the weighbridges process an average of 7 200 transactions monthly. Other equipment on-site includes two landfill compactors, one bulldozer, one excavator, an articulated dump truck and a water trailer. The waste accepted at the FG Landfill is predominantly domestic, with a limited amount of delisted industrial waste. (This is facilitated by the fact that the site is equipped with its own laboratory to perform the required confirmation testing on arrival.) The site is in the possession of an ISO 14001 accreditation and is also currently undergoing a NOSA star grading, with a four star grading expected. “An ISO 18001 accreditation process is also nearing finalisation,” says Grobbelaar,

adding that this is indicative of safety being “the order of the day”. Currently, there are 40 personnel on site who regularly undergo not only safety training, but also ABET and operator training. Permit conditions prohibit reclaimers on site. Compliance with this requirement is ensured through a 2 m high primary concrete fence around the main site, with the entire buffer zone being fenced off with another 2 m high palisade fence.

Facing forward Grobbelaar notes that in a changing waste landscape where eventually we could see waste being banned from disposal to landfill, it is important to be current and stay ahead of the game. However, waste to landfill is still the predominant means of managing waste. In light of the dwindling airspace available at local landfill sites, Interwaste recently licensed a brand new facility in Delmas, Mpumalanga, with a total footprint of 350 hectares. “This site has a projected lifespan of 102 years and ensures that once the FG Landfill is full, which will be in about 2020/2021, we will have another facility already established,” concludes Grobbelaar.

Landfills

CDM

Keeping it clean The Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality (EMM) is engaged in a Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) Project based on landfill gas recovery and flaring at four of its landfills. The latest phase – Phase 3 – involved the expansion of the active landfill gas extraction systems at two of the sites, namely Weltevreden and Rooikraal, finds Chantelle van Schalkwyk.

he extraction and utilisation of landfill gas reduces harmful greenhouse gas emissions and prevents explosion hazards at the landfill sites from the accumulation of methane gas,” explains EMM spokesperson Sam Modiba. The four sites at which the CDM project is being implemented are Weltevreden, Rooikraal, Simmer & Jack and Rietfontein.

Setting the scene The assessment of the potential for landfill gas extraction and utilisation at EMM sites began in 2005 with a feasibility study and trial of landfill gas extraction and flaring. The study found, according to Modiba, that Condensate knockout pot (in the manhole ring) and a manifold box where up to 10 wells can be connected to the main gas pipeline at Rooikraal

gas extraction and power generation were feasible and financially viable under the CDM of the Kyoto Protocol, “which would allow for revenue to be obtained from the sale of emission reductions”. CDM registration was finalised in February 2011, with the CDM project intended to be implemented in two phases. In Phase 1, Modiba explains that the landfill gas was to be extracted and flared and in Phase 2 the intention was to use the landfill gas for power generation and to export electricity to the grid. In this sense, Phase 2 is to have been launched in July this year. Since project inception, a total of 340 080 t CO2 equivalent have been reduced to the atmosphere. EMM is currently seeking a buyer for the carbon credits, with a number of local and international entities reportedly having shown interest in acquiring the

credits. “The Waste Management Services Department adopted a plan to increase the gas extraction at the landfill sites, thereby enhancing the Certified Emission Reductions, as well as improving the air quality and reducing odour at the landfill sites,” explains Modiba, adding that the new gas well installations will also occur in a phased approach, with phases 1 to 4 running consecutively from May 2011 until June 2014. Phase 3 is the most recent phase of the project and involved the expansion of the active landfill gas extraction systems at two of the sites, namely Weltevreden and Rooikraal.

Beneficial bonus As an added benefit, due to the fact that all EMM landfills are situated in and around

RéSource August 2013 – 25

Landfills

If sufficient grades are not maintained at all times you run the risk of condensate build up in the pipes, which can lead to a blockage in the system.”

residential areas, the implementation of the CDM project has also resulted in a number of environmental and social benefits to the surrounding communities, adds Modiba. “The local air quality has improved as a result of the project due to the extraction and combustion of landfill gas. The potential for migration of landfill gas has also been reduced, thus significantly reducing the risk of explosion, toxicity and asphyxiation due to LFG accumulation.” In addition, according to Modiba, this has been a pioneering technology in South Africa, which has resulted in the birth of a new industry locally. He adds that at least three companies have been involved in this project on a permanent basis and another three on a non-permanent basis for the gas well installations. Two of those companies were Fountain Civil Engineering (FCE) which was appointed as the civil contractor to undertake the construction of the Phase 3 works, and Jones & Wagener, which, as the consulting engineer, has been involved with the project from the beginning and has designed and supervised all construction to date.

On-site intricacies The project was nearing completion when RéSource spoke to the team early in July and construction was expected to be completed mid-July, which is earlier than the originally projected end of July 2013, according to Jones & Wagener’s Shaun Devine, explaining Welding a section of header pipe on the Rooikraal site

that his company has extensive experience in all classes of landfill design and specialises in landfill gas extraction systems, being involved in the design of gas systems on both municipal and private landfills. The greatest challenge on-site, according to Devine, has been coordinating the filling of the site – part of the daily operations – with the construction of the gas welling going on at the same time. “These two processes need to work hand-in-hand for timely and economical installation of the wells and harmonious landfilling practice,” says Devine. The works carried out by FCE include installation of the horizontal wells into the waste body, installation of manifold boxes, installation of condensate knockouts, installation of the collection pipe network to channel the gas from the wells to the existing flare unit and repairs of the existing on-site infrastructure. FCE’s Justin Butt explains: “We were responsible for all trenching, earthworks and installation of the gas extraction and conveyance pipe network.” Butt adds that FCE was uniquely suited to the project because it has carried out numerous landfill gas extraction projects in the past for Ekurhuleni and other clients. “Since 2007, FCE has completed many landfill gas extraction projects throughout South Africa. We have a well-established team of landfill gas staff who are well aware of the

challenges of dealing with highly flammable, wet gas,” continues Butt. He adds that FCE completed Phase 2 of the landfill gas contract at both Rooikraal and Weltevreden and were thus well acquainted with the existing site layout and pipe network for tying in the new gas wells. “FCE has established its own trained, certified HDPE pipe welding team that is able to provide accurate computerised weld data records,” says Butt. However, this does not mean that the project was all smooth sailing. The installation of the pipeline was still a necessitated specialised approach, says Butt. “Gradients and falls on the pipelines are extremely critical. If sufficient grades are not maintained at all times you run the risk of condensate build up in the pipes, which can lead to a blockage in the system.” He adds that one also needs to try factor in that the landfill will settle over time, “thus changing the gradients on the pipelines that have been laid”.

Careful consideration For Butt and the FCE team, one of the greatest challenges is on-site odour control. “Odour control when excavating into waste

PHASED APPROACH Phase 1 May 2011 to February 2012 • 3 horizontal wells installed at Weltevreden • 1 horizontal well installed at Rooikraal • 15 vertical wells and 3 horizontal wells installed at Simmer & Jack • 17 vertical wells installed at Rietfontein. Phase 2 May 2012 to September 2012 • 5 vertical wells and 1 horizontal well installed at Weltevreden • 5 horizontal wells installed at Rooikraal • 2 horizontal wells installed at Simmer & Jack. Phase 3 (current) March 2013 to July 2013 • 5 horizontal wells installed at Weltevreden • 4 horizontal wells installed at Rooikraal. Phase 4 (next) October 2013 to June 2014 • 2 horizontal wells to be installed at Weltevreden • 2 horizontal wells to be installed at Rooikraal • 15 vertical wells to be installed at Simmer & Jack.

26 – RéSource August 2013

Landfills

is always a problem. Digging into weeks-old waste is not the most pleasant smelling operation and needs careful consideration for the surrounding communities,” says Butt, adding that in order to overcome this challenge they make use of perfumed disinfectant that is continuously sprayed onto the excavated waste. “All waste must also be covered or taken to the working landfill face before the end of each working day,” says Butt. He adds that with FCE’s experience in landfills and landfill gas, the team has learnt to cope with the challenges of working on an active landfill site. “All appropriate personal protective equipment must be worn at all times when working in waste; gas masks are readily at hand Perforated horizontal well pipe being covered in stone at Rooikraal

should any person be required to enter into an area that may potentially have a high gas concentration. We also have a gas monitoring device to detect any harmful or explosive gases and emergency showers are available to wash people down as quickly as possible should they be contaminated. “The most important rule to be followed at all times on-site and which is driven home daily at the toolbox talks is that there should be no smoking. Designated smoking stations are marked out at the site camp where smoking is allowed,” he says. According to Butt, the highlight of the project has been that it has cemented FCE’s place as the leading landfill gas contractor in South Africa. “The highlight of this project for us is the reduction of greenhouse gases and the utilisation of an unavoidable but valuable renewable resource,” says Devine, adding that Jones & Wagener will be responsible for the future construction phases until the middle of 2016. The next construction phase is expected to start in November this year. RéSource August 2013 – 27

Specialists in: • Landfill Construction • Leachate Containment • Earthworks • Roadworks • Quarrying • Materials Handling • Landfill Gas Extraction • Biogas Plant Development

Tel: Dbn (031) 764 5660 / Jhb (011) 425 2877  Fax: (031) 764 5661  E: hoffice@fountain.co.za www.fountain.co.za

Waste to energy

BIOMASS-TO-ENERGY

Unlocking conversion potential Converting biomass to energy has the potential to unlock economic sustainability.

he conversion of biomass into an energy form is one of the oldest technologies known to man. Since the beginning of time, man collected wood and other organic combustible items, transported it to a homestead, broke or chopped it into more manageable pieces and burnt it to provide heat for cooking, protection and comfort. Recent advances in the Biomass-to-Energy (B2E) conversion technologies have 28 – RéSource August 2013

ORDINARY FURNACES CAN BE TRANSFORMED INTO ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY, FUEL-EFFICIENT ASSETS... HOWDEN KNOW-HOW Howden can convert furnaces and driers to give decades of environmentally-friendly, efﬁcient operation. Drawing on a vast reservoir of engineering experience, and considerable expertise in ﬂue gas conditioning technology, EC&I and SCADA, we offer seamless design and development of turnkey systems. Howden’s track record includes: Incinerators with emission control to international standards • Calcining ovens for automotive catalysts • Industrial furnaces • Process air heaters • Heavy duty ovens for mould drying • Retrofits of furnaces and ovens. Our customer-focused approach provides a comprehensive service from initial proposal to long-term support. Howden makes furnace and incinerator ownership and operation a viable investment. Howden Africa 1A Booysens Road, Booysens 2091 Johannesburg, South Africa Tel: +27 11 240 - 4090 Fax: +27 11 493 - 3861 Email: enquiries@howden.co.za

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delivered new, more versatile and well-priced plants that allow for the production of an array of tradable commodities. The primary focus of the second generation B2E technologies is to convert waste/ residual biomass, including plantation and process waste, alien vegetation and municipal solid waste, into energy products that include solid and liquid fuels, electricity and gasses, which can be used to generate revenue and reduce operational costs. “Aurecon has, through our involvement in an array of B2E project across the southern hemisphere, developed a unique and distinguishable B2E offering for a wide range of biomass custodians,” says Aurecon’s

Waste to energy

project manager, Jean Bouwer. “This offering is structured in such a manner that the entire value chain and all cost components from source to market is reviewed, optimised and modelled to allow the client the opportunity to make an informed decision with regard to the pursuit of the identified opportunity.” Key to this service offering is Aurecon’s in-house ‘Integrated Biomass Transport and Logistics Model’. “The transport of feedstock to a conversion plant has in the past been a primary stumbling block in terms of project realisation,” explains Unathi Mdaka, Aurecon project coordinator. “This application was developed to optimise the transport and material handling costs that are traditionally the Achilles heel for B2E undertakings.”

received funding of €100 000 (R1.35 million) from the Energy and Environment Partnership Fund, a partnership between the governments of Finland and Austria, hosted by the Development Bank of Southern Africa. The extent of the study was sponsored by Mpumalanga Cane Growers, TSB Sugar RSA and Aurecon. On completion of the feasibility study, the financial model confirmed that the production of ‘Green Charcoal’ from the sugarcane plantation waste for the domestic and international markets is the most feasible solution to pursue. What’s more, the rate of return sparked real interest from the Industrial Development Corporation and the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform’s Enterprise Development Programme. “Aurecon has successfully developed a business model incorporating the latest technologies to bring to reality the processing of sugarcane residues as a viable and entirely new sugar industry opportunity,” says Justin Murray, Grower Affairs manager for the Mpumalanga Cane Growers Association. “The small-scale sugarcane growers in the Nkomazi region at last have real hope of improving their revenue and having a sustainable future in sugar.” Bouwer explains: “The main focus of Aurecon’s B2E service offering is to unlock economic sustainability.” Mdaka concludes: “Aurecon’s B2E service offering can assist a wide variety of stakeholders to achieve economic developments that enhance the welfare of impoverished communities through the proven creation of jobs, while also protecting the environment by replacing fossil fuels with cleaner organic fuels and other products.”

“The small-scale sugarcane growers in the Nkomazi region at last have real hope of improving their revenue” Aurecon recently successfully employed its B2E service offerings as a catalyst for economic development and job and wealth creation in one of South Africa’s most impoverished rural communities, Nkomazi. The project began with the Mpumalanga Cane Growers Association contracting Aurecon and the sugar producer TSB Sugar RSA, which markets under the well-known ‘Selati’ brand, to undertake a feasibility study to investigate ways of boosting economic development in the Nkomazi district of Mpumalanga through a B2E solution. Focused on the need to assist the plight of the previously disadvantaged small-scale sugarcane growers, the study

PROJECT OUTCOMES IN NUMBERS Once complete, the Nkomazi project has the potential to achieve the following: • greatly enhance sustainability for small-scale growers • secure existing jobs and create new ones – 43 during establishment and an additional 48 formal sector employment opportunities during operations • contribute to the local economic development of the surrounding communities – R12.52 million added during the establishment phase and a further R6.95 million per annum during operation • reduce the ecological impact that invader plant species have on the Nkomazi area – invader plants can readily be incorporated into the production process • prove that renewable energy can stimulate economic development in rural areas. “B2E solutions also present an ideal opportunity for possible independent power producers to support the renewable energy targets stipulated in South Africa’s 2010 Integrated Resource Plan and contribute positively to reducing the energy shortage in South Africa,” adds At van der Merwe, Aurecon technical director. “These opportunities exist throughout South Africa and, as such, offer distributed energy generation opportunities that support the improvement of the country’s distribution network.”

RéSource August 2013 – 29

Recycling

CARTON RECYCLING

South African rate climbs to 11% Milk and juice carton packs have been recycled in South Africa for 18 months now and in that time the volume of total recycled carton versus what is consumed has risen from 6 to 11%. By Rodney Reynders

AYATRI PAPER MILL and Tetra Pak invested in the technology to achieve this growth and our goal is to achieve a recycling rate of 25% of all consumed cartons in South Africa by 2020. Prior to 2011, cartons were being sent offshore to India and China for recycling. Recycling locally ensures a lower carbon footprint without the necessity of transport, but more importantly helps to create jobs locally. Cartons have a market value and as such should be collected, baled and transported to the mill for processing. Jobs are being created throughout this value chain, from waste collectors to staff processing the waste at Gayatri Paper Mill. Tetra Pak’s global recycling rate rose to 22.9% in 2012, representing 528 000 t, or 39 billion carton packs. The recycling rates achieved vary from country to country and is highest in places like Belgium (81%) and Germany (74%) where legislation exists and consumers have waste collection programmes in place that support recycling efforts by consumers. Gayatri Paper Mill is the only recycler of car ton waste in South Africa at Rodney Reynders cluster leader environment, subSaharan Africa at Tetra Pak

30 – RéSource August 2013

present; however, other paper mills have expressed interest in this waste because of the quality of the fibre that is generated through the recycling process, called hydropulping. Hydropulping occurs when cartons are fed into a pulper and then through a cold water friction process; the fibre is separated from the polyethylene and aluminium, called PolyAl, during a 20-minute agitation cycle. The long, virgin fibre, is used to produce various grades of paper while the PolyAl is aggromulated and pelletised and used for manufacturing various products. Recycling can only be successful if there are sufficient sustainable collection programmes in place, and when consumers know that cartons can be recycled. Tetra Pak cartons now have recycling messaging on more than 80% of the packs supplied into

the market, and details about waste collection programmes now feature on the www. mywaste.co.za and Tetra Pak websites. The Paper Recycling Association of South Africa (PRASA) supported the carton recycling initiatives by incorporating them into all its marketing material and educational programmes. A challenge that we face is that there are many waste management and collection companies in South Africa that still don’t know about the carton recycling facility at Gayatri and as such are still sending cartons to landfill. We are busy changing this behaviour, and through the work done by a consultant are busy connecting smaller collectors, without baling facilities, with bigger, bulk collectors that can supply full loads of waste directly to the Gayatri Paper Mill. Tetra Pak ensures that the environmental impact of supplying cartons to the market is reduced across the entire value chain, from sourcing paper board from responsibly managed forests that meet the standards of the Forestry Stewardship Council (FSC) through to manufacturing of the packaging, from supplying customers with filling equipment for milk or juice cartons through to retailers that sell milk and juice to the consumer. Once the product is consumed, cartons need to be recovered for recycling. Tetra Pak customers with their brands as well as retailer brands of long life milk, juice and food products are fully supportive of these recycling initiatives and look forward to achieving an increase in the recycling rates of cartons in the years ahead.

Recycling can only be successful if there are sufficient sustainable collection programmes in place

TETRA PAK A proud member of the Paper Recycling Association of South Africa

YES, Milk and Juice Cartons

Cover strap

can be Recycled

YES, cartons are being recycled in South Africa at Gayatri Paper Mill, based in Germiston, Gauteng. Waste management and collection companies are encouraged to collect, bale, and sell used cartons to the Paper Mill for recycling.

HOW? Recycling takes place through a hydro-pulping process which separates the paper ﬁbre from the polyethylene and aluminium (polyAl). The recycled ﬁbre is then used to make a range of paper and cardboard products. The polyAl component is separated for aggromulation and pelletisation for use in plastic injection moulded products.

WOW! Carton packaging is made mainly from paper board, a natural renewable resource, which gives our packaging a low carbon footprint versus other types of liquid packaging.

When the contents are gone,

let the carton live on!

For more information about carton recycling, visit www.tetrapak.co.za or www.mywaste.co.za

GAYATRI PAPER

GAYATRI PAPER MILLS 1 Power Str, Germiston, Gauteng Tel: +27 11 821 8600 RéSource August 2013 – 31

Recycling

CAN DO!

Trekking for Trash duo reach finish line Two of South Africa’s most inspirational social change adventurers have taken their last steps in the 3 300 km, seven-month CAN DO! Trekking for Trash walk, which began in October 2012.

he trek started in Alexander Bay (Northern Cape) and continued along South Africa’s coastline to Kosi Bay (on the Mozambique border). Michael Baretta and Camilla Howard left the comfort of their homes and lives to pursue their passion of making a difference through environmental awareness and education. Inspired by a talk they attended by David Grier in May 2011, the pair began planning their adventure 18 months prior to the trek. Baretta took the reins in securing sponsorship using his marketing background, while Howard planned the route and logistics. Together, the team embarked on a journey that has changed their lives forever. Baretta comments: “The best thing about this journey was being exposed to so many different people every day. Their views, comments and actions keep influencing my frame of reference and making me a richer person.” Howard adds: “From the planning

32 – RéSource August 2013

phases to the people we’ve met on the beach, each person has enriched my life. Most exciting was meeting and spending time with Kingsley Holgate at his home in Zinkwazi.” Since the journey began, the pair have visited 15 schools across the country, educating leaners and local communities about the importance of looking after the environment by eliminating litter, as well as hosting six community beach cleanups and collecting a total of 7 155 kg of litter – a significant achievement for two young individuals. However, the trek was not without mishaps: Bruised feet, shin splints, plantar fasciitis (inflamed foot sole) and tick bite fever are just some of the obstacles overcome by the eco-warriors who trekked between 20 and 40 km a day, six days a week. Both admitted they were never tempted to give up and were inspired by the warm reception they received in

small towns along the way. Howard elaborates: “We have been overwhelmed at the response from the public. Some of the smaller towns like St Francis Bay, Cannon Rocks and Westbrook really went out of their way to welcome us.” When asked what the future holds, Baretta smiles and says: “I have decided to put my skills to good use and to start my own sponsorship and marketing agency that will specialise in pairing organisations and individuals that aim to ‘do good’, with corporate sponsors.” It seems the adventure continues for Howard: “I will be heading off to the South of France to work for two months on a contract with Chez Gourmet, a cooking school catering company my mom started four years ago. There is potentially another trek on the cards, as well as the summit of another continents’ highest peak for me!” The pair will continue to create awareness about South Africa’s litter problem.

Recycling

JOB CREATION

A viable income source for the unemployed Collect-a-Can’s Cash for Cans initiative safeguards the livelihood of thousands of unemployed South Africans.

imasa Velaphi, public relations and initiative can prevent devastation and even effort needed to sell cans for cash was well marketing manager of Collect-a-Can, act as a stepping stone. worth it and he would recommend can colMaphanga, 37 years of age, works as lection to anyone as a means of providing encourages those that are unemployed – in particular unemployed youths – to a machine operator for a property devel- for their family, particularly because one see the Cash for Cans initiative as an oppor- opment company in Pretoria. He credits does not need any qualifications to make a tunity to earn an income until they can find Collect-a-Can for giving him an easier start living this way. permanent employment or to “It saves lives. The money supplement low income. brought in from the cans paid our “We encourage people to colschool fees and put food on the lect all types of cans to sell to table. I cannot imagine what my Collect-a-Can for cash, includlife would have turned out like if ing beverage, aerosol, food, oil it had not been for Collect-a-Can ” Zimasa and paint cans,” says Velaphi. and what it did for my family,” “We have seen time and time Velaphi, public relations and marketing manager at Collect-a-Can he says. again the positive impact that to life than he would have had without R20 million paid to collectors this work can have on people’s livelihood.” “More than R20 million is paid to inforthe initiative. It saves lives “My father lost his job when I was in mal collectors annually, with thousands of A previous can collector’s son, Titus Grade 3 and after struggling to find work, he families benefitting directly from this type of Maphanga’s story is an example of how this started collecting cans,” says Maphanga. recycling work. “The initiative is also a great opportunity “All six children helped, and we often had to walk 10 to 15 km to sell the cans we for NGOs and community projects to start a BELOW Bag of cans being emptied for sorting recovered from bins and the side of the can collection project and supplement their BELOW RIGHT Bales ready to be stacked for transport road.” But, according to Maphanga, the current funding,” concludes Velaphi.

More than R20 million is paid to informal collectors annually, with thousands of families benefitting.

34 – RéSource August 2013

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Recycling

AGRONOMY

Hanging gardens investigated The basics behind the success of the popular hanging gardens at the Moyo restaurants in Cape Town are being studied by agronomy students at Stellenbosch University, who are not only learning how to grow their own vertical aquaponics systems, but are also helping to set guidelines on how others can do so too.

wo vertical aquaponics garden systems were installed in August 2012 at the Moyo restaurants at the V&A Water front and Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens, and are since providing salad greens, strawberries and tilapia fish for restaurant dishes. Aquaponics is a remarkable way of growing fish and food together through the integration of hydroponics with aquaculture. According to Moyo’s brand manager, Dries van der Mer we, the gardens form Stellenbosch University agronomy students Stephan Nieuwoudt, Gert Malan and Wicus Venter busy working on their own vertical garden systems, made from PVC pipes Photo: Estelle Kempen

par t of Moyo’s drive to find sustainable solutions to the provision of food and ultimately to food security. “Such a system is the future of urban farming,” he believes. The space-saving system is the brainchild of Wellington entrepreneur and Stellenbosch University researcher Jaco Visser, who devised and implemented it at the various restaurants. Estelle Kempen, in charge of greenhouse cultivation in the Depar tment of Agronomy at Stellenbosch University, has consulted on the project since its inception. At the Water front, the garden is housed at the Moyo African street food market in ver tically hanging PVC pipes. Salad plants grow from various niches made within each of these pipes and are regularly har vested to meet the needs of the restaurant kitchen. Typical of an aquaponics system, plants receive water and nutrition from water that circulated from four pools in which Tilapia fish is bred.

Focusing on the future “The study thus far has focused on the optimal functioning of the system as a whole. We looked at the design of the system, the different plants that can be used and the optimal plant nutrition within the system. The system as a whole,

however, is an answer to sustainable food production as it can be implemented in (urban) areas where food would not conventionally be produced and it can use waste material (water from the fish) to grow the crops,” explains Kempen. She adds that by producing more food close to where it is consumed also reduces the environmental footprint with regards to transpor t, packaging, food waste and so for th. “Also, good agricultural land is becoming scarce – but at the same time we need to produce more food for a growing world population – alternative methods of food production like this will become more and more impor tant.” Additionally, the idea of sustainable production and utilisation, and better use of natural resources is irrevocably linked to the practices of reuse and recycling. In this case, the water is continuously reused – a closed system – which reduces the amount of water needed to produce the crops, compared to conventional production. “Also instead of applying large amounts of fer tilisers as per conventional production, the efficiency of fer tiliser use is increased since it is reused instead of leached out to the environment. Ultimately, the idea is that the fish will produce all the nutrients the plants need and no additional fer tilisers need to be used,” explains Kempen. The ultimate benefit is therefore in terms of reduced water and fer tiliser use to produce food and less environmental pollution

UNDERSTANDING THE SCIENCE Agronomy is the science behind land cultivation, soil management and crop production. At Stellenbosch University, researchers in the Department of Agronomy focus on winter crops, soil tillage, greenhouse cultivation, weed science, pasture science, cool weather crops and cultivation of herbs. Aquaponics or pisciponics is a sustainable food production system that combines traditional aquaculture (the farming of aquatic animals such as snails and fish) with hydroponics (the cultivation of plants in water).

36 – RéSource August 2013

Recycling

as now waste products are released to the environment. “Recycling of the system itself, at this stage, is not a priority since once it is constructed it will be used for a long time – the pipes do not have to be replaced regularly,” adds Kempen.

Directed at demand At Moyo, the produce has been chosen according to the need at the restaurant. If the produce is not used in the restaurant it will be possible to sell to the public as well. “The same system can be adjusted to produce whatever is needed in a specific scenario – if a supermarket wants to use this system to produce only parsley for instance, that will be possible,” adds Kempen. “The idea is ultimately to help people establish similar gardens within urban areas,” Van der Merwe explains. “Do-ityourself” kits will be sold as part of the Moyo Urban Farms initiative.” Before this can happen, however, guidelines on how to install and maintain such a system need to be compiled. This is where researcher Kempen and her Stellenbosch

University agronomy students fit into the picture. According to Kempen, the ideal is that the aquaponics system can run on its own, with plants receiving enough nutrients from the water that circulates from the tilapia ponds. Since there is no soil involved, all the nutrients must be available in the water that is recirculating through the system. “At the moment, additional nutrients still have to be added to the water to ensure optimal harvests for Moyo,” she says. “It’s still unclear how many fish must be kept per pool to ensure that the plants receive enough nutrients from the water, for instance,” Kempen explains one of the conundrums that will now be investigated further. “If we can work this out, there will be no need to add extra nutrients and the system can become more self-sustaining,” says Kempen. Estelle Kempen of the Department of Agronomy at Stellenbosch University Photo: Engela Duvenage RéSource August 2013 – 37

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Air pollution

A social cost?

By Patrick Forbes, professional assistant: Litigation Department at Garlicke & Bousfield

The recent publication of the Carbon Tax Policy Paper has once again ignited debate on the issue of a carbon tax across numerous sectors of society.

his is not the first paper published on the issue and is born out of, among other papers, the Carbon Tax discussion paper published in 2010, the Budget Review in 2012, and the National Climate Change Response Paper. But what do all these papers and policies actually mean for small to medium enterprises and the person in the street? The first item that must be addressed in order to understand the policy paper is that government’s stated goal of a carbon tax is that it will form part of a suite of measures aimed at reducing South Africa’s greenhouse gas emissions, which produce approximately 1.5% of global carbon emissions. One of the key concerns has been what threshold a particular business or entity

8078/E

38 – RéSource August 2013

would have to meet or exceed before becoming liable for the carbon tax. The latest policy paper is silent on this and although there have been informal suggestions on what the threshold will be, the actual limit has yet to be confirmed. The structure for the implementation of the tax has been set up to allow for a fiveyear initial period to ensure that a phased-in approach to the tax is adopted, focusing the tax initially only on scope 1 emissions, being direct emissions, and providing for a 60% taxfree threshold. Additional tax-free thresholds and complete exemptions for certain industries are also envisioned. The cost is set at R120/tonne and would be set to increase at 10% per annum for the first five years.

The bottom line for the consumer or a business is, however, that any tax levied on a supplier of goods or services is inevitably passed down to the supply chain as an increased cost. Businesses would be well advised to examine their supply chains, to identify suppliers who may be subject to the tax and thereby anticipate the potential rise in costs. In terms of electricity consumption, it has been estimated that an increase on the electricity price of anything between 1 and 5 cents per kilowatt-hour can be expected. The policy paper lacks detail on a number of other critical issues, but the stance taken by Treasury has been that the details can then be clarified in time for the introduction of the tax on 1 January 2015.

Air pollution

EMISSIONS

by Gerhard Roux

Stringent air quality standards imminent South Africa’s new emission standards will have a significant impact in terms of requiring operators of the Section 21 listed activities to apply for Air Emissions Licences (AEL), according to SRK Consulting’s Durban-based principal Air Quality Scientist and director, Vis Reddy.



RéSource August 2013 – 39

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www.afrisam.co.za With the planet as one of our core values, we measure the carbon footprint of each and every one of our operations and products while actively striving to drive down our impact on the environment.

Air pollution

n many cases, they will have to comply with more stringent standards,” says Reddy. The new emission standards (GN 248 of 31 March 2010) are a regulation that has been promulgated under Section 21 of the National Environmental Management: Air Quality Act No 39, 2004. The objective of the Act, according to Reddy, is evident in the following excerpt from the Act itself, namely: • to reform the law regulating air quality in order to protect the environment by providing reasonable measures for the prevention of pollution and ecological degradation

Changing context “The intention is to reduce the emission concentrations of air pollutants into the atmosphere,” explains Reddy. In light of this, in order to operate such activities one has to be licensed and comply with new emission standards by 1 April 2015 for existing plants. The question remains, however, as to the viability of these deadlines and how far from meeting them South Africa is as a whole. “This is variable, but I suspect there are a significant number of emitters that will not be in compliance with the existing plant standards by 1 April 2015 and many operators of Section 21 listed activities may have to apply for postponement from compliance with the April 2015 standards,” says Reddy. He adds that it is important for emitters to note that emissions are controlled by concentration and not load. “So it does not matter whether one is a major or small industry; if your activity triggers the need for an AEL, you will have to comply with the

I think there is a definite opportunity to reduce emissions and improve air quality.” Vis Reddy, Air quality scientist and director at SRK Consulting and for securing ecologically sustainable development while promoting justifiable economic and social development • to provide for national norms and standards regulating air quality monitoring, management and control by all spheres of government • for specific air quality measures • for matters incidental thereto. Reddy believes that despite the challenges faced in implementation, global best practice has been taken into account, for example from organisations like the World Bank and developed countries like the EU, Australia and US. “ The new emission standards are comparable to first-world standards – if not better in some cases.” No industry is exempt from the impact of the new emissions standards. “All industries will be impacted, although the bigger polluters like oil refineries, power producers, chemical manufacturing and metallurgical processing industries will be most affected as many of them are operating plants that are more than 20 years old and retrofitting them could be very costly.”

40 – RéSource August 2013

same standard. You need to comply with existing plant standards from 1 April 2015 for existing plants and thereafter with the more stringent new plant standards by 1 April 2020 for all plants, old and new.” Moreover, Reddy points out that it should be noted that the Act does allow for exemptions and or postponement from compliance. “However these applications need to be submitted to the national air quality officer.” If emitters choose not to comply, they could face fines and/or have their plants stopped from operating until they comply.

Technological approach There is room for technology to help with compliance, according to Reddy; however, there are many instances where there is no technology for old plants to enable compliance. “Furthermore, there is a limitation with regards to expertise in South Africa to implement new technologies in some cases. Direct costs can be prohibitive and implementing such changes may take some time.” He warns that in some cases a reduction in air pollution might result in an increase in

other solid and liquid wastes, and there are management and environmental challenges to handling the new waste that is generated.

Challenging context “The clients that I have worked with would like to comply, but they have limited options, resources, time and money,” says Reddy. In addition, although the current emissions environment has been governed by the “Best Practical Means” principle, pre-1 April 2010 it was not effectively implemented and policed, says Reddy. “This has resulted in a situation where emission concentrations are far above what would be considered to be internationally acceptable. In many cases, stack emissions have never been monitored since commencement of that activity.” Capacity in the organisations ensuring compliance also plays a major role in ensuring the successful roll-out of the Act and the resultant standards. The Department of Environmental Affairs has grown its capacity on the policy development side at national level, and licensing and compliance is now a local government function. This means the authorities are able to monitor compliance locally together with the help of the Green Scorpions. “Where they can monitor compliance at the moment, compliance might not be ideal, but in time compliance will improve. Furthermore, the new licences have to be renewed and this will allow for continual improvement opportunities,” says Reddy. Educating emitters and various industry role players thus becomes essential in ensuring compliance by the stipulated deadline. “This is a very important issue, and until capacity and awareness of potential consequences of not taking steps to reduce air emissions are improved, the expected outcomes of the minimum emissions standards will not be achieved,” continues Reddy. He also adds that it is important that both government and industry have the knowledge about emission control, the practical implications thereof and cost benefits of managing air emissions from industry. “I think there is a definite opportunity to reduce emissions and improve air quality, but this should not come with compliance at all costs as limited resources could be better used to manage other environmental impacts, e.g. solid and liquid wastes. Additionally, the biggest opportunity is with new plants, which before the activity starts can now be designed with the new emission standards as a target” concludes Reddy.

Medical waste

HEALTH CARE RISK WASTE

Disposal technology and the environment By Sherwin Naicker, director of Cecor Allied Technologies

On 3 June 2013, Cecor Allied Technologies became the first commercial autoclave treatment facility to process non-anatomical health care risk waste (HCRW) in Gauteng.

his type of autoclave technology, instituted by Cecor, is the first in South Africa. The technology uses vacuum and drying stages that enhance the sterilisation efficiency of the autoclave. With the global move of companies to more environmentally friendly technology, there is no reason why the treatment of medical waste should not follow suit. All technologies have advantages and disadvantages, but non-burn technology has the competitive and environmental advantage and is the way of the future. With this in mind, Cecor Allied Technologies decided to implement this technology for the processing of HCRW due to the low carbon footprint compared to incineration. The environmental advantages for an autoclave are: • low electricity consumption • no combustion gases produced • no problems of incomplete combustion • no fly ash produced • reduction in mass of sterilised medical waste. South Africans do not always have the motivation to implement environmentally responsible practices as the perception is “What difference will my small effort make?” Although people recycle at home, the same dedication is not carried through to the work environment. The irony is that if people only change 10% of their lifestyle towards being more environmentally friendly and influence five people, this would have a massive compounding effect on reducing global warming. People feel that they must do a 360-degree environmental change to have an impact. This is definitely not the case and with this mindset people do not bother to implement the small changes that can make the big difference. Cecor Allied Technologies decided to choose the right technology from inception

to contribute to the preser vation of the environment and has more projects in the pipeline to reduce the carbon footprint fur ther, e.g. phasing out boxes and replacing them with reusable containers. This also has advantages from an occupational health and safety perspective. Most incinerators in South Africa date back to the 1980s and 1990s, some even older, and their technologies have not kept up with current international technology, including environmental requirements. They are being gradually closed down, but ultimately they are being kept operating by clients who have the attitude described above and do not care about the environmental practices of the business, as long as it is licensed. U n f o r t u n a t e l y, the environmental impacts are not considered when this decision is made. South Africa is the biggest polluter on the continent, and with coal-fired power stations still being built and old ones operating for the foreseeable future, South Africans have a harder task to ensure that sound environmental decisions are made to counter existing dubious decisions by industr y.

Most citizens in the HCRW industr y have never visited their disposal contractor, nor do they know how their waste is processed and where the residue is finally disposed. The well-known steps to make an environmental impact are to avoid, reduce, reuse and recycle. Visit the HCRW disposal facility in your province and decide what impact you are imposing on the environment. BELOW Cecor's premises kitted out with the autoclave technology

The well-known steps to make an environmental impact are to avoid, reduce, reuse and recycle

RéSource August 2013 – 41

Hazardous waste

ELECTRONIC WASTE

Is e-waste valuable or hazardous? The second National E-waste Collection Day took place on 13 July 2013 at 631 points nationwide. Chantelle van Schalkwyk speaks to eWaste Association of South Africa (eWASA) chairman, Keith Anderson, on the changing e-waste dynamic in the country.

nique in its material composition, ewaste items contain both valuable and hazardous materials that can cause harm to the environment and human health if not handled correctly. In general, the valuable bits help to fund the expensive hazardous waste treatment and/or disposal of hazardous items such as mercury bearing lamps (CFLs and florescent tubes), batteries, and lead-containing glass found in old TV and computer monitors. “E-waste is all waste electrical and electronic (WEEE) and includes anything that uses a battery or electricity to work: large household appliances, consumer electronics, small appliances, PCs, Macs, phones, chargers, compact florescent lamps, batteries, iPads, toys, gaming consoles, TVs, printers – the lists goes on and on,” explains Anderson. The Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) defines the “e-waste category” as the categories of e-waste as defined in the DEA draft Waste Categorisation System for WIS Reporting (see Table 1).

42 – RéSource August 2013

According to Anderson, locally it is a big concern. “We estimate that only about 10% of available e-waste is collected locally and treated in a responsible manner. Recyclers continue to report annual increase in collection, but we feel that this is just the tip of the iceberg.” In the international context, e-waste is widely touted as the fastest grown waste stream – growing between three and five times faster than any other waste stream. “We are lucky that we have a collection system and recycling system in place and that recycling is done in an environmentally sound manner. For many of our African neighbours, including Nigeria and Ghana, e-waste is a fast growing nightmare that can be likened to the Chinese e-waste crisis. “While Europe has strong legislation in place to force all OEMs and distributors to recycle responsibly, we lack such ‘teeth’ in our current legislation. However, we are engaging with the DEA on

the matter and are hopeful of a workable solution going forward,” warns Anderson.

Environment versus economics According to Anderson, the necessity to collect and correctly dispose of e-waste cannot be underestimated. “E-waste contains both hazardous and valuable materials that we wish to collect because, on the one hand, it has value and on the other hand, it could cause so much harm to the environment due to the heavy metals found in certain

POSSIBLE HEALTH EFFECTS IF E-WASTE IS MISMANAGED E-waste recycling has direct and indirect effects on human health conditions. Direct impacts on human health may be caused by: • dust in indoor air generated in manual and mechanical dismantling processes (e.g. when processing plastics or cathode ray tubes (CRTs) found in old TVs and computer screens) • filter dust generated in the mechanical dismantling process • noise emissions during the manual and mechanical dismantling process (conveyor belts, hammering, shredders etc.) • deviations from occupational safety standards. Indirect impacts on human health may be caused by: • air pollution related to (HT) incineration (however the situation has been very much improved since waste gas purification systems became a common standard) • emissions due to transportation of materials • contamination of water systems and soil near landfills. The indirect impacts on human health are difficult to quantify because of synergistic effects and the time-lag between exposure and reaction, among others.

Hazardous waste

products that will leach into the soil if placed in landfill.” Furthermore, warns Anderson, when rare earth metals are added into the valuable mix, the economics behind e-waste collection should become clear, bearing in mind that safe disposal costs have to be offset against possible profits. Therefore although the collection can be viewed as a viable source of alternate revenue, like any business, it depends on the volume of feedstock that the recycler is able to source monthly.

Anderson believes INTRODUCING EWASA that awareness initiatives such as the The e-Waste Association of South Africa (eWASA) was established in 2008 to manage the establishment of a collection day are of sustainable environmentally sound e-waste management pivotal importance in system for the country. winning the growing Since then, the non-profit organisation has been working with battle against e-waste. manufactures, vendors and distributors of electronic and electrical goods and e-waste handlers (including refurbishers, “Education, awareness dismantlers and recyclers) to manage e-waste effectively. and ease of disposal are all key drivers that can positively influence consumers in the safe disposal of their e-waste.” He adds that Growing awareness this programme speaks The biggest risks faced with regards to to all of those issues. e-waste are illegal dumping in landfill sites It also helps establish that lead to contamination of the soil and the eWASA brand as a rivers, as well as “cherry picking” the value trusted advisor. items and then illegally discarding the residuHowever recover y al waste, warns Anderson. and/or recycling needs According to him, one of eWASA’s key to be dealt with on objectives is to raise awareness among a regular basis, as both business and consumers. “In addition opposed to only on colwe want to help our members to continue lections days. To this end, eWASA, through Challenging context to grow collection rates and are using col- its marketing efforts, is increasing its mem- Further challenges faced by the industry lection days as a way to raise awareness bership base and national footprint on a as a whole include the lack of a strong and increase collection rates.” The second monthly basis. “Each of our members sign legal framework, fly-by-night operators and National E-waste Collection Day took place and are governed by a good of conduct that illegal burning of cables to recover copper, on Saturday, 13 July 2013. underpins ‘best practice’. Later this year we says Anderson. He is clear that the only way to overwill be launching a series of training courses aimed at business and potential new come these challenges is a multi-faceted FACT BOX entrants into the recycling sector. In October approach that includes working with all the E-waste includes the obvious suspects we are planning a national road show, focus- stakeholders from government through to such as your broken PC, mouse, and ing specifically at the youth and job creation the private sector and the consumer in eduprinter and items such as broken toys, VCRs, gaming consoles, cables, fridges, cating them on the problems of e-waste. in our sector,” says Anderson washing machines, toasters, kettles and In addition, “raising the level of profesHe says that most of the collection points hairdryers. Make some space in the are permanent collection points, adding that sionalism and standards of our membergarage or storage cupboard and bring the “mywaste.co.za would pinpoint the closest ship base and assisting them in penetrating items for safe recycling and/or disposal. the market by offering their services at drop-off point to you”. affordable prices and convenient ‘drop off TABLE 1 Waste Categorisation System for WIS Reporting points’ nationally,” says Anderson. Waste categorisation He adds that a focus on introducing new 01 Large household appliances Washing machines, dryers, refrigerators, air technologies and standards, and assistconditioners, etc. ing in the creation of green jobs aimed 02 Small household appliances Vacuum cleaners, coffee machines, irons, at the youth and the SMME market are toasters, etc. also important. 03 Office, information & PCs, laptops, mobiles, telephones, fax machines, communication equipment copiers, printers, etc. Step 1, however, remains the creation 04 Entertainment & consumer Televisions, VCR/DVD/CD players, Hi-fi sets, radios, of awareness, according to Anderson, and electronics, and toys, leisure, etc., and electric train sets, coin slot machines, therefore education is very important at sports & recreational treadmills etc., and vending machines, parking ticket many levels, from primary school, high equipment, etc. school, FET, business and consumer levels. 05 Lighting equipment Flourescent tubes and lamps, sodium lamps etc. (except incandescent bulbs, halogen bulbs). “This also has to be done on an ongoing 06 Electric and electronic tools Drills, electric saws, sewing machines, lawn mowers basis to create a change in the mindset of etc. (except: large stationary tools/machines, etc.) the consumer.” 07 Security & health care equipment Surveillance and control equipment (e.g. CCTV The cause, however, is not lost yet. “Far cameras, scanning equipment), and medical from a lost cause, the e-waste industry has instruments and equipment (e.g. X-ray and heart lung room to create sustainable jobs and can machines), etc. 08 Mixed WEEE only grow,” he concludes.

RéSource August 2013 – 43

Wastewater

WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANTS IN SOUTH AFRICA

A realistic perspective of energy optimisation considerations: Part lll By Rudi Scheepers and Marlene vd Merwe-Botha

The third instalment of the paper titled ‘Energy optimisation considerations for wastewater treatment plants in South Africa – A realistic perspective’ starts to interpret the results of the study and discusses the implications thereof, commencing with a situation analysis of existing technology types.

total of 975 technology counts were made during the analysis of the data. Activated sludge plants (and variations thereof) counted the highest applications of 395, followed by pond systems (368) and biofilters (145). Also, 100 counts were made in total for remaining processes such as Pasveer ditch, rotating biological contactors (RBC), various package plant types and include unknown or poorly specified processes. Figure 1 shows the distribution of technologies across the technology types. Almost 38% of all WWTPs in the country use a type of lagoon or pond treatment system, with the majority (in number) found in the Eastern, Western and Northern Cape regions. Most of the macro size WWTPs use activated sludge technology with variations and additions like biological nutrient reactor

(BNR), membrane bioreactor, sequencing batch reactor and other systems, with the majority (by number) found in KwaZulu-Natal, Western Cape and Gauteng. The third most common treatment technology is biological

trickling filters, where the Free State province has the highest number (27).  FIGURE 1 General treatment technology types in South Africa

975

44 – RéSource August 2013

395

44 0 24 0 2 0 12 0 49 0 52 0 38 0 61 0 57 0 339 0 i) 8 & 10 ii) Ponds and lagoons 368

0 1 0 0 14 2 7 2 3 29

14 22 19 5 27 6 21 19 12 145 iii) 11: Biofilter 145

Rotating biological contactors

Package plants

Other

0 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 3 6

0 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 2 1 2 6 2 3 3 1 8 12 8 9 & 12 to 16: Other

100

16 Unknown or not specified

12 Pasveer ditch

3 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 19 0 1 0 1 0 4 0 2 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 2 17 5 1 1 4 4 0 0 0 1 0 1 4 0 0 2 2 41 21 9 1 6 7 1 to 7: Activated sludge and variations

11 Biological (trickling) filters

13 39 24 19 36 11 58 45 65 310

10 Anaerobic ponds/ facultative ponds

Activated sludge & extended aeration

75 94 69 42 134 75 158 146 182 975 975

Anaerobic contactors

Activated sludge & diffused air

Limpopo Mpumalanga Gauteng North West Free State Northern Cape KwaZulu-Natal Eastern Cape Western Cape Total

Technology # per province

Aerated lagoons/ oxidation ponds

Activated sludge & BNR

Province

Activated sludge & mechanical aeration

Wastewater treatment technology types 4 5 6 7 8 9 Activated sludge & SBR

Activated sludge & MBR

Activated sludge

TABLE 1 Summary of the various treatment technology types as depicted per province

0 2 0 0 3 0 0 2 26 33

Wastewater

Trend analysis in technology applications Analysis of the assessment results of the 18 test cases indicated the following trend: • current scenario: oxidation pond systems account for 39%, activated sludge plants for 61% (of which 36% include BNR) and 6% package plants • future scenario: oxidation pond system will reduce to 17%, while activated sludge systems will increase to 78%. The results indicate that a more complex and potentially costly level of technology (medium) enjoys higher preference to the low to medium level technology. Although

FIGURE 2 Technology level trends from 18 test sites with existing and planned upgrades

this could be ascribed to effluent treatment requiring a higher level of technology, land availability, initial cost of expansion and repairs of existing versus capital cost of new system, etc., it is observed that this is not always the situation. Often, insufficient attention is directed towards investigating sustainable low to

medium level alternatives and/or that the long-term cost implication (lack of skills, cost recovery, power consumption) of the high-level technology is not realised. This is concerning as sustainability of higher level technologies may not always be within reach of some of the municipalities. It also appeared from the study that in terms of demand growth, the trend is often not to resolve the process limitations and optimise the existing systems or to extend the existing plant and maintain the technology level, but to upgrade to a higher technology level as shown in Figure 2. This is

disconcerting as not all municipalities are necessarily equipped to sustainably manage such a change in circumstances, specifically with regard to skills and financial resource availability. It is therefore reported that more sophisticated technology has higher energy and the results point towards a trend that energy-intensive technologies are opted for (i.e. BNR and extended aeration activated sludge systems) in preference to lower

energy requirement processes (such as pond systems). The influence of the consulting engineer and the legal requirement for strict effluent standards, as well as the lack of feasibility studies that consider energy as a critical cost component when motivating for grant or other funding, are key considerations and a pivotal point to redress if energy efficiency is to be tackled in a resourcescarce future (Bhagwan et al 2011).

Energy consumption per technology type and capacity Following the findings under the ‘situation analysis of technology types’, the energy consumption per variation can be expected to vary significantly across the vastness of the difference technology types. For purpose of first order evaluation, the categories were regrouped under four main categories, as discussed, in order to profile the results to a single technology type. Based on the data of the generic treatment technology, an energy consumption evaluation was conducted by using information contributed by the US Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI Energy Audits, 1994) to evaluate the energy consumption in kilowatt hours per day for the two treatment technology types. The results presented in Table 2 indicate the kilowatt hours per day used for each process unit in the treatment process. To determine the energy consumption per volume, the electricity use (kWh) is divided by

TABLE 2 Energy consumption ranges for a typical trickling filter treatment technology across different plant sizes (capacity) and per process unit Process unit

Pumping Inlet works Primary Clfrs Trickling filters Secondary Clfrs Disinfection Sludge management Lights & building TOTALS Consumption ratio (kWh/Mℓ)

46 – RéSource August 2013

Micro size plants <0.5 Mℓ/d –

Energy requirement for a trickling filter treatment plant kWh/d Small size Plants Medium size plants Large size plants

Macro size plant

>0.5 Mℓ/d –

2 Mℓ/d –

>2 Mℓ/d 90.35

10 Mℓ/d 391.31

25 Mℓ/d 925.92

100 Mℓ/d 3 380.07

– – – – – –

26.95 7.93 185.98 7.93 0.53 531.51

48.64 42.63 994.11 42.63 2.73 768.95

89.82 102.37 1 669.56 102.37 17.83 996.59

334.18 409.47 6 189.54 409.47 70.01 3 587.45

– – –

105.67 956.8 478.41

218.61 2 509.6 250.96

528.34 4 432.8 177.31

1 585.03 15 965.2 159.65

Wastewater

FIGURE 3 Energy consumption ranges (kWh/Ml) for various types of WWTPs

With reference to the trends analysis results, it can be expected that energy costs will further escalate if pond systems and biofilters are replaced with activated sludge plants. While the main argument is used for the increased implementation of activated sludge systems, it is notable that the majority of activated sludge plants do not necessarily deliver compliant effluent quality in terms of stricter phosphate, ammonia and nitrogen concentrations (DWA 2011). Anecdotal evidence is to the contrary, where a pond system is much more forgiving if appropriate resources are not allocated for maintenance and operations, as opposed to activated sludge systems that become a major health hazard and public risk if neglected. The balance of the argument also carries weight, whereby a densely urbanised area will have the benefit of a centralised system from where skills and resources could be pulled for a high per formance plant with complaint effluent. The economies of scale in terms of lower energy consumption rates may then out-scale the use of other novel technologies. When comparing the South African energy consumption variation within a technology

the volume per megalitres (Mℓ) of the plant size. The results appear in the bottom row. It is evident that the consumption rate per plant capacity unit decreases with increase in volumetric plant capacity. The results for small and micro plants could not be evaluated sufficiently as the EPRI baseline data was only available from medium size plants and above. It is probable that energy consumption rates will further increase for small to micro size plants. The process units that prescribes ‘pumping’ relates to all various transfer pumping activities within and along the treatment process. Sludge management refers to all activities that relate to sludge handling, digestion, processing and disposal. The 15% (145) for trickling filter plants across the provinces contribute to the second lowest energy consumer per volume next to lagoons and ponds. From Table 3, it can be deducted that the energy consumption per volume for a typical activated sludge treatment systems are between 20 and 40% higher than trickling filter systems.

type (Figure 3), the difference between consumptions per technology type can be observed. High consumption figures are found with extended aeration plants, and lower consumption patterns for ponds/ lagoons and biofilters systems. The exponential trend curve indicates the rapid increase in consumption as a direct function of the energy requirements by more sophisticated systems. The South African profile corresponded to patterns in the US against similar technology types (EPRI Energy Audit, 2006). This baseline trend could be used to link with actual electricity costs, manpower requirements, energy generation offsetting projections and many more studies, and fur ther research is encouraged against this baseline. It becomes more impor tant that design engineers advise municipalities of the impact of energy. Sector leaders could assist in the process to ensure energy costing as a prerequisite to any funding, in order to allow the designer and municipality to determine appropriate energy efficient technology that is affordable and suitable to local conditions. The establishment of baseline information in terms of WWTP energy consumption may fur ther improve the planning, implementation and monitoring systems for the operational staff.

The above examination of results and discussions are raised as part of a full-length submission, which has been featured over several editions as part of a series. In the next edition, further discussions and concluding remarks raised from the study will be highlighted. For more information regarding the paper, please contact chantelle@3smedia.co.za.

TABLE 3 Energy consumption ranges for a typical activated sludge process across difference plant sizes (capacity) and per process unit Energy requirement for a trickling filter treatment plant kWh/d

Process unit Pumping

<0.5 Mℓ/d –

Inlet works Primary Clfrs Aeration Secondary Clfrs Disinfection Sludge management Lights & building TOTALS Consumption ratio (kWh/Mℓ)

48 – RéSource August 2013

>0.5 Mℓ/d –

2 Mℓ/d –

>2 Mℓ/d 114.12

10 Mℓ/d 507.71

25 Mℓ/d 1 205.28

100 Mℓ/d 4 336.37

– – – – – –

26.95 7.93 281.08 7.93 0.53 637.18

48.64 42.63 1 453.73 42.63 2.73 1 424.77

89.82 102.37 4 705.55 102.37 17.83 1 194.72

334.18 409.47 17 908.18 409.47 70.01 4 379.96

– – –

105.67 1 181.37 590.69

218.61 3 741.45 374.15

528.34 7 946.28 317.85

1 585.03 29 432.67 294.33

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Plant & equipment

Gas detection simplified Industrial operations in Africa could detect and monitor hydrocarbon gas concentrations more effectively by adopting the Ultima OPIR-5 Open Path IR gas Detector.

obbie Taitz, MSA Africa marketing manager for gas detection products, points out that the Ultima OPIR-5 detector provides for the continuous monitoring of combustible hydrocarbon gas concentrations. “Infrared absorption detects hydrocarbon gases over an open path, and the single detection beam improves accuracy and reduces drift.” Taitz explains that the system consists of an IR source and receiver, which monitors for methane with the option of monitoring for propane too. “The sensitivity of the MSA Ultima

OPIR-5 detector can be checked by placing a test gas film in front of the receiver, while the dual detection range provides the sensitivity to pick up both small and large gas leaks,” he continues. Another important aspect is that the MSA Ultima OPIR-5 detector is easily aligned using the digital display and adjustable mounting arms and does not require the use of any bulky set-up equipment, such as digital volt meters and handheld alignment aids. Taitz adds that calibration of the Ultima OPIR-5 detector takes place at the MSA

factory, thereby eliminating the need for further calibration. “What’s more, the detector requires little maintenance apart from a periodic visual inspection, test gas film check and cleaning of the windows to ensure dependable performance.” The MSA Ultima OPIR-5 gas detector also boasts multiple communication outputs, including HART, ModBus and AMS Support, which provide complete status and control capability in the control room. These advanced features make the detector ideally suited to the following applications: • drilling and production platforms • fence line monitoring • fuel loading facilities • gas turbines • LNG and LPG processing and storage facilities • petrochemical tanks • tank farms • wastewater treatment. RéSource August 2013 – 51

Plant & equipment

CRUSHING & SCREENING

A new era The crushing and screening specialist Pilot Crushtec International, previously known as Pilot Crushtec (SA), has announced that CEO Sandro Scherf had bought out his partners and increased his indirect stake in the company.

ffective 1 March 2013, the transaction saw Scher f’s indirect stake increase to 100% equity of the business, which is a leading supplier of equipment and solutions for the mobile, semimobile, crushing, screening, recycling, sand washing and material handling sectors. “We have real confidence in the business and in the crushing and screening industr y, locally, across sub-Saharan Africa and as far afield as Australasia and South America. This move puts us in a position to heighten the scale of our business, enabling us to offer customers, at home and abroad, bigger products with bigger per formances,” said Scher f. He added that the ability to effect quick deliver y will be one of the company’s strengths. The strategic alliance with Sandvik Construction, announced late in 2012, saw Pilot Crushtec International become the sole distributor of the company’s mobile range of crushing and screening equipment. This alignment has paved the way for an aggressive campaign intended to achieve significant growth in both domestic and sub-Saharan African markets. “We have a management team fully motivated to take the company for ward and our mission is to seek out and implement improvements in all aspects of our operations,” explained Scher f. Growth of the magnitude he envisages will require substantial investment. Pilot Crushtec International is weighing up the possibilities of alternatively moving the operation to new, larger premises or substantially increasing the size of the existing Jet Park facility. Skilled human resources will also be at a premium and an aggressive recruitment programme is under way for degreed sales engineers and

suitably qualified ser vice and technical staff. The company’s reputation has been built on its ability to deliver world-class ser vice and Scher f intends improving this attribute still fur ther. “The growth of our range, especially in big high capacity products, means that we will be heavily investing in training to raise our standards despite the breadth of our ranges and increased sales.” A planned innovation will be the introduction of an online help desk. This will provide 24/7 diagnostic advice and ser vice

suppor t to Pilot Crushtec International’s customers and operators around the globe. The step change the company is making in the scale and scope of its operations is being communicated in the content of its new adver tising campaign launched in June. “One of the biggest names in the crushing and screening industries just got bigger,” is its new focus. In conclusion, Scher f stated that the key ingredient that has taken the company to where it is today and will propel it for ward is passion. “The passion to ensure we remain a dynamic and aggressive company and deliver world-class products and ser vices to our customers and the passion to take us to our goal: to be the internationally respected African leader in our field.”

The growth of our range, especially in big high capacity products, means that we will be heavily investing in training.” Sandro Scherf, CEO at Pilot Crushtec

RéSource August 2013 – 53

IWMSA news

INDUSTRY NEWS

Conference for a greener future IWMSA’s Eastern Cape branch is looking forward to hosting the biennial conference on 10 September 2013 at The Boardwalk Conference Centre in Port Elizabeth. The Boardwalk Conference Centre

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he conference theme is ‘The Green Revolution’ and will focus on how imperative it is to move to a greener future to save the planet. Representatives from industries across South Africa, as well as local and district municipalities, will attend the IWMSA conference and share knowledge on feasible waste management solutions. “The Green Revolution conference aims to educate, inform and create a platform for dialogue for all sectors on the increasing need to create a sustainable green future. It is a great oppor tunity for industr y players to come together and share ideas and find solutions for the many waste-related issues that impact on society and our environment,” comments Dr Suzan Oelofse, president of the IWMSA. According to the third National Waste Information Baseline Repor t, 108 million tonnes of waste was generated during 2011. An astounding 98 million tonnes was waste landfilled and only 10% of total waste was recycled.

RéSource August 2013 – 55

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IWMSA news

INDUSTRY NEWS

Training in focus IWMSA courses are aimed at improving South Africa’s waste management practices.

he Institute of Waste Management of Southern Africa (IWMSA) recognises the growing need for a proactive and informed approach to waste and resource management in South Africa. To this end, it is offering both accredited and non-accredited waste management training courses, designed to help individuals, companies and government bodies to develop more sustainable waste management practices and policies. “Pest- and vermininfestation, toxins from hazardous chemical waste, injur y and disease are just some of the ill-effects of poor waste management, and these have farreaching and highly detrimental consequences,” says Deidré NxumaloFreeman, former IWMSA president. “The only way to combat poor waste management practices is by empowering society with the necessary skills, knowledge, confidence and ongoing support so that they can contribute positively to their workplaces, environments and communities.” Nxumalo-Freeman is quick to add that an increasing number of organisations are

coming on board and acknowledging the need for professional environmental training; hundreds of workers have already benefitted from IWMSA waste management training since its inception. The IWMSA’s non-accredited waste management course covers the broad aspects

of waste management, including waste management principles; waste collection, transfer and transport; waste minimisation; and waste treatment and disposal. The non-accredited courses in hazardous waste trains learners to identify, classify, handle, transport, treat and dispose of hazardous waste correctly and in accordance with current legislation.

The course delegates earn credits toward a learnership for the SETA-accredited training courses offered by the IWMSA. Specific waste-related unit standards are offered ranging from NQF Levels 1 to 4. This outcomes-based training is conducted by professional, fully accredited facilitators, assessors and moderators, with tried and tested content and skills that make a real difference to the attendees’ workplaces, communities and careers. IWMSA waste management training courses are conducted throughout the year at various venues in Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, the Eastern Cape and the Western Cape. Comprehensive information regarding IWMSA’s training programmes can be found on its website www.iwmsa.co.za. Alternatively, contact Gail Smit on +27 (0)11 675 3462 or e-mail iwmsa@telkomsa.net. The IWMSA is a non-profit organisation comprising a body of dedicated professionals – all experts in their respective fields – who give freely of their time and experience in order to effectively promote the practice of waste management.

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56 – RéSource August 2013

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