The official journal of the Institute of Waste Management of Southern Africa
Promoting integrated resources management
Recycling
ISSN 1680-4902 R40.00 (incl VAT) • Vol 15, No 4, November 2013
Preserving South Africa Africa’ss coastlands
Green Building
Landfills
Green Revolution
Sustainable development Carefully considering Conference sets e compliancee sustainability agenda – the way of the future environmental
EXPER EXPERT RT T N OPINION
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Institute of Waste Management of Southern Africa
“Maybe sustainabilityy means nothing hi more than h n retarded collapse.””
Prof Mark Swilling, division head: Sustainable Development, t t, tyy School of Public Leadership, Stellenbosch University
MANAGING TODAYS WASTE FOR TOMORROWS RESOURCES
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RESOURCE RECOVERY Recycling Metals Recovery
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www.3smedia.co.za ISSN 1680-4902, Volume 15, Number 4, November 2013 The ofſcial journal of the Institute of Waste Management of Southern Africa
Promoting integrated resources management
Recycling
Green Building
Landfills
Green Revolution
Sustainable development Carefully considering Conference sets – the way of the future eenvironmental compliancee sustainability agenda
ISSN ISS IIS SS S SN 1 16 1680-4902 68 80-4 8080 0-4 00 --4 49 902 90 02 0 2 R R40 R4 R40.00 40 4 0..00 .0 00 0 0 ((i (inc (in (incl inc iin nccl V n VA VAT) AT) T) • V Vol oll 1 o 15, 5, N 5, No o4 4,, No Nov N November ovvem o eemb mb m ber 20 2 2013 013 13
Preserving South Africa’ss coastlands Africa
Institute of Waste Management of Southern Africa
EXPERT EXPER RT T N OPINION
is printed on 100% recycled paper
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.
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Cover story
12
Solid waste
24
Landfills
34
Recycling
Cover Story
“Maybe sustainabilityy means nothing hi more than h n retarded collapse.””
Green building
Prof Mark Swilling, division head: Sustainable Development, t t, School of Public Leadership, Stellenbosch University tyy
A touch of green
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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
Landfills
President’s comment
3
Robinson Deep Landfill Site
24
Editor’s comment
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Mpofana Landfill Site
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IWMSA News
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Hot seat Radicalising sustainability
Johannesburg Water’s CHP Plant
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Solid waste Funding proposals for effective waste management
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Recycling Preserving SA's coastlands
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SAPRO best recycled product of 2013
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Wastewater
Eastern Cape ‘Green Revolution’ Conference
Waste to energy
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Sustainability
A realistic perspective of energy optimisation considerations: Part IV
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Ekurhuleni’s beautification of lakes, dams and pans
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Standard Bank focuses on sustainability
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in association with infrastructure news
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RéSource November 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
Funded by:
President’s comment
Time to network October seems to be the season of meetings and conferences in the waste sector, both locally and internationally.
P
robably the largest of all international conferences devoted to waste took place in Sardinia in the first week of October. The Annual Waste Management Officers’ Khoro organised by the Department of Environmental Affairs was also on the calendar in October. The IWMSA followed suite and, together with the Geosynthetic Interest Group of South Africa, hosted Landfill 2013. It is my sincere hope that all these meetings and talk about waste management will translate into action, improving waste management in Africa and Southern Africa. I would therefore encourage the fortunate few who had the opportunity to attend one or more of these events to share their experience and knowledge gained with the unfortunate majority who had to stay home to oversee continued waste management services. Through sharing of experiences, we can navigate our way around obstacles by implementing some of the lessons learnt by others. I had the opportunity to attend the first Global Food Security Conference in the Netherlands, also in the first week of October. Although food security was the main theme, two sessions were devoted to food waste. However, the one presentation, from South Africa, which was really exciting, focused on novel foods and production settings. The title of the presentation was ‘Insects, mass reared on waste, the solution to sustainable animal protein for feed and food’. Researchers at the University of
Stellenbosch developed a technology to convert abattoir waste to a protein feed for livestock. This is the type of technology innovation that is needed in South Africa. It is not rocket science, but using natural systems to address the need for protein feed for livestock, while also addressing a waste problem. Therefore, instead of buying off-the-shelf technologies to solve waste-related challenges in South Africa, I would encourage outof-the-box thinking to address societal problems using waste materials. On a different note, the waste management and classification regulations came into effect and are set to change the way we manage waste forever. Some teething problems may be experienced with the implementation of the new regulations, but I would encourage you to be patient and join hands with the authorities to iron out the teething problems, so that we can progress towards improved and sustainable waste management in South Africa and Africa. We all contribute to waste in South Africa, irrespective of how “green” we live, lets therefore join hands and become par t of the solution towards improved waste management.
The waste management and classification regulations came into effect and are set to change the way we manage waste forever”
Best regards, Suzan Oelofse, IWMSA president
Patron members of the IWMSA
RéSource November 2013 – 3
Editor’s comment Publisher: Elizabeth Shorten 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 Client services & 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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Painting RéSource green
I
have had the distinct pleasure with this edition of painting RéSource “green” – literally, as you may have gathered from the cover – and liberally interspersing this with sustainable initiatives and a focus on sustainability in general. As the editor of a magazine that focuses primarily on the sustainability of resources on the whole – and waste management, specifically – I am fully aware that the terms, “green” and “sustainable” are often mistaken for synonyms and used randomly. This has not been the case in this edition – just ask my sub-editor. While the word green has gained a definition that goes way beyond colour in the past few decades, it is today not only considered an adjective or noun, but rather a conscious – or should it be conscientious – movement that can no longer be avoided or ignored. It is everywhere. Just look at Woolworths shelves – or even something as common as a sunlight bottle, which, coincidentally, recently won the Southern African Plastics Recyclers Organisation Recycled Product of the Year Award, featured on page 36. Just like the term “green”, “sustainability” is also used to encompass a wide range of actions, programmes and issues that carry with them a certain conscientiousness about the environment and the long-term viability of continuing these actions, programmes or activities. This concept in itself can also stand a bit of radicalising it seems, according to notable academics, like Prof Mark Swilling, division head: Sustainable Development in the School of Public Leadership at Stellenbosch University and academic director of the Sustainability Institute, who contributed in our hot seat in this edition on page 10. However, being green isn’t always sustainable. It is my understanding that whereas sustainability focuses on meeting current needs while ensuring that this is not to the detriment of the generations that come after us, being green generally is merely an eco-friendly focus with less of an emphasis on
our children’s children’s children’s ability to still utilise the same resources. However, being green is always a step in the right direction towards eventually being sustainable. More and more, it is this long-term view – that of focusing on the sustainability issue, rather than merely the green issue – that is being adopted by not only the private and public sector, but also the public at large. A very good example of this is the topics discussed at the IWMSA “Green Revolution” Conference, which took place in the Eastern Cape recently and is featured on page 16. However, while I have maintained the idea of sustainability as my true north in this issue, it is through the use of the colour green – and the word green – that I have chosen to visually portray this movement. Life isn’t easy when you place a high value on sustainability – albeit as a large organisation like Standard Bank (page 22) or as a municipality like Ekurhuleni (page 20), but by changing our consciousness one building block at a time – see the green building feature on page 6 – I believe we can eventually paint the entire globe “green”, with everybody working towards ensuring a sustainable tomorrow. Chantelle van Schalkwyk
RéSource November 2013 – 5
Cover story
GREEN BUILDING
A touch of green According to a case study spearheaded by the Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA), if three million existing low-income houses were converted to ‘green’ homes, the electricity saving would be enough to power a city the size of Durban or Cape Town – proving that sustainable development is the way of the future. RéSource takes a look at this case study and what industry interprets as sustainable development.
E
arlier this year, the Department of Housing approved the Comprehensive Housing Plan (CHP) for the development of integrated sustainable human settlements, known as Breaking New Ground (BNG). Since 1994, national government has built approximately three million low-cost houses, with the same target by 2025. BNG aims to, among others, eradicate informal settlements in the country in the shortest possible time. However, the materials used in these buildings have to be reusable or salvaged, and should have an extended lifespan in order to comply with the project’s sustainability requirements. Despite economic difficulties and the expensive cost of green buildings, it remains a popular trend among international
countries, while in South Africa the concept is only making inroads at a fast pace in the private sector. It is for this reason that projects such as government’s BNG are saluted. International trends lean towards building automation, water conservation such as rainwater harvesting, energy efficiency and the use of non-hazardous and reusable materials. Solar power use in buildings will continue to grow, as it is still viewed as one of the simplest ways to preserve the environment. Locally, materials such as fly-ash gypsum, solar powered geysers, masonry walls (for its reuse purpose), and durable
metals such as aluminium and stainless steel, dominate the green building market. But among the variety of housing construction materials available in South Africa, possibly the most widely used is concrete – and increasingly so due to its recyclable qualities. Top concrete and cement consultant George Evans of PPC addressed delegates at this year’s Southern Africa Readymix Association (SARMA) conference held in Broederstroom. He drew attention to the constant changes in client requirements, and the need for manufacturers to become more involved with these ever-changing demands. “In future, you will need to look at the overall fitness for purpose of the concrete you deliver to site and try to understand the other requirements that your
“Applying sustainable planning, methodology and materials to housing and community construction in a developing country like South Africa, is still considered new territory”
One of the green houses emerging from the Cato Manor project
6 – RéSource November 2013
Cover story
customers might have. The world is becoming more technical and it is time to look at changing requirements with engineers in order to drive the kind of change that is required to transform our construction industry,” Evans stated. “On the Green Star rating, for example, 13% of the construction is judged on materials, of which 8% is down to innovation alone. That is proof that readymix companies can help developers get better star ratings – but only if they are prepared to innovate.” He explained that in order to make ‘green’, the industry should also look at extenders, bearing in mind that extenders should never be used on top of others in manufacturing readymix. But most importantly, manufacturers need to understand what the customer needs in terms of strength, price and green building.
According to the trends “While the concept of sustainability has been around for decades, applying sustainable planning, methodology and materials to housing and community construction in a developing country like South Africa, is still considered new territory. Regardless of the take on sustainability, one thing is certain: big picture sustainability will change the way we think, the way we build and, inevitably, the way we do business,” says John Mandyck, chief sustainability officer: United Technologies Climate, Controls & Security. “As developing countries industrialise rapidly, global demand for material resources is predicted to increase dramatically. Businesses are likely to face increasing trade restrictions and intense global competition for a wide range of material resources that become less available. Scarcity also creates opportunities to develop substitute materials or to recover materials from waste, making the decision to opt for sustainable building components a wise one.” He adds: “About 51% of architects, engineers, contractors, owners and consultants participating in the World Green Building Trends SmartMarket Report 2013 (South Africa included) anticipate that more than 60% of their work will be green by 2015, up from 28% of companies in 2012. Global dialogue helps us rebalance the built environment with our natural environment. This report confirms that the green building movement has shifted from push to pull – with markets increasingly demanding no less than sustainable development.” According to the report, green building is rapidly taking hold in South Africa, with its share of companies dedicated to this
area of expertise growing at a faster rate than in any other part of the world; thus South Africa moves to take its place among the leaders of green buildings. The significant expected growth suggests that South Africa may be a ripe market for green technologies, practices and solutions. Despite this viable market, the country still faces many challenges with regard to sustainable development, with the main areas of concern being high capital costs (reported by 86% of companies participating in the report) and a lack of political support (reported by 40% of companies).
Lessons learned In December 2011, South Africa hosted the 17th annual Conference of the Parties (COP 17) international climate change talks – a widely received event that highlights, addresses and aims to tackle factors influencing climate change and global warming. Ahead of this event, a first of its kind Green Street case study was completed in a small cul-de-sac residence in Cato Manor, Durban. The project, led by the GBCSA in association with the World Green Building Council and funded by the British High Commission, saw 30 low-cost houses benefit from a sustainable upgrade, called a retrofit. The main objective of the project was to demonstrate the range of socio-economic, health and environmental benefits, which are possible from the implementation of resource-efficient inter ventions in low-income houses. It TOP Wonderbags – the heat insulation cookers used in the project MIDDLE Insulation of ceilings for optimum human comfort RIGHT Installation of a rainwater harvesting system
RéSource November 2013 – 7
Cover story
was also important to show that the quality of life can be improved, while still maintaining a country’s development on a low carbon and more Earth-friendly path. Because South Africa is a developing country and the infrastructure backlog consists of more than just housing needs, costcutting was necessary to maximise delivery, but unfortunately resulted in the homes in this study being designed and constructed with no water heating system and little regard for energy and water efficiency, adequate insulation or other green design considerations. This results in residents being exposed to large daily temperature fluctuations, which in extreme cases are linked to respiratory illnesses, further exacerbated by the burning of fuels such as paraffin, coal and wood (used for heat and cooking). These fuels also pose a significant safety risk, as they are often responsible for fires that hurt people and burn down property. The green upgrade off these houses included: • solar water heaters and related plumbing to deliver hot water directly into the house • insulated ceilings, using 30 mm thick Isoboard to improve internal comfort levels, as well as insulation rooff paint (Sno-Cote) on two demonstration houses • heat insulation cookers to reduce cooking time on other heat sources, e.g. wood fires • recycled furniture and fittings, e.g. old tyres and plastic containers • efficient indoor lighting (CFL bulbs) to replace energy consumption • LED streetlights to replace inefficient fittings • rainwater harvesting tanks to provide water security in the event of drought or municipal shortage, as well as free water for food gardens and laundry • food gardens to produce home-grown food • clean up and rehabilitation of a nearby stream to remove alien invasive plants and litter, reinforce the river bank and reduce water pollution
LEFT Energy-efficient CFL lightbulbs replaced traditional lighting BELOW LEFT Residents have access to hot running water in their homes
lighting, and skills transfer and training for community members, among others. If retrofits like this were done on South Africa’s three million existing low-cost houses, it is estimated that the electricity and water savings alone would be worth around R3 billion per annum (calculated at 2011 tariffs, when the project was complete). The electricity saving would be over 3 400 GWH (gigawatt hours), which is equivalent to a third of what a city the size of Durban or Cape Town uses. Some 3.45 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) would be avoided per annum from the electricity savings, thereby reducing the country’s carbon footprint. For the purposes of generating revenue on international carbon markets, almost 10 million tonnes worth of carbon credits are possible. In terms of employment, it is estimated that about 36.5 million person days of work could be created, which is equivalent to over 165 000 years of work. Energy efficiency interventions are often less expensive to implement than running the country’s power plants (comparing per unit cost of avoided energy with generation costs). This project’s cost benefit analysis showed that CFLs, heat insulation cookers and insulated ceilings are cheaper than the average cost of generating electricity. It is important to note that raising finance through the sale of reduced carbon emissions is possible, but limited as a funding source. However, the value would be in being able to plough such revenues back into the community for maintenance and/or development projects.
It is estimated that the electricity and water savings alone would be worth around R3 billion per annum
8 – RéSource November 2013
• landscaping, using indigenous trees and plants as well as fruit trees to prevent soil erosion, provide shade and, over time, bear fruit for the community. The Cato Manor Green Street retrofit has been nothing short of life changing for its residents. The project successfully served as a strong awareness-raising tool to demonstrate the benefits of establishing resource-efficient, low-income housing. Positive results emerging from this project were better health conditions, access to hot running water, significantly lower electricity bills, rise in security level due to improved
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT SPECIAL THANKS to the GBCSA for permission to use its Green Street Cato Manor case study
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Hot seat
THE GREEN ISSUE
Radicalising sustainability As I’m writing this, I’m at the Leshiba Wilderness, on top of the Soutpansberg Mountains in Limpopo, which forms part of the Vhembe Biosphere Reserve (VBR). With unparalleled biodiversity, extraordinary cultural heritage and strategically located at the centre of sprawling peri-urban settlements, the VBR is highly contested. By Prof Mark Swilling
S
ome of the largest remaining coal reserves are set to be mined within the VBR using opencast mining methods just north of the mountains (by all the major companies including some with sizecompanies, Chin able Chinese ownership); land claims wro are dotted across the VBR; gone wrong firewood, river sand and water gets unsustain sustainably extracted all the time by larg and small operators; vast large commercial agricultural estates that pour countless tonnes of chemicals into the rich red soils; and scientists can show how global warmrof Mark Swilling ing is reflected in bush is division encroachments and the head: Sustainable Development in changing nature of the the School of Public small animal population Leadership at with uncertain knock-on Stellenbosch University and academic director effects up and down the of the Sustainability food chain. Institute. He is also In the meantime, project leader of Stellenbosch the provincial and University’s Centre local governments for Transdisciplinary want their pound of Studies (known as the TsamaHub), flesh from the tourism
DID YOU U
KNOW P
?
which coordinates a transdisciplinary doctoral programme (www.tsamahub.org.za).
10 – RéSource November 2013
potential, and poverty-stricken local communities look to the VBR for jobs and natural resources (from soils, to water, to firewood). In this context, does nature itself stand any chance? Can one seriously consider ‘sustaining’ what nature has to offer as everyone takes what they can, from the Chinese investor who needs more coking coal to be exported to China, to the commercial farmer who needs to add more increasingly expensive fertilisers every year, and the local grandmother who needs wood to cook for her many grandchildren? Or should we just accept the reality of the situation and define ‘sustainable development’ as just doing slightly less harm while we inevitably destroy the source of all livelihoods (not just human ones)? In short, maybe sustainability means nothing more than retarded collapse. There are basically three mainstream perspectives on sustainability. The most well-known is the carbon-centred perspective that equates the challenge of sustainable development with climate change. BELOW Children from the Lynedoch Aftercare Programme
In this view, often associated with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the problem is carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from the burning of fossil fuels. It follows that from this perspective, emissions must be reduced initially by using fossil fuels more efficiently, and over the long run, fossil fuels need to be phased out. Although no global agreements can be reached, 33 countries had carbon taxes by 2013, covering 850 million people and approximately 30% of the global economy. This perspective, therefore, is clearly starting to have an impact. However, even if global warming was not happening, the planet is falling to pieces due to (a) the rapid degradation of biodiversity and the resultant threat to ecosystem services that nature provides, and (b) resource depletion. Like the carbon-centre perspective, the biodiversity and ecosystems perspective is interested in the negative environmental impacts of the dominant modes of production and consumption. Associated with the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment that reported in 2005, this perspective gives emphasis to the fact that over 60% of the ecosystems that humans depend on for both social well-being and economic development are degraded. Except for places like Costa Rica and South Korea where deforestation has been reversed, the evidence in general suggests that biodiversity degradation is getting worse and that the poorest people suffer the most as a result. For example, the last global assessment of the state of health of agricultural soils took place in 1990 – at that stage, 23% of all soils were seriously degraded. Since then, about 12 million hectares per annum of agricultural soils have been lost due to overexploitation, including overuse of chemical fertilisers and pesticides. Healthy soils, like water, are renewable resources that are the emergent outcome of interactions between countless elements of highly
Hot seat
complex ecosystems. Mess with these complex systems and unintended consequences (some of which are undesirable) are the inevitable outcome. The resource depletion perspective is the newcomer to sustainability science. Associated with the work of the International Resource Panel (IRP), which was only established in 2007, this perspective is focused on the resource requirements of the global economy. These resources include fossil fuels, biomass (anything that can be grown), construction minerals, and industrial minerals and metals. The IRP calculated that in 2005 the global economy depended on 60 billion tonnes of stuff extracted from the crust of the earth – in reality, double this amount is extracted, but only half used (the rest contributing to environmental impacts). This translates into an average consumption of 8 tonnes per capita, but with the average American at 25 tonnes, the average European at 16 tonnes, and the average Ghanaian at 3 tonnes. Under a business-asusual scenario, consumption by 2050 is set to go up to 140 billion tonnes if everyone converged at 16 tonnes per capita. But if the world is to be run in accordance with the science of the IPCC (which all governments approved), average consumption by 2050 at a population of 9 billion people will need to be 6 tonnes per capita. What the work of the IRP is also showing is that there is evidence of resource depletion, resulting in a steady rise in prices. The most popularly known work on resource depletion is associated with ‘oil peak’. This refers to the notion that given that there is a finite amount of oil in the ground, at a certain point the total quantity of oil produced will peak and then decline. It is time to recognise that sustainability is about all three of these dimensions: carbon emissions resulting in global warming; biodiversity degradation, which undermines the ecosystem services on which all life depends; and resource depletion (in particular oil). When combined, it becomes possible to comprehend why there is much discussion, since the start of the global economic crisis in 2007/8, about the transition to a ‘green economy’. Although much of this discourse is merely about slightly greening business-as-usual, the only way to explain the rise of this discourse (and in particular the more radical versions) is with reference to the increasingly apparent unsustainability of a grossly unjust global capitalist system that
exacerbates inequalities and the continued exploitation of nature. The Green Economy Report, published by the United Nations Environment Programme in 2011, made it very clear what the core problem really is: “The causes of these crises vary, but at a fundamental level they all share a common feature – the gross misallocation of capital. During the past two decades, much capital was poured into property, fossil fuels and structured financial assets with embedded derivatives. However, relatively little in comparison was invested in renewable energy, energy efficiency, public transportation, sustainable agriculture, ecosystem and biodiversity protection, and land and water conservation.” RIGHT Gardens in the Lynedoch EcoVillage
Healthy soils, oils, like water, are renewable ble resources that are the emergent ergent outcome ome of interactions between tween countless elements ments of highly complex lex ecosystems ms
I have no doubt that unless the underlying challenges of climate change, biodiversity degradation and resource depletion are addressed through radical innovations that must transform everyday life and deliver much greater equality (which means consumption reduction for the million or so over-consumers), we will not be able to move beyond the current global crisis into a new golden age of shared prosperity and sustainable development. While we contemplate these challenges, we need to also act to find real solutions in local spaces like the VBR. There are three
conditions that need to be met when transforming a local space: a shared understanding within a core group of change agents that is based on trust, a capacity for innovative practice (which means being able to ignore the advice most professionals are trained to provide), and a stomach for profound disequilibrium. If sustainability is to be more than retarded collapse, thousands of grassroots initiatives to build a shared sense of destiny and reconnections to nature will be required. There is nothing more exciting than figuring out what this means in practice with a group of trusted friends.
RéSource November 2013 – 11
Solid waste
SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONS
Funding proposals for effective waste management With the majority of municipalities facing serious economic, social and environmental challenges related to solid waste management, innovative solutions for financing this management are needed to address this. RéSource takes a closer look.
I
n South Africa, issues and problems of waste management have been acknowledged and brought under the microscope through efforts such as the promulgation of the National Environmental Management: Waste Act, 2008 (Act No 59 of 2008). The gradual increase of waste generation in the country has contributed to the historical backlog of inadequate waste services, leading to unpleasant living conditions and an unhealthy environment. Increased emphasis is placed on operational waste management, environmental aspects and the legislative framework, but little effort is put into examining the funding mechanisms and policies affecting solid waste services. As such, the Financial
BELOW AND OPPOSITE Illegal dumping and combustion of waste are found to be more common in places where there is lack of knowledge around the consequences thereof
and Fiscal Commission (FFC) drafted a document on the financing of waste management in South Africa. The FFC is an independent, objective and unbiased constitutional advisory institution, tasked with advising and making recommendations to the State on financial and fiscal matters. The document takes into account the current waste management patterns and the unsustainable rate of waste generation and disposal – clearly outlining why municipalities can no longer afford the ‘collect and dump’ approach to solid waste management, particularly due to escalating collection and transportation costs.
Funding models In 2011, the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) stressed concern over the cost of solid waste management and the lack of an established funding model, which has a direct impact on the amount of funding
allocated to municipalities. Small towns and rural areas especially struggle to find funds to develop and rehabilitate their waste management infrastructure, mainly because of the lack of awareness and low prioritisation of waste management, the FFC’s research further stated. In addition, when funds are available to develop the infrastructure, the money is usually insufficient to operate and maintain the facilities. The one funding option, the Municipal Infrastructure Grant (MIG), in most cases does not cater for operational expenditure and municipalities have to find innovative ways to fund and generate revenue in order to build, operate and maintain these facilities. Traditionally, municipalities generate revenue through user charges such as levies and rates, but in most cases these revenue sources are inadequate and are becoming unaffordable for poor communities – further adding to the increased need for tighter waste management alternatives and funding mechanisms.
Waste management But before funding mechanisms can be properly addressed, it is important to take a step back and look at how the country is managing its solid waste. Kaminee Naidoo of the School of Geography, faculty of Science and Agriculture at the University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg Campus, put together a case study titled An Analysis of Municipal Solid Waste Management in South Africa using the Msunduzi Municipality as a case study, which reviewed the municipal solid waste policies and strategies of local government authorities in South Africa, highlighting the shortcomings and discrepancies that exist between legislative policies and actual management practices. The study investigated the option of incineration versus landfilling, zooming in
12 – RéSource November 2013
Solid waste
on recovery and reuse along the way. Her research concluded that landfills continue to dominate as the preferred method for solid waste disposal but space constraints at these sites is a serious cause for concern, which is even more reason as to why increased emphasis has been placed on the three ‘Rs’ of the waste hierarchy: reuse, recycle and recovery. However, we shouldn’t forget that land disposal is an essential part of every city solid waste management system. Regardless of the extent of recycling or resource recovery, there are always some wastes that must be disposed of in landfills – non-compostable residuals, for example. Most developing countries like South Africa employ open dumping as their form of land disposal. The study also confirmed a point many people are familiar with – illegal disposal methods such as street dumping and combustion are commonly practised in rural or lower-income regions, mainly due to the lack of knowledge around climate change. It is in these areas where the bulk of funding for long-term solid waste management should be allocated.
Sustainable development Interwaste, for example, recognises an aversion to waste disposal by landfill and has resulted in not only a strong desire but an innate need for the diversion of waste from typical waste management practices, which
has resulted in competitive, environmentally sound solutions. Disposal of waste by landfill is, however, a common practice in the country, becoming problematic as the population grows. The harsh reality is that landfills will be around for a while, especially in developing RéSource November 2013 – 13
Recycling of Municipal and Industrial Waste
Pellets or fluff as alternative fuels AMANDUS KAHL GmbH & Co. KG Dieselstrasse 5, D-21465 Reinbek / Hamburg, Germany Phone: +49 (0)40 727 71-0, Fax: +49 (0)40 727 71-100 info@amandus-kahl-group.de www.akahl.de
Johannes Schuback & Sons (S.A.) PTY Limited, Johannesburg / RSA Phone: +27 11 7062270, Fax: +27 11 7069236 jsssa@mweb.co.za
Solid waste
Recycling has the potential to boost job creation and revenue but balers, such as those required to compress recyclables, are expensive and require the necessary funding for start-up and maintenance
• geosynthetic clay liner (GCL) supplied by Kaytech • rip and re-compact 150 mm thick in-situ material. All the stormwater run-off from the waste body side slopes drain into the contaminated stormwater channels from where it gravitates into the existing contaminated stormwater storage dam. From here, it can be pumped to a top loader facility to be used for dust suppression should it be required. All the clean stormwater is collected in the clean stormwater channel and diverted around the landfill into the existing river. countries, and it is important to approach the design and life cycle thereof with sustainable solutions. A good reference is the company’s completion of the design of a new general cell, Cell 3, at the Kupferberg landfill site in Namibia, early last year. As part of the contract, new contaminated stormwater channels
along the toe of the new cell were designed, as well as clean stormwater cut-off channels running parallel with the contaminated stormwater channels. The layer works for the landfill comprised of: • 300 mm thick sand protection/ confining layer
Industry suggestions Recommendations arising from the FFC propose that by the end of the 2015/16 financial year, national government should consider cost accounting (FCA) for municipal solid waste management, such as:
14 – RéSource November 2013
Specialist Waste Management Consultants Sustainable and appropriate engineering solutions with integrity and professionalism. Stanford Drop-off Vissershok Waste Management Facility
Gansbaai Recycling Centre
Velddrif Transfer Station
t t t t t t t t t t t t
Integrated Waste Management Plans Waste Disposal Strategies Identification and permitting of landfill sites Design of General and Hazardous Waste sites Design of Solid Waste Transfer Stations Design of Material Recovery Facilities Optimisation of Waste Collection Systems Auditing of Waste Management Facilities Development of Operational Plans Closure and Rehabilitation of Landfills Quality Assurance on Synthetic Liners Waste Recycling Plans
Hermanus Materials Recovery Facility
Botrivier Drop-off
Jan Palm Consulting Engineers Tel +27 21 982 6570
/ Fax +27 21 981 0868 / E-mail info@jpce.co.za / www.jpce.co.za
Solid waste
The effective and efficient management of waste is fundamental to the sustinability of any society • developing specific FCA guidelines for integrated municipal solid waste management • taking greater advantage of the opportunities for job creation in the solid waste sector by incentivising ‘green’ jobs • reviewing the funding conditions of the MIG to ensure local-level municipal waste management assets are eligible for financing • the introduction of labour-intensive waste collection, reduction and recycling mechanisms to areas where services are inadequate. At the third annual Waste Khoro held in October last year, it was clear that the effective and efficient management of waste is fundamental to the sustainability of any society. The Waste Khoro is the culmination of waste management officers and experts, with the objectives of setting a platform for the efficient implementation of the Waste Act and to discuss challenges and lessons learned from the Act, among other important factors. The main focus of the third Khoro centred on budgeting and the actual costings associated with waste management services, the promotion of the waste hierarchy, acceleration of public awareness on waste management, best practices in the management of waste disposal sites, creation of job opportunities for the youth in waste management, and the development of Integrated Waste Management Plans (IWMP). The event kicked off with talks from the DEA and reviewed institutional arrangements arising from municipalities. Discussions were divided into six strategic categories, namely: • Full cost accounting and efficient budgeting for waste services: this addressed the lack of sufficient funds for maintenance of waste management infrastructure, lack of models to deal with tariffs, costing and budgeting for waste services, poor administration of waste management matters and tariffs that are not consistent with services provided. • Promoting recycling and separation at source: this discussed waste
collection systems from various municipalities that do not encourage separation at source and recycling, the availability of recycling and separation at source infrastructure, diminishing landfill air space and suitable land for disposal, and positives such as entrepreneurial opportunities for communities in the recycling sector. • Accelerating public awareness on waste: this focused on the lack of coordination of messaging from national, provincial and local spheres of government; continuity in education and awareness programmes; and capacitating communities through education and awareness inter ventions. • Best practice in management of waste disposal sites: this addressed limited technical capacity for the operation of waste disposal facilities, lack of sufficient funds, lack of suitable land and diminishing landfill air space, outdated and unmaintained equipment, and capacity building and public-private partnerships. • Mainstreaming youth jobs in waste management: this discussed attracting young people into waste management, sustainability of projects, harnessing the energy and enthusiasm of young people to address environmental concerns and empowering communities through self-employment. • Maximising the integrated waste management planning regime: this involved drafting measurable outcome-based IWMPs and looking at the capacity required to ensure effective IWMPs. Conclusions emerging from the conference found that the efficient management of waste is a major challenge for municipalities across the country. The complexity thereof calls for a comprehensive and multisectoral approach with a proactive dimension in order to reduce not only the amount of waste generated, but also to redirect the behaviour of communities toward a new level of positive participation in improving and maintaining a healthy, ecologically protected environment.
RéSource November 2013 – 15
Solid waste
GREEN REVOLUTION
Setting the sustainability agenda This year’s biennial Eastern Cape ‘Green Revolution’ Conference saw the 72 delegates join in on significant discussions about environmental consciousness and the lessons the waste management industry can learn from countries like the UK, while also being introduced to a number of innovative projects – like a unique solar car showcased by Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU).
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outh Africa’s waste management challenges include a growing population and economy, increasingly complex waste streams and a limited understanding of waste flows. “The policy and regulator y environment does not promote waste hierarchy.” This is according to UKbased waste specialist, Sarah Edwards, from RWS Environmental Consultancy. Edwards was opening the debate around waste management lessons that could be learnt from the UK’s experience, as one of the industr y exper ts lined up to share knowledge on how to be more sustainable at the much anticipated IWMSA
DRIVING INNOVATION
Eastern Cape Conference, titled the ‘Green Revolution’, which took place on 10 September 2013 at the Boardwalk Conference Centre in Por t Elizabeth. Edwards noted that from her 15 years of experience in waste management, the cornerstones of effective waste management include data collection and analysis, strategy development, collection systems planning and deliver y, and infrastructure planning and deliver y. The absence of recycling infrastructure and the informal nature thereof in the local waste management sec sector was a challenge she also noted. Ac According to Edwards, there is much tha that South Africa can learn from the UK, especially e in respect to formalising recycling recycl streams and infrastructure. “Look for quick wins in recycling collections,” she sh advised.
More than a moral imperative Mor
ANOTHER INNOVATIVE project on display at the conference was SA’s own solar car – the unique VWSA-NMMU Solar Car Project. In an effort to boost the Nelson Mandela Bay metropolitan’s research capability into renewable energy, the Advanced Mechatronic Technology Centre and the VWSA-DAAD International chair in the School of Engineering at NMMU initiated the solar car project in 2011. The solar car, which has been dubbed “Photon”, was subsequently unveiled on 3 September 2012 ahead of competing against a number of international teams from countries such as Japan and the Netherlands at the 3rd South African Solar Challenge, which took place from 18 to 29 September 2012.
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Other speakers included John Hunt Othe and Richard Ric Harper from South Africabased Mpact M Recycling, who discussed how to convert c the enthusiasm for the “green re revolution” into sustainable recyclate colle collection projects. “We have public BELOW AND OPPOSITE TOP Recycled art made from plastics and paper by the pupils at Sunridge Park Primary, Nelson Mandela Bay
awareness and enabling legislation. How do we convert this into successful recycling projects?” asked Hunt. According to Hunt and Harper, it is Mpact Recycling’s view that customers need to be provided with simple and easy to use mechanisms to enable them to dispose of their recyclable material with the confidence that it will be recycled. However, the moral imperative to recycle, while necessar y, is not sufficient alone to sustain recycling projects. “Projects must have a solid economic basis, with the benefits being not only environmental, but also social and economic,” said Hunt, adding that collected material has a value at the door of the factor y that will recycle it. According to Hunt, sustainable projects require not only adequate capitalisation at the outset, but must also generate sufficient income to replace capital equipment. Hunt concluded that local markets are essential for sustainable projects and that government involvement and suppor t is vital. “We need creativity and innovation and the courage to tr y out new ideas.”
Innovation on display Dr Chris Mulder introduced the concept and design of Crossways Farm Village, an innovative new “rural town”, which has been conceived and
Solid waste
planned to inject ect a sustainable economic boost into the rural Eastern Cape. pproved and officialThe project, which was approved ly launched in 2010, is a rural development that adheres to strict building guidelines and green measures in relation to wastewater management, waste management and recycling – all of which will be enforced as non-negotiable, according to Mulder. “The development of a new town under the Kouga Municipality will provide its own wastewater treatment plant, refuse removal system that requires all refuse to be separated at source, as well as a waste management and recycling facility that is to be operated by small emerging private entrepreneurs from the region,” explained Mulder, adding that he hoped to rollout a number of similar projects in the near future. Other speakers included Prof Maar ten de Wit, a professor at NMMU, who focused on BELOW RIGHT Lake Farm Centre’s eco-warrior, Neo Leben, made from recycled materials
valuab insight we received valuable about focus areas in the in waste industr y, green technology South Africa’s recycling r gy, prospects and newly formulated disciplines. On behalf of the IWMSA, we would like to thank all the speakers for their time and knowledge,” concluded the IWMSA president, Dr Suzan Oelofse.
‘How to get Ear th back on track’ through a new discipline called ‘Ear th stewardship science’. Peter Neilson discussed renewable energy challenges and oppor tunities for municipalities, strongly emphasising that great oppor tunities abounded in the renewable energy field in the Eastern Cape, while Lisa Parkes from PETCO of fered an introduction to PETCO and PET recycling in South Africa, emphasising the multiple means ” Sarah of assistance and Edwards, UK-based waste suppor t the company offers communities. specialist from RWS “We are delighted Environmental Consultancy by the positive turnout for this conference and for all the
Look for quick wins in recycling collections.
RéSource November 2013 – 17
Solid waste
JOB CREATION
Continuous contribution According to the Paper Recycling Association of South Africa (Prasa), the pulp and paper industry is one of the largest employers in South Africa, making a significant annual contribution to the economy of some R35.26 billion.
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pact, a leading player in the paper and plastic packaging industry, has and continues to create important employment opportunities in the sector. Empowerment and enterprise development is central to Mpact’s strategy for its recycling business. Mpact Recycling makes use of independent contract drivers to execute its recycling collection strategy. These owner-drivers transport the recovered waste material lean-up Week is from various collection celebrated from points right through to 16 to 21 September.
DID YOU
KNOW C
?
During this week, all South Africans are urged to do something towards increasing recycling rates.
Mpact’s paper mills. Mpact also buys its recovered paper from more than 90 independent dealers throughout the country. According to John Hunt, managing director at Mpact Recycling: “Mpact Recycling’s broad national footprint includes community recycling and collection projects throughout South Africa – an essential element of enterprise development. “Through our continued support we hope that these businesses will not only be sustainable, but will also lead to the creation of more job opportunities,” Piet Matentshi and Khombisile Buthelezi are respective business owners who have successful businesses based on Mpact’s sustainable model of recycling.
From truck driver to business owner Sixty-nine-year-old Matentshi from Springs has been running a successful business collecting recovered paper around Gauteng and delivering it to Mpact’s paper mills for over 10 years. Matentshi, who was previously a driver for an international packaging and paper group, was given an opportunity to start his business in 1998. This has not only afforded Matentshi the opportunity to run his business, but has also enabled him to create employment opportunities for 10 other people. Matentshi owns two trucks and collects Recovered paper is sorted into grades
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about 10 tonnes of paper from Monday to Friday. He collects recovered paper in the Randburg and Sandton areas as well as in Germiston, Edenvale and Alberton. “My day starts at 07:00 and only ends once I have finished all my collections in the respective areas. I have two drivers and eight assistants who work with me to recover paper for Mpact,” he says. “Being my own boss has taught me to have self-discipline and perseverance. Budding entrepreneurs need to be aware that a successful business does not happen overnight. It takes a lot of commitment,” Matentshi advises. “The business of recycling is what has made the difference in my life. I have been able to provide for my family, buy a house and send my children to university.” Matentshi recently purchased two more trucks and plans to expand his business.
Proud buy-back centre owner Buthelezi is the proud owner of a buy-back centre in Alberton. She received advice, training and equipment from Mpact before opening her business in January 2004. She currently employs three people who help her run the buy-back centre. Communities and hawkers in Alberton and surrounding areas such as Katlehong and Spruitview contribute to the successful running of this buy-back centre by delivering recyclable waste materials they collect. “My centre is open from 07:00 until 16:30, Monday to Friday and on Saturdays from 08:00 to 14:00. I collect paper, glass and plastic,” says Buthelezi. Mpact guarantees to purchase all the material that Buthelezi collects at her buyback centre, therefore ensuring the continuity of her business. Hawkers and community members who wish to be involved in recycling can deliver their recycling directly to the buy-back centre and will be paid based on the weight of their collections.
BEYOND RECYCLING
BlackAfrica Group _ 2541
Let’s not waste our earth’s scarce resources. When you recycle with Mpact Recycling, your waste paper is used to make paper and other products, saving many of these resources and contributing to a sustainable future not only for you but for the next generation. Not only is Mpact Recycling the largest collector of paper for recycling in South Africa, Mpact is the largest producer of paper made from recycled materials in the country. Mpact is involved in the entire process from collecting discarded paper all the way through to making the paper from it and converting it into boxes. What’s more, by recycling, you are helping to employ over 30,000 people involved in the industry. Having empowered over 170 small businesses to facilitate their own recycling collections, Mpact is also actively leading change in the industry through smarter, sustainable thinking.
Profile
SUSTAINABLE ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
Ekurhuleni’s beautification of lakes, dams and pans Khaya Ngema, city manager of the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality, talks on this flagship project.
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ome say that the next world war will be fought over water. That’s how precious the resource is. The Ekurhuleni Metro is rich when it comes to wetlands, lakes and dams, and these water bodies play a vital role in the lives of all. That said, our 2007 audit of the 206 water bodies within Ekurhuleni revealed that 2% have been totally destroyed, 64% have been partially destroyed and only 34% have been lucky enough to survive with little impact from mining and industrial activity, sewerage spills and leaks, encroachment of residential suburbs, road construction and the improper disposal of various pollutants.
Drastic action is necessary to revive these water bodies as they are not only unique to Ekurhuleni, but form a major part of the entire country’s hydrology (the study of the movement, distribution and quality of water on Earth including the hydrologic cycle, water resources and environmental watershed sustainability). South Africa is a water scarce country. Water bodies in Ekurhuleni are ‘upstream’, which means that they flow into all of the country’s downstream dams, lakes and pans that eventually lead to the Indian and Atlantic oceans. Ensuring that our lakes, dams and pans are free from pollution is therefore essential for the rest of the country’s water resources. As a result, Ekurhuleni has ensured that the beautifica” tion of lakes, dams and pans is one of Khaya Ngema, city manager at Ekurhuleni its flagship projects. We want to create an Metropolitan Municipality attractive environment that contributes to our region becoming a BACKGROUND ON preferred destination for investment and a THE REGION home for water sports, water economics THE EKURHULENI Metropolitan and hospitality. Municipality (EMM) was established in 2000 as one of six metros. It covers Ekurhuleni’s natural assets an extensive geographical area, from The lakes, dams and pans across Ekurhuleni Germiston in the west to Springs and Nigel in the east. are our natural assets. As such, we are lookEkurhuleni has a total surface area ing for ways to use them to create employof ±2 000 km², a population of ment and economic growth in the region. ±2.8 million, constitutes ±5.6% of the We want to enhance the quality of life for national population and makes up 28% of Gauteng’s population. The population all, and eco-tourism is just one of the many density is approximately 1 400 people ways that our Growth and Development per square kilometre, making Ekurhuleni Strategy (GDS) 2055 has identified to meet one of the most densely populated this goal. areas in the country and province. By comparison, Gauteng is 604 people per Whether investment comes in the form square kilometre and 39 people per of waterfront-type developments or major square kilometre in the country. water sport events, our water bodies have
By transforming our water bodies we not only transform our spatial environment, but also ensure balanced human settlements.
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huge potential when it comes to enhancing our towns for the employees and residents to enjoy. Our Institutional Review, another of our flagship projects, ensured the creation of a full Environment Department, which will effectively manage our water resources and ensure that the aerotropolis, also a flagship project, is able to benefit as people will be attracted to enjoy Ekurhuleni as a place to live, work and play. The beautification of our lakes, pans and dams also forms part of Ekurhuleni’s open space network, which ensures that development does take place in various parts of our region. These protected open spaces also enhance the quality of life of our employees and residents. Colombia’s Medellin, the most innovative city in the world, believes that the biggest investment a city can make is not in its built environment, but in the quality of its open spaces. The management of water bodies and open spaces will thus enable our people to shape their private space and, in so doing, transform the urban landscape of Ekurhuleni. All of Ekurhuleni’s flagship projects are interconnected. By transforming our water bodies we not only transform our spatial environment, but also ensure balanced human settlements where our people can not only live, but also work and play as jobs will be created close to residential areas. This is how we ensure a sustainable city, as mentioned in the GDS 2055. We have effectively ensured that our water received the Department of Water Affairs' Blue Drop quality status for numerous years, and this is another advantage that we have when it comes to positioning our city to ensure investment, job creation and skills development. We want to create a sense of pride among our employees and residents, and to do this, they must be proud of the
Profile
CLEANEST AND GREENEST CITY IN SOUTH AFRICA IN DELIVERING services to the community, the EMM strives to maintain and promote sustainable environmental management by carefully blending ecological, social and economic solutions into its future planning and decisionmaking processes. The Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality (EMM) balances the interests of the present with those of future generations and, ultimately, strives to reduce the environmental impacts of current operations, activities, products and services. The city believes that it is not enough to build awareness about climate change, but to take action to slow down the effects thereof. This is evident out of a number of award-winning projects undertaken. The Ekurhuleni Landfill Gas Recovery Project was the overall winner of the prestigious Best Waste Management Project (Africa) 2013 award category in The New Economy Sustainable Energy Awards 2013. Ekurhuleni was also declared the greenest city in South Africa, following the announcement by the national Department of Environmental Affairs during the Greenest Municipality Competition. Ekurhuleni met the criteria to be crowned the best in the country, which includes good waste management plans, policy and strategies, institutional arrangements and political support within the municipalities on environmental programme greening initiatives, including landscaping and planting of trees and community involvement on environmental projects and programmes.
beauty within the region in which they live and the quality of life that it offers to them. We also want tourists and residents to be able to walk, run and ride bicycles within our region, while they enjoy everything that it has to offer. This is the only way that they will truly ‘feel’ the vibrancy within the municipality. All our towns are close to the airport and tourists can thus enjoy our natural assets, like Victoria Lake (Germiston), which has not only been revamped but also has plans to again become internationally recognised as a major water sports and leisure venue.
Reviving Ekurhuleni Ekurhuleni is playing a major role when it comes to reviving our towns, their CBDs and water bodies. For example, there are proposals that look at how we can drive urban renewal by establishing various Ekurhuleni offices in close proximity to our water bodies to revive these regions. Added to this, security will be a major focus at our various water bodies when it comes to keeping residents safe. The more people that make use of our
ABOVE Ekurhuleni – rich in natural water bodies
facilities, the safer they will be. Added to this, there are ongoing discussions about introducing ‘park rangers’ at these facilities to further ensure community safety. The municipal Department of Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation is looking at projects, like its ‘Learn to Swim’ initiative that’s run in conjunction with Swimming South Africa, which will attract our communities to our water bodies for recreation and events. The department will also play a significant role in enhancing water sports and creating dedicated programmes at these venues. We have already signed a memorandum of understanding with the South African Maritime Safety Authority to advise us around issues relating to boat repair, manufacturing and dredging. It is hoped that this will lead to job creation at places like Victoria Lake, where there is a boat club and community members could be taught
skills to assist in these areas to ensure economic development.
Looking ahead Going forward, Ekurhuleni has prioritised various water bodies including the Civic, Middle, Kleinfontein and Homestead lakes (Benoni); Murray Park and President Park (Springs); Dries Niemandt and Blaauwpan (Kempton Park); Victoria Lake (Germiston); and various others on the tourism route, including Leeupan, Marievale, Blesbokspruit, Rondebult and the Korsman Bird Sanctuary. Additional water bodies undergoing or earmarked for rehabilitation and maintenance include the Natalspruit, KweneleSpruit/Community Park, Nyoni Park, Elsburg, Boksburg Lake, Cinderella Dam, Tembisa Natural Water Courses (Kaalspruit), Olifantsfontein, Eastleigh Spruit, Oriel/ Jukskei Spruit, Atlasville Spruit and Jan Smuts Dam. www.ekurhuleni.gov.za
RéSource November 2013 – 21
Profile
STANDARD BANK
A focus on sustainability As an African bank, with operations in 18 countries in sub-Saharan Africa, Standard Bank is very sensitive to Africa’s vulnerability to the effects of climate change and water scarcity. If left unchecked, climate change, environmental degradation, water and food insecurity will hamper growth and development across the continent.
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tandard Bank is strongly committed to reducing the environmental footprint of its operations across Africa and supporting its clients to do the same. The bank’s approach is proactive – it aims to be an exemplar of good practice for industry as a whole. Its commitment is both commercially sensible and socially responsible. If it does not respond to environmental issues responsibly and sustainably, poverty will increase and businesses fail. One of the greatest opportunities to meaningfully impact on environmental concerns lies in the bank’s indirect impact: Standard Bank is a leading finance provider for renewable energy projects in South Africa, all its project finance deals comply with the equator principles, it is an innovator in using carbon trading to enable greener development, it screens major deals to ensure social
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and environmental risks are mitigated, and it has developed products that assist its customers in reducing their carbon footprint. However, as a large corporation operating across a number of countries, Standard Bank’s direct environmental impact is substantial, and it has implemented a number of initiatives to ensure that it manages this impact responsibly. The bank achieves this primarily through green building design, environmentally responsible waste management and recycling, and implementing energy efficiency programmes in its buildings.
Green buildings Experts suggest that if half of new commercial buildings were built to use 50% less energy, it would save over 6 million metric tonnes of carbon dioxide annually for the life of the buildings – the equivalent of taking more than one million cars off the road every year. The average certified green building uses 32% less electricity.
Green buildings save money in the long run, and are healthier, more productive places to live and work. Standard Bank is a member of the Green Building Council of South Africa. The bank ensures that all its new buildings are designed, built and operated in an environmentally sustainable way. It follows the Green Star SA building rating system, which assesses the environmental impact of buildings, taking into account factors such as building management, indoor environmental quality, energy and water consumption, transportation, materials used, land use and site emissions. Standard Bank has also sponsored the development of a tool to assist in greening the interior space of buildings. Its new office building in Rosebank, Johannesburg, which houses 5 000 employees, has achieved a 5-star Green Star design rating. Sixty
Profile
stations throughout the office area, requiring employees to sort their waste. Despite some initial consternation at the removal of individual bins, the initiative has been well received by the staff. To date, the bank has achieved a 31% increase in the collection of recyclables, diverting this waste from landfills. The bank is currently introducing the recycling bins in other parts of its business. Standard Bank monitors 100% of the paper consumed across its South African operations. It increased its paper recycled by 27% between 2011 and 2012, and aims to do more. The bank continues to work toward removing paper from processes wherever possible, including its initiatives to move customers to electronic account statements. ABOVE Herbert WW24 is a 20 MW photovoltaic project located in the Northern Cape RIGHT Solar panels at Standard Bank’s head office in Johannesburg produce up to 105 kW
percent of the office area has natural daylight and external views. The building design ensures circulation of fresh air, exceeding national building requirements by 50%. It is designed to cut energy costs by about 10 to 15% compared to a conventional office building of its size, with energyefficient lighting and water-efficient fittings, and meter systems to monitor and manage consumption. A gas-powered trigeneration plant produces one megawatt of energy, which lights, heats and cools the building. Rainwater capture halves the building’s use of municipal water and waste is separated and stored in dedicated storage areas. During construction, 85% of the waste generated on-site was reused or recycled.
Energy monitoring and management Effective management and reduction of the bank’s energy use is essential to its commitment to environmental responsibility. Standard Bank’s Environmental Management System allows it to track and manage its carbon emissions, waste management and use of energy and water across the hundreds of sites on which the bank operates. In South Africa, the bank is able to report on 100% of its electricity consumption across all its premises, including its branch network and ATMs. Standard Bank is working on expanding the reach of its water, paper, waste and recycling data. During 2012, the bank spent approximately R15 million on energy-efficiency projects
Green energy for poverty alleviation
in its South African operations. Standard Bank’s biggest energy consumers are lighting, IT, heating, ventilation and air conditioning. At its head office in Johannesburg, which houses 15 000 employees, the bank has reduced peak electricity consumption to 8 000 kW, through the use of energy-efficient lighting, timers on geysers, and carbon monoxide monitors in parking areas, which determine when to activate the exhaust extraction system. A hybrid thermal solar water heating system supplements the bank’s electric geysers, and photovoltaic plants provide peak power production of 105 kW. Since 2011, Standard Bank has replaced approximately 30 000 bulbs with energy-efficient lightemitting diodes, providing an annual energy reduction of 3 million kilowatt hours. Energy savings initiatives are ongoing, and the bank expects to realise further savings of around 1.05 million kilowatt hours, saving about R1.1 million per year.
Traditionally, smaller low-cost carbon emissions reduction projects were not able to access carbon credit revenue due to high transaction costs. Programmatic CDM (clean development mechanism) is a new type of CDM registration that works as a collective mechanism for a range of smaller individual projects. An organisation that joins the bank’s programmatic CDM avoids the cost of individually registering an energy-efficiency project and will be able to generate carbon credits much sooner. Standard Bank has established a number of these registrations covering renewable energy, corporate and household energy efficiency, solar lighting, clean cook stoves, biomass generation and waste management projects. An example is the bank’s partnership with the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality in a CDM-registered Low Pressure Solar Water Heater Programme. Standard Bank has worked with the municipality, housing developers and communities to facilitate the installation of approximately 110 000 solar water heaters in low-income housing developments under the SASSA/ Tasol Programme, making available R22 million to assist with the roll-out of the project.
Recycling
Sustainability in our supply chain
Standard Bank targets to reduce the volume of general waste produced in its offices by 20% by 2015. The bank has already reduced general waste production by 41% since 2009. During 2012, Standard Bank introduced an internal recycling initiative in its Johannesburg head office. It removed all the waste bins that had been located under employees’ desks and introduced recycling
Standard Bank’s supplier tendering process in South Africa includes a sustainability questionnaire that covers labour practices and social and environmental factors. During 2012, the bank set minimum environmental standards for all its waste management, cleaning and hygiene, exterior and interior landscaping and pest control services procured in South Africa.
RéSource November 2013 – 23
Landfills
ENVIRONMENTAL COMPLIANCE
Carefully considered A major focus on environmental compliance was at the heart of the construction and commissioning of a contaminated water management system at Robinson Deep Landfill Site in Johannesburg, which was completed at the end of August 2013, says Mzukisi Tshem, Pikitup general manager: Disposal.
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t the time of the interview, Tshem noted that the programme tracking outlined that the project was running late by a day at that stage, “which may still be recovered”. Construction commenced in April this year. The project itself though stands out from the rest, according to Tshem, not only because it looks set to meet projected construction timelines, but because “this project is going to ensure compliance to environmental practices associated with the site”. The improvement of run-off water management at the site is significant, he says, because this will improve operational compliance at the site significantly. “When the site complies with its permit conditions, the negative impact to the surrounding environment is reduced drastically and it becomes socially acceptable to the community within which it operates.” Tshem adds that buyin and cooperation with the community within which the site is operated will sustain its existence. Pikitup is the custodian of the project. “We are the landfill site permit holder and therefore we need to ensure compliance to the
24 – RéSource November 2013
operating permit conditions. It is a permit requirement and best practice to ensure that all water run-off associated with the site is managed in a manner that is not detrimental to the surrounding environment and to ensure landfill compliance to its operating permit conditions.”
Project background As the landfill progressively develops, it is required that ongoing infrastructure development and maintenance keep up with the development to ensure compliance to its operating permit conditions. “Over the years of operation, the existing pond at the site had silted up due to run-off at the site during wet weather conditions,” Tshem continues. He adds that despite this, the site development was progressing, which warranted that the pond be desilted and enlarged to accommodate contaminated run-off generated by the site. “To achieve this, the contaminated water catchment drainage system leading to the pond has to be upgraded to avoid continuous ponding at the site during rainy season and to ensure
that a compliant water management system is maintained.”
A phased approach According to Tshem, a phased approach has been adopted in implementing the required works to support the progressive development of the site and to ensure full compliance. The current phase involves the following: • desilting and expansion of the existing contaminated water management pond • upgrading of part drainage system associated with the pond and site run-off water management • walling/fencing around the pond and the northern boundary of the site where construction activities are taking place • regrading and or shaping of the northern site terrain to enhance controlled water run-off • construction of part ring road around the site, to enable easy access. The future phases will entail the continuation of site water management system/ drainage upgrade, the continuation of the access ring road construction and progressive
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Let’s recycle our way to a better future.
We, at Pikitup Johannesburg SOC Limited, aspire to be the leading integrated waste management company in Africa. That is why we’ve made it our mission to provide sustainable and innovative waste management solutions that exceed stakeholders’ expectations time and time again. Our service offering includes: Round Collected Refuse, Business Waste, Special Waste, Landfill Sites, Garden Sites and Green Waste Recycling. More ways we’re working towards a better, greener South Africa. RéSource November 2013 – 25
Landfills
landfill rehabilitation, which involves capping and provision of drainage including topsoiling, and vegetating completed areas with indigenous vegetation.
Contractor’s contribution According to Justin Butt of Fountain Civil Engineering (FCE), the main contractor for the project, the contaminated stormwater and leachate system at the landfill was unable to cope and needed rehabilitation and upgrading as all the pollutants were being allowed to flow uncontrolled into a large unlined pond adjacent to the landfill. “This project was commissioned in order to contain the situation and get the contaminated stormwater under control,” explains Butt. Butt says the importance of getting the right drainage system in place cannot be underestimated, as this aspect is vital to the job in order to stop erosion of the rehabilitated sections of the landfill and unwanted ponding of water in the area. He adds that the scope of the project included firstly pumping out the existing stormwater pond, secondly desilting the pond to increase capacity, then rehabilitating and reshaping the area through a cut-and-fill process, followed by hydroseeding (grassing) the area, before finally building new stormwater drains to protect the landscape. “As the main contractor, FCE was responsible for carrying out all the earthworks and concrete works. FCE has extensive landfill
26 – RéSource November 2013
experience, having worked on all the different aspects of landfill construction, closure and leachate management in the past. We have previously carried out contracts at Robinson Deep Landfill and so were aware of the daily operations of the site and the site management personnel,” he says. According to Butt, one of the greatest challenges on-site, was cleaning out and desilting the stormwater pond as it was extremely muddy. “Our plant was unable to drive on the material to dredge out the pond-making working conditions difficult and slow.” This challenge was overcome by creating an access road by importing stable rock material. “This enabled our plant to gain access to the sludge in the middle of the pond for removal.” For Butt, the highlight of the project was seeing the change in landscape, “from an unruly stockpile of material to a nice flat grassed area”.
A challenging context According to Tshem, some of the challenges faced in the roll-out of the pro-ject included flooding on-sitee during the rainy season andd insufficient suitable cover mate-rial. These challenges were,, however, easily overcome byy implementing the site run-offf water management designs andd m by sourcing cover material from
external sources, i.e. mine dumps and abandoned soil spoils. Part of the project, however, that was not as easily seen due to its intricate nature was the desilting of the pond. “The desilting of the pond is quite a challenging operation as the machines/plant is required to operate in the mud, which may sink the machine. But experienced contractors with suitable equipment and technique were brought on board to conduct the complicated operation,” says Tshem, adding that large excavators and articulated dump trucks were roped in and temporary earth platforms were created to stabilise the pond in order to gain access and desilt the pond. “As landfill technology evolves, Pikitup is taking all the opportunity at its disposal to engage specialists in the field and to explore alternative methods of conducting landfill operations. With landfill operations, there is always room for employing innovative technologies to enhance or improve compliance and ensure best practice,” concludes Tshem.
bidim
R
Landfills
LANDFILL LINERS
Environmental safety ensured
By 2012, the capacity of the landfill site at Mpofana, near Mooi River in KwaZulu-Natal, was reaching saturation point.
H
aving started as a local refuse site for domestic waste, mainly from the Bruntville settlement, this informal landfill could no longer cope with the volume of waste being dumped there. It was decided to construct a new landfill site using Kaytech’s EnviroFix geosynthetic clay liners, as much for their easy and rapid installation as for their durability and cost effectiveness. Due to the complete lack of a waste selection process, Mpofana Landfill had also become a dumpsite for any form of waste. Of major environmental concern to the uMgungundlovu District Municipality, was contaminated water seeping from this landfill site into the pristine Mooi River, which flows just a few hundred metres down-valley. This would pose serious health risks to nearby communities as well as those living further downstream.
A matter of urgency After consultation with Umgeni Water, the largest supplier of potable water in KwaZuluNatal, and civil engineer Stemele Bosch, it was decided as a matter of urgency to formalise the Mpofana Landfill site. To prevent any further pollution of the environment, a new, formal landfill cell was carefully designed to
28 – RéSource November 2013
accommodate ever-increasing waste and, more importantly, to contain any contaminated water. For this purpose, a composite liner comprising Kaytech’s EnviroFix X800 geosynthetic clay liner (GCL), together with a 2 mm HDPE liner as covering was specified as a vital part of the design. The alternative to using EnviroFix for the new landfill was to use compacted clay layers, which are extremely time consuming and demanding to install. Further problems would be locating the correct natural clay in the relevant quantities, which would then require transportation to site, before careful compaction at the correct moisture content in order to achieve the desired permeability. Since EnviroFix can, in many cases, completely replace or significantly reduce the required thickness of the compacted clay layer, less excavation and compaction are required while containment volume is increased; in a landfill site, increased airspace equates directly to increased revenues. With Kaytech guaranteeing the permeability of its EnviroFix liner and due to the ease and speed of installation provided by this top-class product, it was a simple decision for consultants from Umgeni Water to make.
The liner investigated A proudly South African manufactured geosynthetic clay liner, EnviroFix is produced by needling a uniform layer of sodium bentonite between two durable, outer layers of geotextile. Sodium bentonite is a naturally occurring clay mineral with a structure comprising charged platelets. When it comes into contact with moisture, it swells considerably. When this occurs under confinement, it forms a lining with a low permeability, equivalent to that of approximately one metre of compacted clay. The Thermal Lock process, a proprietar y heat-treating process, is used to modify and more permanently, lock the needlepunched fibres into place. Unique properties, including increased internal shear resistance and long-term creep resistance, result from this procedure. During installation, the needle-punched fibres hold the bentonite in place and prevent the liner from separating. EnviroFix is more durable over a wider range of installation conditions and, because it is needle punched, any adverse effects of premature hydration during installation are greatly reduced. A fur ther advantage in using this product is that the clay
Landfills
component is no longer the limiting factor on side slopes; low permeability on steep slopes is assured without sacrificing slope stability. EnviroFix is superior to compacted clay layers in terms of desired consistent permeability values by orders of magnitude. Besides being the ideal product for lining landfills and caps, EnviroFix is also suitable for use in liquid containment structures, canals and as a secondar y containment barrier in above-ground tank impoundments.
Contract intricacies Houston Earthmoving Trust was awarded the contract to install EnviroFix as per Kaytech’s installation guidelines. Using a spreader bar and a TLB, the contractor was able to install 9 000 m2 of EnviroFix X800 in only eight days, thereby expediting the construction process and completing the new cell in a far shorter period than the alternative option would have taken.
A new, formal landfill cell was carefully designed to accommodate ever-increasing waste and, more importantly, to contain any contaminated water
In conclusion, by installing this outstanding Kaytech product, manufactured according to a stringent quality control programme, the contractor was able to save time and money, thereby reducing the project costs. Ultimately,
uMgungundlovu District Municipality will save as maintenance costs at its new Mpofana Landfill will be minimal and, more impor tantly, there will be less risk of pollution to the surrounding environment and local communities. RéSource November 2013 – 29
20
years
FIND OUT HOW AQUATAN HAS INNOVATED THE GEOMEMBRANE LINING BUSINESS Aquatan s patented Enhanced Barrier System® (EBS) for waste sites is a new technology that has gained international recognition for its dedicated and focused performance characteristics. The design, which draws fluid through the lining system at negative pressure, mitigates heat build-up and simultaneously facilitates hydration of the Geosynthetic Clay Liner (GCL) as well as removing Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC s). In line with our established reputation for using only the best GCLs and Geomembranes, this system is further optimised using Aquatan s already successful Hi-Drain® drainage system. This revolutionary technology, for which Aquatan holds the worldwide patent, provides real opportunities for protecting the environment far into the future.
Aquatan is the only IAGI-approved installation contractor in Africa, which underscores our reputation for delivering Geosynthetic Installations professionally and reliably, every time. Aquatan is ISO 9001/2008 certified, and has been awarded the SABS Certificate of Recognition for its 20 years of loyalty, commitment to and compliance with the SABS Quality Management Certification Scheme. Aquatan provides the Total Solution! In addition to our Geomembrane innovations, Aquatan s HDPE, LLDPE, RFPP and EVA linings are used in applications ranging from hazardous liquid or solid waste to potable water reservoirs, linings, tanks, sewage ponds, anaerobic digesters, heap leach facilities, tunnels, canals, water features and underground water storage. We also construct floating cover reservoirs, small dams and tanks.
For more information: Piet Meyer Tel: +27 (0) 11 974 5271 ¦ Fax: +27 (0) 11 974 4111 E-mail: aqua@aquatan.com ¦ www.aquatan.com
Waste to energy
CHP PLANT
A first for SA Johannesburg Water officially launched its pilot Biogas Project at the Northern Wastewater Treatment Works on 20 August. The project has been hailed as a first of its kind in South Africa and Chantelle van Schalkwyk was there to witness the groundbreaking event.
F
or the past couple of years, the City of Johannesburg has been striving to deliver quality services to the residents of greater Johannesburg. This means that the municipality is constantly looking for
new innovative ways to cater to its residents in the best way possible, as well as to live up to the name of a world-class African city. The biogas to electrical energy on wastewater treatment works project is another way we are proving our commitment to service delivery,” said Councillor Matshidiso Mfikoe, Member of the Mayoral Committee (MMC) for Infrastructure Services and Environment (EISD), at the launch. According to Mfikoe and Johannesburg Water project engineer Peter Louw, the utility made the decision to investigate biogas to electrical energy options following the realisation that continued electricity tariff increases by Eskom would have a direct effect on the operational costs of wastewater treatment in Johannesburg. “The cost of electricity for wastewater treatment will treble over 7 to 10 years
CHP installations will become common as the cost of electricity increases.” Jason Gifford, Energy Division, WEC Projects
ABOVE AND INSET The gas enters the top of the tower where a bacterial process is used to remove the hydrogen sulphide
RéSource November 2013 – 31
Waste to energy
DID YOU
KNOW C
?
ogeneration or combined heat and power (CHP) is the use of a heat engine or power station to simultaneously generate electricity and useful heat. It is a thermodynamically efficient use of fuel. In separate production of electricity, some energy must be discarded as waste heat, but in cogeneration, this thermal energy is put to use. All thermal power plants emit heat during electricity generation, which can be released into the natural environment through cooling towers, flue gas, or by other means. In contrast, CHP captures some or all of the by-product for heating, either very close to the plant, or as hot water for district heating with temperatures ranging from approximately 80 to 130°C.
from R95 million per annum in 2010 to over R300 million per annum. The increases will place an additional financial burden on the Water Services Authority and Water Services Provider and could seriously affect the wastewater treatment operations in Johannesburg,” said Louw, adding that this estimated amount excludes the proposed 16% tariff increase per annum by Eskom. He adds that currently Johannesburg Water treats 1 billion litres of sewage per day at its six wastewater treatment works, with the potential to produce 8.5 MW of electrical energy. The project was therefore implemented at the biggest wastewater treatment works in Johannesburg, the Nor thern Wastewater Treatment Works, as
a pilot project. The aim is to eventually incorporate all six of Johannesburg Water’s treatment works into the programme. As Johannesburg Water has no experience of biogas scrubbing and combined heat and power (CHP) generation, explains Louw, it has entered into an operation and maintenance contract with the main contractor, WEC Projects, which also designed and built the plant. “Initially CHP generated could provide about 55% of the wastewater treatment electricity needs and all of the electrical power generated at the wastewater treatment plant will be used on the works site,” said Mfikoe.
Process intricacies The recently refurbished digesters – four out of the six on-site – produce the gas, which is then fed into a common ring from which the gas is taken off and brought to the CHP plant. “We tie in just before the flare and then the gas goes through our gas conditioning process because the gas as it comes off the digesters is basically a raw fuel that needs to be dewatered and have impurities like hydrogen sulphide and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) removed,” explains Jason Gifford of WEC Projects’ Energy Division. Biogas scrubbing – as the cleaning of the gas is termed – is essential for CHP production. The gas line then enters the top of the tower where a bacterial process is used to remove the hydrogen sulphide. “When the plant is at full flow, it’s designed to get us down to approximately 50 ppm of hydrogen sulphide in the gas,” says Gifford. From there, the gas exits the tower and is taken through the first filter LEFT The gas is from the HDPE gas manifold to behind the engine
WHAT IS COMBINED HEAT AND POWER? COMBINED HEAT and power (CHP) is an efficient and clean approach to generating electric power and useful thermal energy from a single fuel source. CHP is used either to replace or supplement conventional separate heat and power (SHP).
32 – RéSource November 2013
– a coalescing filter – which removes a lot of the free moisture before entering the blowers where the pressure is boosted. “It also heats the gas up as the gas coming from the tower is at 30°C. By the time it comes through the blower it will be at about 70°C before entering the heat exchange on the end where we eliminate the water,” says Gifford. This is achieved by means of a glycol solution being fed through at 1°C. Hot gas comes in, is cooled and leaves the chiller at approximately 20°C, which allows for the removal of between 70 and 80% of the moisture available in the gas. The gas then goes from the heat exchanger into vessels that remove siloxanes and volatile organic compounds as a result of the specific layering of proprietary media and then back down the gas line to a smaller filter. “The smaller filter is just there to ensure that if anything came through from the carbon side, it gets removed,” explains Gifford, adding that the gas then goes into the HDPE gas manifold and then runs down behind the engine. The removal of these contaminants is essential, explains Louw, because they lead to corrosion, increased maintenance costs, reduced CHP performance and can also reduce the engine life.
Engineered dynamics Constant monitoring of gases is also important because, as Gifford explains, “the engine needs to know what the energy content of the gas is and this is based on the methane content”. A higher methane percentage means less gas needed by volume is needed to generate the same amount of electricity. Electrical efficiency at the plant is near to 40% and thermal efficiency is approximately 52 to 53% on the engine, “so our complete plant efficiency is about 92 to 93%”. The flow of the gas train into the generator is controlled via a number of valves and flows through flow meters and flame arresters in line, before entering the engine itself. “Gas, when available to the engine, is a source of fuel that runs the engine, drives the alternator and generates all the power,” says Gifford. He adds that the team also recovers the heat from the engine to further heat the digesters. Currently gas is produced by the digesters, of which a small proportion is used to fire a boiler to heat water, which is sent back to the digesters to heat the
Waste to energy
HOW DOES CHP WORK? EVERY CHP APPLICATION involves the recovery of otherwise-wasted thermal energy to produce useful thermal energy or electricity. CHP can be configured either as a topping or bottoming cycle. In a typical topping cycle system, fuel is combusted in a prime mover such as a gas turbine or reciprocating engine to generate electricity. Energy normally lost in the prime mover’s hot exhaust and cooling systems is instead recovered to provide heat for industrial processes or for space heating, cooling, and dehumidification. In a bottoming cycle system, also referred to as “waste heat recovery,” fuel is combusted to provide thermal input to a furnace or other industrial process and heat rejected from the process is then used for electricity production.
WHAT KINDS OF FACILITIES CAN USE CHP? CHP CAN BE used in a variety of applications that have significant electric and thermal loads. Eightyeight percent of existing CHP capacity is found in industrial applications, providing electricity and steam to energy intensive industries such as chemicals, paper, refining, food processing, and metals manufacturing.
sludge. “With our ability to recover the heat off the engines to then heat that water and send it back to the digesters, there is no need for the boiler, which then becomes a standby component or a top-up if we are, for example, only running one engine at partial load.” Water comes in at about 70°C and will leave at about 90 to 95°C. The water is a normal cooling circuit similar to that of a car, explains Gifford, adding that the short-term plan is to refurbish the remaining digesters, which will then mean the plant will operate at full gas capacity. According to Louw, in addition to the refurbishment of the remaining existing sludge digesters, enhancement of biogas production through the addition of waste organic materials is also being considered, as well as the replacement of the high-power consumption plant and machinery with lower power consumption equipment.
as soon as it is in line within a tolerance, it will then close the contactors. We generate at 400 V and can step it up. These are also dual wound transformers because in the future Eskom is going to upgrade the supply to the works to 11 kV and when that happens we will change taps on transformers and step up to 11 kV,” says Gifford. He is careful to clarify though that the plant will never export power out to the grid. “All this plant will do is offset some of the electrical demand from Eskom.” Additionally, should Eskom’s supply fail, there is a system in place where the breakers can be opened remotely, ensuring continued supply to this section of the works.
treatment works such as this one is that the fuel is free and that makes a major positive impact on lowering operational costs. Additionally, the sludge recovered from the wastewater works has got a very low energy content so a huge volume is needed to generate a relatively small volume of gas. “Because a wastewater treatment works relies on anaerobic digesters to help reduce the total organic load on the plant and also to stabilise the sludge before disposal, you are now using a by-product to generate power and that is why it makes financial sense in this case,” says Gifford. This is the first CHP plant project in Johannesburg Water’s stable. The Driefontein Waste Water Treatment Works is the next, with design work having started at the beginning of this year. According to Louw, the repayment period for a ‘greenfield’ CHP installation at an 8% increase in power costs per annum is five years. “CHP installations will become common as the cost of electricity increases,” concluded Louw.
Reaping rewards According to Gifford, a plant of this nature will pay back within four to seven years, but most beneficial in the case of a wastewater RIGHT The CHP gas engines, which generate both heat and electricity BELOW A pic of the biogas to energy plant with one of the digesters in the background
Synchronised support “On the electrical side, we synchronise with the grid. The generator will see what the grid voltage is and what the grid frequency is and Contractors Tender documentation and contract management Main contractor (design, build and operate) Control & Instrumentation Biogas scrubbing Civil construction Gensets
Zithole Consulting (SA) WEC projects Ertec (SA) Applied Filter Technology (US) Renniks Construction (SA) Dresser-Rand Guascor (US/Spain)
RéSource November 2013 – 33
Recycling
BEACH CLEAN-UP
Preserving SA’s coastlands To commemorate the 28th annual International Coastal Clean-up (ICC), South Africans took to their local beaches to pitch in and help make a difference for the environment. Despite the heavy rains, RéSource showed its support at Sunset Beach in Cape Town on 21 September, while the beaches in KwaZulu-Natal attracted more than 6 000 volunteers.
to 1 000: the number of years it takes for plastic to decompose
34 – RéSource November 2013
Recycling
DID YOU
KNOW P
lastic constitutes 90% of all trash floating in the ocean. he Great Pacific Garbage Patch – a concentration of rubbish in the Pacific Ocean – is double the size of Texas (US).
T
?
s a result of marine pollution gathered by oceanic currents, litter can become concentrated in certain areas and called gyres. There are now five gyres in our oceans.
A
or every 1 kg of plankton in the Pacific Ocean, there is 6 kg of plastic.
F
V
arious diving clubs also took the initiative to coordinate under water cleanups at harbours countr ywide, including Robben Island. The first micro material clean-up for man-made materials smaller than 10 mm, such as plastic pellets, took place at Yzer fontein – a small harbour town located in the mother city. Rubber gloves, refuse bags and data sheets were handed out to volunteers. “The heavy rains that fell over the Western Cape caused much of the litter to be washed down the rivers from the areas where there are little or no proper waste management systems,” explained John Kieser, sustainability manager of Plastics│SA and national coordinator for the ICC. “It took several thousands of volunteers two hours to remove the 8 500 bags
OPENING PICTURE, OPPOSITE AND ABOVE The Sunset Beach Clean-up in Cape Town, Western Cape on 21 September 2013 TOP AND MIDDLE The Jukskei River Clean-up which took place in Johannesburg, Gauteng
filled with ever y kind of rubbish – from packaging waste such as food wrappers, glass bottles and cans, to earbud sticks, cigarette butts, pieces of clothing and small appliances.” Additionally, schools across the countr y coordinated clean-ups during the week of 16 to 20 September as part of Clean-up and Recycle Week, with businesses and corporates
doing their part for streams and rivers inland, such as the Jukskei River in Johannesburg. “This shows that individuals are starting to take responsibility for keeping the environment clean and litter-free,” Kieser continued. “However, the challenges still exist to educate people about proper disposal strategies and the importance of recycling their litter. We will continue to spread the message that ‘plastics don’t litter, people do’. Only through an ongoing, collective effort can we turn the tide on marine litter,” he concluded.
RéSource November 2013 – 35
Recycling
SAPRO
Best recycled product of the year announced The Southern African Plastics Recyclers Organisation (SAPRO) has announced the winner of this year’s Best Recycled Product of the Year Award, with the SAPRO Trophy for the Best Recycled Product of 2013 going to Unilever SA, for its Sunlight Dish Washing Liquid Bottle.
A
t a gala dinner held in Irene, Pretoria, on Thursday, 19 September, the winner of the 2013 SAPRO Trophy for the Best Recycled Product was announced as the Sunlight Dish Washing Liquid Bottle from Unilever SA. Recycled material for the Sunlight bottle is supplied by Extrupet. The bottles aare injection stretch blow moulded by Nampak Petpak in Isando. “One of the limitations to introducing recycled bottles is customer perception, because consumers are used to buying products in what they believe to be per fect bottles,” he Sunlight Dish said Douglas Greig,
DID YOU
KNOW T
?
Washing Liquid bottle by Unilever SA has 50% PET recycled content.
36 – RéSource November 2013
chairman of SAPRO, who hosted the 4th annual gala dinner and awards ceremony. “Brands such as Sunlight have a great heritage with consumers and are often seen to lead the way. If the major brands are proactive in adjusting their packaging to create a better environment, consumers often view this as a ver y positive step, because they have the market impact and volumes to actually make a difference. In addition, major brands have the financial ucate supplimuscle to influence and educate rs alike, and ers, retailers and consumers on effect there is a positive knock-on down the supply chain and into the home,” Greig explained. BELOW The big winner of the night: the Sunlight Dish Washing Liquid Bottle RIGHT Genius Smart Shoe Soles by Novita Shoes was a gold award winner on the night
Currently in its four th year, this annual competition is hosted in collaboration with Plastics│SA and forms one of the highlights of the local plastic industr y’s Clean-Up South Africa Week (16 to 21 September 2013) – an initiative that encourages South Africans to clean-up and recycle where they work, live or play. Explaining the purpose of the competition, Greig said the event, known as Oscars of the plastics industr y, acknowledges recycled plastic products and
Recycling
encourages brand owners and industrial designers to consider recycled plastics as a material of choice. “Plastics recycling is an impor tant par t of end-of-life plastics products and South Africa is doing well with only mechanical recycling. This annual event is an important vehicle to educate the media, public and even the plastics industr y about the magnitude of plastics recycling locally,” Greig stated.
Plastics recycling in South Africa Approximately 19% of all plastic products ing 2012 were that were manufactured during riod. Greig recycled in the same period. continued: “The recycling rate is increasing ver y slowly – too pact slow to make a huge impact on the plastics waste going to ult landfill ever y year. As a result on, of the increasing population, ng urbanisation and a growing
JUDGING CRITERIA A A PANEL OF plastics experts judged the entries based on various criteria, which included: • life expectancy of product • sustainability and long-term demand and market acceptance for product (i.e. will it still sell in five years’ time?) • tonnage (potential tonnages) diverted from landfills and converted into a product • replacement of alternative materials • technical achievements in manufacturing excellence to overcome recycled material challenges • measures taken to ensure product consistency and customer satisfaction despite recycled material content • potential to create consumer awareness of plastics recycling • wow! factor.
m middle-class society, the ttonnage going to landfill is increasing faster than the tonnage being recycled.” Greig stressed that recycled plastics are in huge demand in South Africa, adding that recyclers cannot produce enough material to meet the demand. Sadly, however, the price conver ters are willing to pay for recycled material does not reflect the demand as recycled material is often still perceived as being second grade or poor quality, inconsistent and non-reliable raw material source. “This is far removed from the truth as this competition has once again proved that recycled plastic is versatile, strong and extremely reliable.”
The products entered A wide variety of products with different uses and applications were entered into this year’s competition. All of these
AWARDS WENT TO THE FOLLOWING: GOLD AWARD WINNERS WERE: • Checkers carrier bag by Tuffy Promotions – 100% recycled content • Genius Smart Shoe Soles for smart kids by Novita Shoes – 100% recycled content • Sunlight Dish Washing Liquid bottle by Unilever South Africa, containing 50% recycled content, for the category percentage post-consumer recycled content.
TOP All the award winners of the evening, including the overall winners, Unilever SA, front and centre LEFT Checkers carrier bag by Tuffy was a gold award winner on the night BELOW Woolworths Earth Friendly cleaning range was a silver award winner
products were made from recycled plastic and reflected a wide market acceptance and approval from the consumer. The competition was also well supported by brand owners, retailers, converters and the media. “The products seen at this year’s competition were all clearly meeting their customers’ demands and are able to per form in rigorous and tough applications. These products are used because they have established themselves in their own rightful places. None of the products needs any special marketing as a ‘recycled’ product – they have their own identities,” Greig stated.
SILVER AWARD WINNERS WERE: • Plastic Droppers by Plastic Droppers – 100% recycled content • Combination rake head by Lasher Tools – 100% recycled content • Pallet corner block by Skyprops – mixed recycled content • Organics Recycled Range – Unilever South Africa (25% recycled content, in the category for products containing a percentage of post-consumer recycled content) • Woolworths Earth Friendly cleaning range (30% recycled content) for the category percentage post-consumer recycled content • Lifestyle range by Eco Smart in the category Novel and Artistic Products • Furniture and Sculptures by Bongani Khumalo of Ababhali.
RéSource November 2013 – 37
38 – RéSource November 2013
Recycling
Collection automated Collection of high-impact polystyrene is now being coordinated with the click of a button, with collection of expanded polystyrene soon to follow.
T
he Polystyrene Packaging Council of South Africa is going high tech with the collection of high impact polystyrene. A new application (app) for smartphones and computers, called PolyNet, has been developed specifically for the council to automate the entire process between the project coordinators, collectors and recyclers. “The collection of the various types of polystyrene for our many different recycling projects has grown to a point where we needed to look at technology to help us manage the process effectively,” says Adri Spangenberg, director of the Polystyrene Council. “Instead of spending almost days trying to manually put collectors and recyclers in contact with each other and arranging collections, the entire process is now
automated and simplified – allowing us to focus on growing the recycling of polystyrene even more in South Africa.” With a click of the mouse, the 600 coordinators of the volunteers who are collecting bread tags for the Bread Tags for Wheelchairs project can register on the council’s website (www. polystyrenepackaging.co.za) when they have enough bread tags (approximately 680 kg), to be collected anywhere in the country. “The software flags a local collector, who is instructed to do the collection and even works out the logistics with the recyclers such as Zibo Containers (previously Groplast), which recycles bread tags into seedling trains, and MFI Mouldings, which recycles them into picture frames.” The money paid for the bread tags is transferred
into a special Bread Tags for Wheelchairs account, held by CE Mobility, which in turn assists with selecting the correct wheelchairs for the identified recipients, along with the QuadPara Association of South Africa. “We have recently installed the software at Doxa Deo School in the Hartbeespoort Dam area as a pilot phase and will soon be rolling out the software to the rest of the country during the next six months,” says Spangenberg. The same technology will also be employed by the Polystyrene Council to coordinate the collection of yoghurt tubs from more than 20 EcoSchools around the country, which gets recycled into Tutudesks, as well as the contaminated post-consumer polystyrene for use in construction projects. RéSource November 2013 – 39
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Wastewater
WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANTS IN SOUTH AFRICA
A realistic perspective of energy optimisation considerations PART IV The final instalment of the paper titled ‘Energy optimisation considerations for wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in South Africa – A realistic perspective’ continues with an interpretation of the results of the study, the implications thereof and makes concluding remarks and recommendations. By Rudi Scheepers, Marlene vd Merwe-Botha
I
consumption cost reaches multimillion rand bills on a multi-year basis, or when the municipal policy prescribes cleaner production and self-sufficiency principles. The savings to reduce its energy account by 5% per annum is a considerable investment for the municipality and for the municipal consumer base. Smaller treatment plants may not experience the benefit of such a study and may opt for simple energy savings opportunities to ameliorate the treatment process in the long term. Performance targets can be set for various treatment areas, plant life expectancies, machinery and instruments (Deacon et al. 1998). Furthermore, a detailed economic analyImproved application: energy efficiency sis of applicable energy saving options may It may be economically viable and best assist to identify the options that are best practice for large WWTPs to invest in an suited for effective implementation on a energy conservation study when the facility’s particular plant. Economic analysis models such as the present capital value of the TABLE 1 Running cost breakdown of a typical plant in a First World country application plant and the investment repayment time Discription Percentage for investing in energy saving initiatives can Wastewater discharge fee (similar to the South African ‘Waste Discharge Charge 18% be determined. System Levy') Despite the economic advantages of Electricity cost 27% reducing the electrical consumption and Chemical cost 6% cost for a WWTP, other objectives such as Staff cost 18% treatment quality must take precedence Maintenance and replacement cost 10% over just energy savings. Sludge disposal and transport 13% Table 3 summarises a range of practical Administration cost 9% energy savings opportunities that would benefit any size TABLE 2 Breakdown of cost elements of two technology scenerio WWTPs WWTP, from a demand side Description Low-end technology plants High-end technology plants management perspective. Percentage Cost (R/kℓ) Percentage Cost (R/kℓ) From an energy supply Maintenance 28 0.200 35 0.639 point of view, the US-based Staffing 52 0.366 31 0.559 Water Environment Research Electricity 11 0.076 20 0.364 Foundation (WERF) can be Chemicals 9 0.067 13 0.240 Full O&M 100 0.708 100 1.801 quoted in its chemical anaAnnual municipal budget per cost centre 258 429.976 657 485.884 lytical findings that sewage 2011
nternationally, the “running cost” or operation cost of wastewater treatment plants mainly includes the components as a percentage of the monthly cost (see Table 1). The South African scenario is quickly moving in the same direction where electricity becomes the main line item on the municipal balance sheet. Using 2008 actual tender pricing (Moshidi et al, 2011) it was indicated that electricity made up 5% of lower end technology types budget and 10% if more sophisticated processes are employed. If these figures are escalated to 2011, using an annual 10% escalation for all the components, except for electricity, where the NECSA figures (27% [2008], 31% [2009], 35% [2010] and 35% for 2011) are used, the electricity components increase to 11 and 20% respectively. Further escalations (as reported) will place electricity on par with international
40 – RéSource November 2013
trends, after a period of abundant and cheap electricity in South Africa. Looking at Figure 1, the following observations can be made: • the impact of electricity cost is going to have a substantial effect on the actual cost of the service, once again highlighting the need to ensure that the selection of technology takes electricity costs into account and needs to be as cost effective as possible • it is critical that operations at the works be effective, optimised and maintained to prevent works becoming unsustainable, which would include dedicated energy efficiency optimisation.
Wastewater
represents the potential of 9.3 times more energy to be derived from wastewater than is currently used to treat it (WERF, 2009). This statement accurately describes the relationship between supply and demand side opportunities.
In South Africa, energy generation opportunities have been limited to feasibility studies and pilot-scale applications at best. Strong initiatives are starting to follow, for example the City of Johannesburg’s combined heat and power (CHP) application that
FIGURE 1 A comparative analysis of operational cost between South African and international WWTPs (with specific reference to electricity cost)
42 – RÊSource November 2013
commenced in 2011 (Deacon, 2011). CHP refers to the thermodynamics of cleaning and combustion of gas, which will result in 60% of the energy source as heat and 40% as electrical power. CHP is done via prime movers such as generators or reciprocating engines, following a recommended course of cell lysis and biogas scrubbing. The value of the latter two processes lie in their ability to disintegrate cell membranes with subsequent increase in biogas yield and the removal of impurities from the biogas to extend the life value of the asset and keep maintenance in balance. CHP is capable of producing 10.2 MW electrical energy and 256.8 MWh/d heat from five WWTPs treating 1 047 000 m3/d in Johannesburg. The Water Research Commission has commissioned a study to capture good practice in energy efficiency in South Africa as part of a global network with partners being the UK and US. A Compendium of Best Practice will be published in 2012/13 to reflect some of the developments and applications in South Africa.
Wastewater
TABLE 3 Energy savings applications against various plant equipment aspects (no priority assigned) Energy savings opportunities for WWTPs Area/section
Suggestion/opportunity Introducing updated power factor correction (PFC) control systems from the power supply line (substation) to the WWTP.
Electrical network Test all power supply cables for possible power leakages at damaged wire insulation including connection points. Motor efficiency programmes can be implemented by developing an in situ monitoring and diagnostic programme. A core replacement programme may also be beneficial to upgrade old low efficiency motors. Various literature show that careful selection of high-efficiency motors with high power factors can improve the economic benefit of replacing old standard efficiency motors as much as 30%. Energy-efficient motors are more expensive, but the energy savings result in lower operating cost. Motors may be oversized by as much as 50%. Replace such motors with the correct size and efficiency. Motor efficiency
Implementation of a variable speed drive (VSD) programme for appropriate motor technology, for example mixers, lifting pumps and aeration. Increase of pump impeller size or adjusting the size accordingly can ensure efficient application. Introduce solar water pumping systems to suitable applications that only require pumping during daytime. Oxygen demand requirements of oxidation ponds may be solved with floating solar aeration systems.
Gearbox drives
Pumps
The gearbox systems consist mostly of gears and bearings for mixers, aerators and smaller applications. The energy transfer loss from the electric motor to the gear system may be tremendous if the gearbox is oversized for the application and/or grease maintenance has not been regularly conducted. Various publications state that aeration accounts for 50 to 70% of a treatment plant’s power consumption. Select pumps based on existing flows with the ability to increase impeller size to handle larger flows. Use supplementary pumps to assist with peak flows. Minimise the elevation change for a pump to lift liquids as far as possible. Introduce storage capacity during peak flow durations to reduce on-peak hour pumping capacity and additional emergency pumping.
Pump stations
Ensure that pump flows are matched properly to avoid use of additional pumps. Alternating pumps – The one pump must be turned off before another pump is started.
Generators
Large WWTPs with installed standby generators must be used regularly during on-peak hours, which will reduce treatment energy consumption during such peak scheduled times and ensure that the equipment is efficient during emergency procedures. The cost of fuel per kilowatt hour must be recognised to validate the viability.
Treatment process
Aeration process with mixers or by other means to supply oxygen must match the oxygen required in the aeration tank. The installation of dissolved oxygen (DO) probes can be installed to continuously monitor the supply and requirement levels. The aeration is automated and controlled by the DO monitoring system. The disadvantage, of course, is the continuous maintenance of the DO probes. The energy savings outweigh the maintenance and regular cleansing requirement of the probes. According to Elliot (2003), the energy required to remove the first 30% of the biological oxygen demand (BOD) is 5%. Introduce power use monitoring systems to equipment that is part of the critical treatment process.
Energy monitoring system
Large instrumentation control systems are suggested to have alternative energy sources such as diesel generation or renewable energy systems to measure and control the treatment operations when main source electricity is not available for long time durations. Introduce photovoltaic (PV) solar panel and/or micro wind power generation systems with large energy storage for emergency lights and measuring equipment including computer systems.
Other components
Implement solar power for generating hot water to the building of the treatment facility. Introduction of low energy light fittings for internal and external application with latter switching either through “daylight” switches or through remote sensing to reduce light usage on the treatment facility.
Overall management best practice
Optimise energy consumption and identify energy savings opportunities by means of an energy audit. Such audits require plant operational data and monthly electrical accounts for the plant. Drawings and data of electrical equipment will ease the process of such an assessment. The price structure of the plant’s electrical account will benefit in understanding the cost structure for the WWTP during assessment stages. Issues such as electrical load management during peak demand periods must be clear and understood by the plant operations staff. Elliot (2003) points out that there are energy savings opportunities from demand side management (DSM) programmes, which include reduction in energy costs by shifting the power consumption from on-peak to off-peak hours. Such options need careful consideration for large treatment plants. Small and seasonal WWTPs may benefit from such an opportunity.
RéSource November 2013 – 43
Wastewater
TABLE 4 Percentage self-sufficient WWTPs in the world (Cao Ye Shi, 2011) Sweden (Average of all WWTPs) Energy Efficiency (%)
9
Concluding remarks and comparisons It is evident that the cost to generate energy will continue to rise and will increase drastically when fossil energy resources become a limiting factor on a global scale. The nexus between energy and water has become a pivotal instrument to supply and treat water and wastewater within a sustainable environment. It is a fact that some of the equipment on current WWTPs has reached its useful life and needs to be replaced very soon. Various opportunities present through applying energy audits, ring-fencing of cost centres energy efficiency improvement, reinvesting in appropriate technologies, cleaner production and high performance wastewater treatment in the municipal business through supply- and demand side management. A long-term aspiration is to see a self-sufficient WWTP on own soil in the nearby future. Europe is currently the global leader in energy-efficient WWTPs and there may be various reasons for setting the benchmark. This may be due to available land constraints and resources, including strict environmental regulations. Strass WWTP in Austria is the first treatment facility in Europe to reach 108% energy self-sufficiency, in terms of the process, carbonaceous and nitrogen conversions, mass flow and mass balance of the plant and energy efficiency. The additional 8% electricity produced is returned to Austria’s national electrical grid for use. Unfortunately, the baseline information and practices are scarce, and critical drivers
Czech Republic (Centre WWTP Prague) 83.5
Singapore (Jurong WWTP)
UK (Average of the WWTPs)
40
50
are not focused on the water energy nexus and the risk and opportunity it presents. The non-compliance of WWTPs is underscored by the lack of technical and management skills to manage, maintain and operate plants to their design specification and capability (Manus & vd Merwe-Botha 2010). The development of a comprehensive energy-efficient resource guideline for WWTPs in a South African environment is on the horizon, which will assist municipal decision-makers, designers and plant managers with the integration of energy-efficient systems into the design and operation of WWTPs.
Funding for energy efficiency programmes Energy-efficient initiatives require high initial capital outlay. The benefit is only evident when considering the life cycle cost benefit and environmental trade-offs. Funding and financing agents that oversee projects against the Regional Bulk Infrastructure Grant (RBIG), Municipal Infrastructure Grant (MIG), Accelerated Community Infrastructure Programme (ACIP) and Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) based funding may benefit from a more direct interest, incentives and practical means to lead energy efficiency drives by local government. The US currently has an energy-efficient programme to upgrade/refurbish WWTP by means of loans with zero interest obligations. Tax writeoff incentives in the first year of the capital cost to reduce electricity demand encouraged municipalities to adopt such initiatives on their treatment plants.
Switzerland (Werdhölzli WWTP, Zurich) 100
Austria (Strass WWTP) 108
The Department of Energy (DOE) and Eskom could introduce energy efficient demand side management subsidies for wastewater (sewage and industrial) to implement such initiatives, which will further reduce the electricity demand in the long term. Specific tariff schemes for wastewater treatment facilities could be provided by Eskom once a treatment plant has reached a certain percentage energy efficiency target. The details in terms of the financial implications of alternative tariff price scenarios still need to be investigated. Commitments between DWA, DOE, Eskom, banks with green philosophies and other stakeholders could ensure early initiation of energy-efficient policies and escalated interest in planning and implementation. European countries (e.g. the Netherlands) committed to reducing the total energy demand per annum for the treatment of water and wastewater by 2% until 2030. Such a commitment is a joint effort by everyone understanding the long-term outcome. “Saving water saves energy; saving energy saves water” represents the simplicity and yet the value in the energy water nexus for South Africa. The above examination of results and conclusions are raised as part of a fulllength submission, which was featured over subsequent editions as part of a series. This is the final instalment of four and has been abridged and edited for publishing. For more information regarding the paper, please contact chantelle@3smedia.co.za.
44 – RéSource November 2013
Mills & Otten cc Johannesburg Tel: (011) 486 0062 Fax: (086) 554 6573 Contact: Charles Mills / Kirstin Otten
x x x
Environmental Consultants 1998/46338/23 info@millsandotten.co.za www.millsandotten.co.za
Cape Town Tel: (021) 671 7107 Fax: (021) 671 7107 Contact: Stephanie de Beer
Independent Environmental Consultants specialising in: Environmental Management Plans x Contaminated Land Management Audits – Environmental and Green Building x Training Environmental Authorisations (NEMA,NEMWA,NEMAQA,NWA)
IWMSA news
EMERGING CONTRACTORS
An important focus The Institute of Waste Management of Southern Africa (IWMSA) is recognising and supporting emerging contractors within the waste sector with training and upskilling.
W
ith the right set of skills and relevant business knowledge, emerging contractors can not only improve their profitability, but also make valuable contributions to the success of the waste sector as a whole,” says Aubrey Muswema, chairperson of the KwaZulu-Natal branch of the IWMSA. The KwaZulu-Natal branch committee started the programme several years ago, where emerging contractors were invited to attend workshops and seminars at a reduced cost. These presentations equip the entrepreneurs with vital information relevant to their business, covering topics such as financial management, procurement, tender submissions, the BBBEE rating system, legal
requirements, as well as sharing with them successful SMME case studies. Earlier this year, the KwaZulu-Natal branch committee took the decision to sponsor attendance at training and workshop events, with the intention of further assisting small and emerging contractors to get the training and mentorship they require for the successful running of their businesses. Muswema says he is proud to be upholding the branch’s tradition of assisting emerging contractors. “We are grateful for all
the contributions that our speakers make towards assisting emerging contractors and look forward to further partnerships that will grow the sector and assist our emerging entrepreneurs.”
Zodwa Mkhize demonstrates how she crushes bottles at her collection site. This highlights the need for education and training on the risks involved and the PPE required to safeguard community health
46 – RéSource November 2013
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IWMSA news
INDUSTRY FOCUS
Do women have a future in waste management? The waste industry has long been perceived as a rather dirty business with low ethical standards. But it appears things are shifting and surprisingly, women are increasingly active in driving the change towards a more innovative, ethical and properly legislated industry.
N
ewly appointed president of the IWMSA, Dr Suzan Oelofse, says perceptions are changing with regard to the waste industr y and in particular the role of women in waste management. “Women are realising that working with waste does not mean wasting their talents, or losing their femininity,” she highlights. “On the contrar y, women are muchneeded in the waste industr y due to their natural instincts to protect human health and potential to make a real difference. In South African households, it is most often the women taking responsibility for waste management.”
The future of the South African waste industry Oelofse joined the IWMSA in 2006 with a view to benefit from the networking and knowledge-sharing events offered by the organisation at the time. Since joining, Oelofse has been integral in the management of the IWMSA and took up the reigns as president on 1 July 2013.
Her main areas of focus are strengthening relationships with government, strengthening the role of the IWMSA in regulating the industr y and shifting the focus from waste disposal to the use of innovative technologies to realise the resource potential of waste. “All new developments under the Waste Act have implications for both our members and the waste industr y as a whole,” she states. “It is therefore imperative that the waste sector’s voice is heard at the appropriate level to have the necessar y influence and impact towards improved waste management standards and legislation.” Given the increased need for a regulator y body to oversee the
conduct of the waste industr y, Oelofse says she will fur ther endeavour to position the IWMSA favourably for taking up this role and working with the authorities towards establishing a mutually acceptable system. Regarding the future of the waste in South Africa, Oelofse predicts that there will soon be an increased focus on recycling and waste separation in most households. “Women in par ticular are seeking out information around environmentally friendly practices they can per form at home and taking real steps towards improving their personal waste management. With more and more women entering the industr y – on ever y level – I envisage a radical shift over the next few years towards an ethical, innovative and properly legislated industr y.”
INDEX TO ADVERTISERS AfriSam
9
Interwaste
IFC
Pikitup
25
Pilot Crushtec
47
Amandus Kahl
13
Jan Palm Consulting Engineers
14
Aquatan
29
Kaytech
27
Duncanmec
45
Mills & Otten
44
Mpact Limited
19
Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality
20, 21 & OBC
Oilkol
Envitech Solutions
15
Otto Waste Systems
Gast International
IBC
Petco
48 – RéSource November 2013
30, 38 & 41 4 42
Plastics SA
LI
Rose Foundation
2
Standard Bank
22 & 23
Translift
39
Vermeer Equipment Suppliers
46