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