ReSource Magazine May 2017

Municipal Waste ManageMent

Blueprint for emissions reductions

Waste to energy

Biogas opens New Horizons sustainable landfills

Making a plan

Coca-Cola Peninsula Beverages

Championing sustainability within communities

The people keeping it clean

Heavy industry is a critical part of our economy. But disposing of the waste they produce in a way that’s safe for people and the environment takes years of expertise, scientific savvy and biochemistry knowledge.

Not just anyone can do it. That’s why EnviroServ employs qualified professionals for the job.

Like our Bookkeeper Lily, who is just as passionate about protecting the planet as you are. She’s an avid runner and is planning to run the Knysna Forest 21km and the Meiringspoort half marathon this year. Which means helping to protect the environment is in her best interest.

A loyal employee who has been with EnviroServ for 15 years, she takes pride in working for a compliant operation.

Because expertise is one thing, but employees who live the EnviroServ values of passion and integrity are dedicated to working towards delivering waste solutions that are environmentally responsible and effective.

Landfilling and integrated waste management

Landfilling’s place in integrated waste management is right down at the bottom of the list in terms of desirability, but even so, most of South Africa’s waste ends up in landfills simply because it is cheaper to do so.

Landfill legacy

South Africa has a history of simply discarding waste in the nearest worked-out quarry or open space, sometimes within the floodplain of a river or even between the dunes on a beach. This changed in 1989 with the introduction of the Environment Conservation Act, which required waste sites to obtain a permit. Shortly thereafter, a set of minimum requirements followed to guide the identification, design and operation of landfills.

Many old refuse dumps, however, simply kept on operating without permits. Especially the smaller communal ones. During 2013/2014, the Department of Environment Affairs started a project aimed at licensing all waste sites in accordance with the National Environment Management: Waste Act. A small number of waste sites were missed, but those are currently being licensed. So the perception that South Africa has hundreds of ‘illegal’ waste sites is not correct.

Municipalities’ responsibility

The Constitution states that municipalities are responsible for the function of refuse removal, refuse dumps and waste disposal. In short, this means that a municipality is responsible for the rehabilitation of all the old closed refuse dumps in its area of jurisdiction as well as for the identification, design and operation of current waste disposal sites. Municipalities must, therefore, make provision for the rehabilitation cost of

Landfilling has emerged as the most discussed topic in waste management over recent months. It is, however, interesting to listen to the discussions and to realise that many perceptions exist regarding landfilling.

old dumps as well as ensure that sufficient capacity exists at their operational landfills. The cost of rehabilitation of old sites is proving to be quite a challenge for municipalities since insufficient provisions, if any, have been made in the past. Most of these old sites have no basal liner, meaning that a capping liner of low permeability must be installed. These costs easily amount to millions of rands per site and place a further burden on municipalities’ capital budgets.

In August 2013, Norms and Standards for Waste Disposal by Landfill was published under the Waste Act, replacing the design requirements of basal liners in landfills’ Minimum Requirements. Whereas the Minimum Requirements classified landfills in terms of waste type, size and climatic water balance, resulting in relatively simple and inexpensive basal liners for smaller and “dry” sites, the new Norms and Standards classify only on waste type, resulting in expensive geocomposite (combination of a geomembrane liner and a mineral liner) basal liners for all sites as well as leachate drainage systems in order to protect the groundwater better. These new basal liners with leachate drainage systems also add an additional operational aspect to previously “dry” sites in that leachate must now be managed where it previously simply accumulated on or seeped

Even though landfilling is the least desirable option, it still remains a very important part of integrated waste management

through the clay or soil basal layer. Even with these “additional” basal liner costs and their burden on a municipality’s capital budget, the unit cost of landfilling is still relatively inexpensive compared to the collection cost or the cost of other waste reduction methods; and that is only when one considers the cost of landfilling in isolation.

Improving capacity

The new Norms and Standards contribute to improving the process of landfilling and reducing the impact on the environment. Even so, it is becoming more and more difficult to identify new landfills or even develop extensions to existing landfills, with the result that South Africa is rapidly depleting its available landfill capacity. For that reason, it is critical that maximum diversion of waste from landfilling be promoted. Some municipalities are already achieving up to 50% diversion from landfill through recycling, composting of greens and rubble.

Even though landfilling is the least desirable option, it still remains a very important part of integrated waste management. We therefore have to ensure that landfilling is conducted in such a way that the impact on the environment

For this reason, the Institute of Waste Management of Southern Africa is hosting the Landfill 2017 seminar from 18 to 20 October 2017, in KwaZulu-Natal, to bring industry together in sharing experiences and knowledge and to display new technologies. For more information, visit www.iwmsa.co.za.

Kind

regards Jan

Palm President: IWMSA

BUHLE WASTE (PTY) LTD

D I S P O S A L S

BUHLE WASTE is a 100% black-owned and -managed company focusing on integrated waste management services throughout Southern Africa.

Collection, transportation, safe treatment and disposal of:

• Healthcare Risk Waste

• General, Domestic Waste

• Hazardous Waste

• Industrial, Commercial waste

• Industrial Cleaning

• Emergency Spill Response

We also provide:

• Scanning and Tracking of Waste Product

• Emergency Response Spillage Kit

• Waste Collection Receptacles

• Waste Disposal Certificate

• Putting people first

• Excellent healthcare and hazardous risk waste management

• Environmentally friendly waste treatment technology

• Scanning and tracking waste products

• Comprehensive and accredited onand off-site training for clients’ staff

• Issuing of Waste Disposal Certificates

1634 Canon Crescent, Roodekop, 1401 t 011 866 2316 f 011 866 2321

Info@buhlewaste.co.za

www.buhlewaste.co.za WHAT SETS US APART?

Publisher Elizabeth Shorten

Managing editor Alastair Currie

Editor Frances Ringwood

Head of design Beren Bauermeister

Design consultant Frédérick Danton

Chief sub-editor Tristan Snijders

Sub-editor Morgan Carter

Contributors Sandra Gore, Kobus Otto, Jan Palm, Alecia Pienaar

Client services & production manager

Antois-Leigh Botma

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Financial manager Andrew Lobban

Marketing manager Mpinane Senkhane

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All material herein 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 of authors expressed in the magazine do not necessarily reflect those of the publisher, editor or the Institute of Waste Management of Southern Africa.

© Copyright 2017. All rights reserved.

The business of env IR on M enta LISM

Many of us in the waste management industry are passionate about the environment and committed to job creation in the communities in which we operate.

However, the industry is controversial by its nature and also often cutthroat because of the narrow profit margins involved.

Municipalities issue

This month’s issue of ReSource is the Municipalities issue. After chatting to one of our contributors this month, I gained an insight into the poor state of many municipal landfills and the challenges they face. In fact, most of South Africa’s municipal landfills do not comply with the relevant legislation.

An example of a major challenge faced at these facilities is that of security. I was informed of one case where a compactor operator was overpowered by waste pickers on-site, and his vehicle was hijacked. How easy is it to resell a stolen, used landfill compactor? Don’t ask me. Also, knowing what goes into a landfill, and knowing something of the toxins that can be present and their health effects, this security concern extends to the welfare of waste pickers who are allowed on-site without the proper personal protective equipment or training. I understand that waste pickers need to make a living and that they play an important social function, but they also need protection.

One expert commentator I spoke to estimates that 90% of South Africa’s recycled waste comes from waste pickers (including trolley pushers). The integration of the formal and informal sector is crucial – and it is to be hoped that prioritising the safety of waste pickers is part of that integration.

Private facilities

Compounding the general situation, two privately run landfills have hit headlines due to complaints from nearby communities. Having visited one of these sites more than once, I am left feeling cynical as to why municipal landfills are let off so lightly, while (at least) one of the best run, most secure landfills I’ve seen has been

portrayed so negatively in the media. I have not read the toxicology reports at either site and so cannot comment on the communities’ claims. What I can say is that many landfills in South Africa are run far worse, yet never make the sixo’-clock news.

Staying positive

Looking at the difficulties faced by the industry right now and other looming economic uncertainties – political and otherwise – I come back to the fact that we are all in the business of environmentalism. It’s a tough job but if South Africa’s waste management community were not as dedicated as it is, the country would be in a sorry state.

Our environment would suffer, formal and informal employment figures would drop, tourism would flounder, and many people would become ill or lose their lives.

The jobs that South Africa’s waste management sector take on are essential for the health of the country and, in spite of some challenges, we still have a leading role to play on the continent.

A sense of community makes these challenges and responsibilities easier to understand and resolve – which is why I hope to see you all at the upcoming Landfill 2017 conference, on the Buffelsdraai Landfill in Durban, happening from 18 to 21 October. Working together, I believe we can all make this industry and country better.

Frances Ringwood

Priscilla Urquhart, public affairs and communications manager at CocaCola Peninsula Beverages (CCPB), talks to r e s ource about how CCPB champions sustainability at its facilities and within communities.

Cleaning up Cape beaches

Coca Cola Peninsula Beverages recently held a beach clean-up in Cape town for the easter holidays. Why did you engage in this activity, who was involved and how did you ensure the impacts of the clean-up would be lasting? PU The Easter holiday beach clean-up campaign is a follow-up to the very successful New Year’s beach clean-up that we held; we cleared Strand and Camps Bay beaches of a whopping 3 300 kg of rubbish after the New Year festivities. Through these beach clean-ups, we want people to be conscious about

the environment and to be aware of their surroundings. We decided to extend it all the way from Hermanus to Saldanha Bay and get communities actively involved in caring for the environment, specifically the Cape’s beaches. We saw that the beaches are already quite clean – it is fantastic to see how environmentally conscious some community members are.

Who were your partners involved in the cleanup, and how were they persuaded to come on board? Our main call to action was on our Facebook page, where we encouraged

communities to take part. Our activation partner, Perfect Solutions, drove the clean-ups. The events have been endorsed by local municipalities, and the mayor of the Overstrand Municipality, Alderman Rudolph Smith, also joined us at Grotto Beach in Hermanus with members of his executive mayoral team.

Why did Coca Cola Peninsula Beverages choose a beach cleanup specifically? Sustainability is a key focus at Coca Cola Peninsula Beverages and we want to instil this mantra in the communities in which we

operate as well. It is everyone’s responsibility to take care of the environment so that future generations can also enjoy its splendour.

What other internal activities does the company engage in to minimise its environmental footprint and conserve precious resources like water and electricity? There are various activities we engage in to reduce water and energy consumption. We’re proud to have almost halved our energy use at our Parow-based manufacturing plant since 2008.

Coca Cola Peninsula Beverages’s warehouse and production areas have energy-saving lights that automatically switch off if there is enough natural daylight. We also use ionised air to rinse PET plastic and recover the water used in the filter backwash process and bottle rinsing. Other plant-wide measures such as

What started out as a call to action campaign on Facebook grew to become an important event for bringing the community together around sustainability

foot-operated hand-wash basins, water-saving nozzles on hoses, and new crate-washing technology have added to the significant reduction in water usage at Coca Cola Peninsula Beverages.

What is your recycling rate at your factories and how do you extend Coca Cola Peninsula Beverages’s take on waste reuse, reduction and recycling to the broader communities in which you operate? We have achieved significant results in reduced water and electricity consumption, and have a 97.3%

recycling rate at our factory. It is not something new for us; between 2004 and 2015, we halved our water-use ratio and reduced the effluent-use ratio at our plant by 68%. These water savings are the result of targeted adaptions to our processes that make production more sustainable.

When the water restrictions in Cape Town came into effect, we also stopped washing all company vehicles, including trucks. In terms of the communities in which we operate, we hosted a highly successful Recycle Race at local schools last year to encourage recycling from an early age.

3 300 kg Amount of rubbish cleared on Strand and Camps Bay beaches after the New Year festivities 4 500

Daily saving achieved with the help of the Rotary Club of Newlands, after installing a sewage treatment plant

Another exciting water-saving project was for the Philippi Children’s Centre, an Early Childhood Development Centre in Philippi, Cape Town. With the help of the Rotary Club of Newlands, we installed a sewage treatment plant, which shows a daily saving of at least 4 500 litres. Another project we supported was the clearing and rehabilitation of a section of the Diep River in Cape Town, to remove aquatic alien invasive plants; this was as a partnership between The Coca-Cola Foundation, WESSA and the City of Cape Town. Water is one of the main resources needed to produce our products. We therefore appreciate the importance of taking responsibility for keeping our waterways clean and devoid of invasive alien plant species. For this reason, Coca Cola Peninsula Beverages was on board as a supporter of this project.

Your water-saving initiatives are many and the results you’ve achieved are impressive. How are you benchmarking your water-saving achievements and why have you made this such a significant focus area within your organisation? As we deal with a lot of water, water-saving initiatives are not only necessary but our responsibility. We have achieved a fourstar rating in the City of Cape Town’s water ratings system. The purpose of the ratings is to have a recognised system

that shows and measures water resource conservation in industry, to recognise industrial users who are meeting and exceeding the legal requirements, and to promote on-site water management. Only three companies achieved a five-star rating. We are proud that Coca Cola Peninsula Beverages was awarded a four-star rating as this means that we are on the right track towards a sustainable and environmentally friendly water management system, and we are looking forward to finding ways to achieve a five-star rating this year.

Can you reveal any details about future initiatives to further contribute towards Coca Cola Peninsula Beverages’s environmental sustainability? In order to operate sustainably into the future, we are constantly looking at how to refine our processes to be as efficient and environmentally friendly as possible. For Coca Cola Peninsula Beverages, it is not just about refreshing communities. Being a responsible corporate citizen and investing our efforts and resources back into the communities in which we operate, and that support the company, are equally important.

WESSA site visit to Diep River (Source: WESSA)

Philippi Children’s Centre

Running out of landfill airspace

In March 2017, the Institute of Waste Management of Southern Africa (IWMSA) hosted a workshop on ‘Gauteng’s Landfill Airspace’. This provided a platform for industry leaders to discuss solutions for Gauteng’s dwindling landfill space, including waste diversion and alternative technologies.

Gauteng’s population of 13.2 million accounts for 24% of the South African population. The Gauteng province is the country’s industrial and economic hub, generating nearly 34% of South Africa’s GDP. As a result, the province is faced with many waste management challenges, such as the legal compliance and environmentally sound practices of landfilling; as well as the implementation of alternative waste management solutions.

Landfilling is still the most widely used waste disposal option in South Africa. The National Waste Information Baseline Report, a study conducted in 2012, indicates that 91% (98 of 108 million tonnes) of the waste generated in South Africa during 2011 was disposed of at landfills. “Our reliance on landfilling has come at a cost. The remaining airspace at each landfill site in South Africa is fast approaching capacity, and so is the available space to extend landfill sites while complying with stringent waste legislation,” says Johnathan Shamrock, vice-president of the IWMSA.

Gauteng specifics

At the Gauteng Landfill Airspace workshop, held at Plastics|SA’s auditorium in Midrand, participants heard presentations from industry leaders, including Kobus Otto, director of Kobus Otto & Associates (Waste Management Consultants), and Zingisa Smale, director: Waste Management, Gauteng Department of Agriculture & Rural Development. Otto spoke about the current state of landfilling in Gauteng and the need for future waste transfer.

Smale discussed landfill airspace and plans for increased recycling in Gauteng.

the remaining airspace at each landfill site in sA is fast approaching capacity, and so is the available space to extend landfill sites while complying with stringent waste legislation

Gauteng is by far the biggest generator of waste, including hazardous waste, in South Africa – generating about 33% of the country’s waste. The province is not only in need of landfill airspace, it is in need of legally compliant and environmentally sound airspace.

“Until we find alternative solutions that can substitute landfilling entirely, we must explore the strategies, science and technology that will improve the practice and counter

the negative environmental effects. Advancing knowledge about the state of landfilling and finding ways to improve the future of waste management in South Africa is of paramount importance to the IWMSA, which is why we invest in workshops such as this one and events such as Landfill 2017 –which will be happening at the Buffelsdraai landfill in October this year,” says Shamrock.

In context

Currently, a total of 599 landfill sites are listed on the Department of Environmental Affairs’ South African Waste Information Centre permit database for South Africa. Of this number, 102 (17%) are based in Gauteng, of which 13 are municipal landfill sites. The National Waste Management Strategy is geared towards waste beneficiation and diversion from landfill.

While plans for waste diversion from landfill and increased recycling are gathering momentum in Gauteng, landfilling as a waste management option remains a necessary reality, at least for the immediate future.

Gauteng Landfill

Airspace Infographic

13.2 million people living in Gauteng

24% of South Africa’s population reside in Gauteng

599 landfill sites

Registered in South Africa; 102 (17%) are based in Gauteng; 13 of these are municipal landfill sites

R104.66 - R255.21

Monthly household waste removal tariff

91% of waste produced in SA is landfilled (that means less than 10% is recycled)

469 000

Households where separate waste collection at source has been piloted in CoJ Since 2009. The response rate is less than 30%

a bright idea

Pravashen Naidoo, 34-year-old CEO and founder of eWaste Africa, started his business with one brilliant idea: keeping the hazardous materials from lightbulbs out of South Africa’s landfills. Five years, three awards and one major expansion later, eWaste Africa is leading a wave of young entrepreneurs championing environmental sustainability and job creation.

What does eWaste africa do and why? Pn eWaste Africa is South Africa’s first environmentally ethical, legally compliant lightbulb recycling company. The idea for the business sprang from my passion for saving the environment. Did you know that the toxic chemicals from one lightbulb in a landfill has the potential to pollute 30 000 ℓ of water? eWaste Africa’s value proposition is to create a healthier environment by promoting zero waste to landfill. From our value proposition stems the

different aspects of the business: we want to prevent hazardous waste from being disposed of at landfill and we want to ensure our clients are legally compliant. By early April this year, we had secured 110 clients which is remarkable for a company that has only been in operation for two and a half years. Our clients include big brands with large national footprints.

How did the company start and what were some of its major

milestones along the way? I started working on my business plan in about 2012, spending a full year working on it.

Then, in 2013 I became aware of legislation that was to come into effect on 23 August 2016, which would prevent the disposal of lightbulbs at landfills.

We officially opened our Pietermaritzburg H:H licenced recycling facility in 2014, which was officially opened by the honourable deputy minister of the Department of Environmental Affairs, Barbara Thompson,

with André Nel Head of Pick n Pay’s sustainability division also attending as a special guest. Every interaction or event is an opportunity so it was important to show government and industry’s support from the outset.

Last year, eWaste Africa was selected – along with a number of other impressive candidates – to participate in the SAB Miller (now AB Inbev) Kickstart programme. The programme has been going for more than 21 years, and aims to capacitate emerging entrepreneurs with the skills,

coaching and finance needed to grow their businesses.

After receiving an interest-free loan from SAB Miller, I was able to open a new branch of the business in Johannesburg about eight months ago. The loan has also allowed me to purchase trucks and the right equipment for storing, transporting and treating hazardous materials.

Getting the new branch off the ground has required a significant amount of legwork but we have our permits in place for the different regions in Gauteng and are now fully certified and already collecting bulbs in the City of Johannesburg, Ekurhuleni and Tshwane.

We also service the Eastern Cape and Western Cape through strategic partnerships with other entities.

Why is entrepreneurship so important to you and what are you doing to support other young entrepreneurs? I now work with other new up-and-coming entrepreneurs who I’ve met through the Kickstart programme and my own personal network. I act as a mentor to help them achieve their dreams.

During these sessions, I advise other entrepreneurs to “think big but do small”. When growing a national business, it’s vital to go to the biggest role players first.

Receiving an interest-free loan from SAB Miller

30 000 ℓ

Amount of water a lightbulb can contaminate owing to the heavy metals it contains

>100 m

Lightbulbs used in South Africa each year

Since 23 August 2016, it has been illegal to dump lightbulbs in landfills

From 2021, it will be illegal to dump any e-waste in a South African landfill

After that, it’s important to stay humble by ‘doing small’ by which I mean focusing on getting the day-to-day operational and service details of the business right so that you can go on to see big things emerge from the business.

It’s also important to know your value proposition because that governs the day-to-day actions needed to make the business

eWaste a few significant

industry awards last year. Can you discuss those achievements in more detail? eWaste Africa actually won three awards within a very short space of time over November and December last year. The first was through the Kickstart programme where we placed second in the national finals. For that, we received prize money of R400 000 over and above the loan that we had already secured.

The next award was a complete surprise to me: we won the young entrepreneurship category at the Department of Trade and Industry (dti) SA Premier Business Awards. The purpose of those awards is to showcase businesses that have excelled in the areas of entrepreneurship, black industrialism, exports and small business, among others. The event was hosted by the minister of the dti, Rob Davies at the Sandton Convention Centre. Addressing the nominees, he pointed out the importance of being role models to other entrepreneurs.

eWaste Africa also received the Nedbank Pietermaritzburg Premier Chamber of Business award for in the Spirit of Entrepreneurship category.

the business and I hope to create many more much needed jobs across South Africa in the coming months.

eWaste africa not only provides a unique service in the Southern african market but you keep innovating. What is your latest innovation and why is it important for entrepreneurs to have a continuous attitude of innovation? We’re now at the commissioning phase for a plant in KZN, which is capable of taking the lumino-phosphorus powder out of used lightbulbs and then extracting the rare earth metals in that powder for resale. It’s a totally unique process globally, which we foresee one day making our recycling process cost neutral hence saving our clients costs in the long run. The business world doesn’t stand still and eWaste Africa’s clients won’t always be satisfied with the same service year after year. So we’re innovating in anticipation of the market changes of tomorrow.

You’ve already discussed your commitment to the environment. What is the other driver behind your business’s success? Job creation is a huge issue in South Africa with 26.6% of the population being unemployed.

So far, I’ve created 14 jobs (probably 15 by the time this article goes to print) and I want to keep creating jobs because I’ve seen the toll that retrenchments take on workers and I feel a deep personal responsibility for creating as many new, long-term employment positions as possible.

“We won three awards within a very short space of time over november and December last year.”

www.ewasteafrica.net

t +27 (0)33 346 4068 c +27 (0)81 244 1178

With the Minister of the dti, Rob Davies after winning the young entrepreneurship category at the Department of Trade and Industry (dti) SA Premier Business Awards

Dispose of your used oil here... ...and you could end up here.

Up to 15 years imprisonment.

So for peace of mind, contact a NORA-SA approved collector or recycler to safely dispose of your used oil. Call 0860 NORA-SA (6672 72) for a collector in your area.

ROSE Foundation appoints new Ceo

Bubele Nyiba has been appointed as the new CEO of the ROSE Foundation (Recycling Oil Saves the Environment), a national nonprofit organisation established to promote and encourage the environmentally responsible management of used lubricating oils and related waste in South Africa, funded by the major manufacturing stakeholders in the lubricants industry.

ROSE has successfully promoted the responsible recycling of large volumes of used oil, preventing pollution, and creating widespread employment opportunities.

Nyiba joins the ROSE board, made up of elected industry representatives out of its members, which comprise the major lubricants manufacturers and marketers in South Africa. ROSE promotes compliance with waste legislation, both with the generators of used lubricating oil, and with the related collectors and processors.

“The ROSE Foundation has been integral in championing the responsible collection and recycling of used oil to ensure that it does not end up contaminating the environment,” says Nyiba, who is determined to drive greater efficiencies in oil recycling and to meet the sector’s challenges.

“Collectors have the most difficult position in the used oil value chain – working extremely hard and under difficult circumstances – and we have to help them to be sustainable while driving compliance. ROSE assists by offering incentives, training, auditing, protective clothing and insurance to improve compliance,” says Nyiba.

The ROSE Foundation engages with lubricant marketers, manufacturers and importers of oil, to find solutions that support the responsible recycling of used oil in SA.

“ROSE is an independent organisation that looks after the interests of the environment, by encouraging all players in the value chain to cooperate and work together, to embrace responsible waste management,” concludes Nyiba

the Rose Foundation has been integral in championing the responsible collection and recycling of used oil to ensure that it does not end up contaminating the environment.”

Bubele Nyiba, newly appointed CEO, ROSE Foundation

95 Years of history - one year of renewal

This year JG Afrika celebrates its first birthday since rebranding from Jeffares & Green and implementing its 51% empowerment shareholding. It is 95 years since the firm was founded in 1922. Our name may have changed, but our core values of experience, quality and integrity remain the bedrock of the firm. We have done more than sustain, we have evolved. www.jgafrika.com

Bioga s opens NEW H O RIZONS

a state-of-the-art waste-to-energy and recycling plant is being commissioned by a private waste management company in cape town. once in operation, the r330 million facility will produce beveragegrade co2, compressed methane for fuel, a green coal alternative and compost. by frances ringwood

Developer New Horizons has partnered with Waste-Mart, one of the main private waste collectors in Cape Town (CT), to develop a first-of-its kind waste-to-energy (W2E) and recycling plant in the industrial township of Athlone.

Waste-Mart collects between 3 000 t and 5 000 t of municipal solid waste (MSW) for the City of CT per day. By delivering 480 t of unsorted MSW to the plant, as well as 60 t/day of pure organic food waste from restaurants, shopping centres and other similar sources, Waste-Mart will be able to provide its private clients with a green alternative to landfilling. The plant operates in three stages. In the first stage, MSW is processed. This involves size classification, and a picker line removing recyclables. The smaller fraction is then conveyed to a waste press where the organics are extruded. Remaining solids are then passed through a refuse-derived fuel (RDF) plant, meaning that only a minimal fraction is eventually sent to landfill.

The second stage comprises the biogas plant. Once organic sludge has been extruded from the MSW, it passes into the biogas plant where digestate sits for up to 25 days creating biogas. Once the gas has been extracted, the digestate is separated into its liquid and solid fractions – the latter being used for compost. Some of the liquid fraction is recirculated back to maintain the correct liquid-solid ratio. The remainder is trucked off to the local wastewater treatment facility.

The plant will produce in the vicinity of 1 250 m3/h of raw biogas, which is then transported to the third stage in the process – the upgrading plant. The upgrading plant separates the biogas into its main components, comprising CO2 and methane.

The primary aim of the plant is reducing waste to landfill.

Project history

The project was the brainchild of Marcel Steinberg in 2012 when he worked with a company

called FarmSecure. After obtaining the requisite Environmental Impact Assessments, licences and applications for feasibility studies, FarmSecure published its first request for proposals (RFP) in 2013.

The eventual Engineering Procurement Construction (EPC) contract awardee, Fountain Civil Engineering (FCE), submitted its first proposal in September that same year with a price tag of R106 billion. By November a year later, after much back and forth, the planning process with the City of CT began. In July 2015, some two years after the original RFP was received, FCE signed an EPC contract with New Horizons. After 13 official price proposals and untold unofficial prices, the final price settled on was just over R330 million. In July of that same year, planning permission was granted from the City of CT. In September 2016, construction began.

The plant’s materials recovery facility (MRF) was commissioned at the end of October 2016. In February this year, the MRF will be handed over to the developer and, in April, the biogas train will be handed over.

In designing the site layout, a major consideration was to make sure truck turning circles were large enough to facilitate efficient movement.

StaGe 1: MSW facility

The MSW treatment facility is 110 m long x 40 m wide – similar to a rugby field in size. The tipping hall is 30 m x 40 m and was sized to accommodate just over one day’s worth of MSW. In the tipping hall, there will be a permanent

front-end loader for maintaining the waste stockpile and feeding the receiving hopper.

The MSW will pass via a conveyor to a bag opener, which will open up the bags and distribute waste onto the conveyor. From there, the waste is passed over a star screen to separate the +100 mℓ fraction. Smaller, mostly organic particles fall through the star screen’s apertures and larger particles are then conveyed to the manual picking line. From there, anything the pickers do not pick out will go through to a wind sifter. This separates out the light fraction from the heavy fraction. The smaller fraction –-100 mℓ – where the organics are considered to be, is sent to a waste press. The press extrudes the organic juices and sludge from the waste. That sludge is then conveyed to a cleaning sink tank to get rid of the broken glass and grits – lighter plastics float to the top.

Pure organic waste is being used to supplement the organic fraction of the MSW in order to compensate for the variability of MSW.

Two organic waste fractions emerge from the press, a liquid fraction for biogas creation and a solid cake. The solid cake is first broken up in a tear-shredder and then passes through a series

of magnets and fines-removal processes. Whatever is left is sent back to the wind sifter to extract the lighter fraction.

StaGe 2: Biogas plant

The cleaned organic fraction is taken from the sink tank and pumped into the buffer tank, after which it goes to the three main digesters, where the whole process takes about 25 days. Once the digestate from this process has been expended, it is separated into its solid and liquid fractions. The solid fraction is bought by a commercial compost producer and the liquid fraction is stored in a centrate tank. The tank has a two-day capacity and some of the liquid is recycled back into the system to maintain the correct liquids-solids ratio. The balance is removed and transported to a wastewater treatment plant.

About 1 250 m3/h of biogas is created through this process.

StaGe 3: Upgrading plant

After the biogas plant, the hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is removed and moved to the ugrading facility. CH4 is then removed and transported to one part of the building while CO2 is removed

The plant will produce about 1 250 m3/h of raw biogas, which is then transported to the third stage in the process – the upgrading plant

and taken to another part. The CH4 is then compressed into waiting road tankers for transportation. CO2 is stored in a liquid CO2 tank farm. The gas upgrading plant works via a membrane separator, splitting out 18 t/day of liquid, beverage-grade CO2. The CH4 is compressed to 250 bar, at a volume of around 17 000 m3/day. The CH4 can be used as either vehicle fuel or an industry fuel replacement.

A flare for safety is stationed at the facility.

Conclusion

The Athlone plant will be the first of its kind in South Africa and will hopefully set a precedent for other technologically advanced W2E facilities in the country. The facility forms part of larger movement to divert waste from landfill, create energy from waste and realise the value of waste as a commodity.

Project team

Developer: New Horizons

Waste management partner: Waste-Mart Finance: Industrial Development Corporation

EPC contractor: Fountain Green Energy/ Fountain Civil Engineering

Blueprint created for emission reductions

South Africa’s landfill managers are soon to be armed with a new tool to combat greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, making landfills more sustainable, through the eventual introduction of a blueprint for mitigating GHGs.

Six selected local municipalities have recently adopted strategies geared at diverting organic waste from their landfill sites, making a noticeable impact on emissions reduction, through a pilot project successfully completed by engineering firm JG Afrika and RWA, a UK-based specialist waste consultancy with a global spread of projects.

JG Afrika and RWA were acting on behalf of the South African National Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA), the coordinating body implementing the programme at a national level, and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ). GIZ is implementing the project on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for

the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety.

This is a flagship project by the DEA and GIZ, which requires the JG Afrika and RWA team to produce business plans for each intervention.

This collaboration between RWA and JG Afrika builds on an already three-year long working relationship between the two companies operating under the frame of a similar programme led by the DEA’s Waste Directorate and DEA’s Climate Change Team, with support from GIZ, via KfW Development Bank. As part of the project management unit, this prior collaboration contributed towards the successful completion of the second phase of the GIZ-led Climate Support Programme and DEA-implemented Waste Management Climate Change Flagship Programme.

JG Afrika team undertaking a waste intervention

Hungry cattle pick through a waste dump

Feasibility studies

JG Afrika’s Stuart Gower-Jackson, an associate and specialist in solid waste management, says both companies had about eight months to prepare six locally appropriate feasibility studies, allowing the municipalities to divert waste from their landfill sites – in turn resulting in major reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.

This thorough process included the identification of alternative interventions, selection of the best-suited scenarios in each case and the drafting of business and implementation plans that were both practical and financially viable for the municipalities involved. Working closely with a host of other specialist subconsultants and institutions, JG Afrika and RWA’s ambit extended to drafting funding applications through to the approval and commissioning phases of the projects. They also provided a full assessment

Municipal engagement

The process started by gaining a thorough understanding of the waste streams entering various landfills sited in Rustenburg in North West province; City of Mbombela in Mpumalanga; Emfuleni in Gauteng; Msunduzi and uMhlathuze in KwaZulu-Natal; as well as Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality in the Free State.

this is a flagship project by DeA and GIZ, which requires the JG Afrika and RWA team to produce business plans for each intervention

of each project’s contribution towards landfill fees, further motivating their implementation and adding to overall long-term project sustainability.

Gower-Jackson says that this was a critical step, considering the impact that various waste streams (including packaging, garden waste and organic waste) and environments have on project outcomes.

“We had to gather as much information as early as possible before we could proceed with the next step. It was an

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Green garden waste that the Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality aims to divert by establishing centralised chipping facilities at its Northern and Southern landfills, as well as its Botshabelo operation to support 5 000 home composting operations.

All of the ultimate intervention scenarios were recorded and identified projects adopted by the councils for implementation, facilitating their smooth progression through the various phases of their life cycles.

9 000 t/yr

Green garden waste to be diverted by Mbombela Local Municipality for composting at its Tekwane landfill site. Its day-to-day operation will be outsourced to a private company, and it will be supplied with clean garden waste generated by the municipality and private operators.

10 000

Households whose food and biodegradable waste is to be composted by Msunduzi Municipality’s project. These activities will be complemented by a small anaerobic digestion facility with a capacity of nine tonnes per day.

2 500 t/yr

Food waste diverted to landfill in the early stages of the plant’s operation. The plant will be able to accept more waste as a consistent supply of clean food becomes available.

extremely arduous process, with three to four teams spending up to five days at these facilities, collecting information and characterising the organic waste streams. We also involved waste-pickers who helped us to accelerate this phase of the project,” he says.

One of the biggest challenges at this stage was limited record keeping at some facilities, adding another level of complexity to data collection for

modelling. After spending up to four days at most of the landfill sites, 40 detailed short-, medium- and long-term generic interventions were used to develop scenarios for each municipality, spanning collection and transfer points, as well as the treatment of organic waste.

team collaboration

The scenarios were eventually narrowed down to only three, from which the most optimal solution was selected

by the municipalities, with JG Afrika and RWA’s extensive experience in waste management supporting this process.

There has been ongoing transfer of knowledge between the firms since they started collaborating, and this project introduced South Africa to a scenario-evaluation tool used in Europe and the Middle East.

to help inform their decision-making, representatives from the local authorities visited some successful european Union countries

It was developed by RWA and adapted to South Africa’s specific conditions with JG Afrika’s assistance. It takes into account the applicability, appropriateness and affordability (AAA) of the scenarios for the various municipalities. A complete AAA evaluation outcome is fully informed by the comprehensive assessment of technical, environmental, legal, institutional and financial evaluations, as well as other soft interventions.

Gower-Jackson says affordability was the largest motivator, providing a weighting of as much as 50% towards the project scorecard, while technical and environmental (25%), and institutional and legal considerations (25%) contributed the remaining 50% in the decision-making process. One of the milestones of

Plastic bottles sorted for recycling

the project was the extensive involvement of the municipalities, the DEA and the GIZ team from the outset, complementing the other essential pillars supporting a robust waste management strategy, namely political, financial and technical endorsement.

“We identified this need very early on in the project, and took the necessary steps to ensure that the participating municipalities all owned the process. This was one of the most important lessons that we learnt, and we are

25 000

Households and 100 commercial premises from which waste will be collected to produce a product for nutrient upcycling in uMhlathuze Local Municipality’s project.

sure that this approach will be adopted when it is rolled-out elsewhere in the country,” he says.

To help inform their decision-making, representatives from the local authorities visited successful international projects in Austria, Bulgaria, Romania and various European Union countries as part of a study tour led by JG Afrika and RWA.

Climate action

Gower-Jackson is proud of his involvement in this project, considering that it is the

4 380 t/yr

Amount that the project aims to divert from landfills. It entails the establishment of decentralised containerised composting units in 10 locations throughout the municipality. It will be complemented by counter-top food-waste caddies and foodwaste bin supply services.

5 000

forerunner of similar projects that will help South Africa achieve its commitments to landfill avoidance and reducing GHG emissions. Equally important is the project’s total alignment with the DEA’s Waste Management Near-term Priority Climate Change Flagship Programme, which identifies areas for strategic intervention that advance the objectives of the National Climate Change Response Policy and the National Waste Management Strategy.

Households in Rustenburg Local Municipality that will receive organic separation at source. This waste will be collected via separate collection systems and supplied to a centralised biomass pretreatment facility to be developed at Waterval landfill site. The entire project anticipated to divert about 13 280 tonnes of food waste per annum from landfills.

15 500 t/yr

Emfuleni Local Municipality will develop a centralised biomass pretreatment facility, which will be supplied with food separated at source. A free municipal transport service will supply the plant, which will divert 15 500 tonnes per annum of food waste.

Making

south africa is running out of landfill airspace at a number of its metropolitan municipalities. better forward planning is necessary to ensure sustainable, legally compliant landfilling as part of integrated waste management into the future. by Kobus otto*

Baefore discussing the state of most of South Africa’s metropolitan landfills, it’s important to clear up the exact definitions of certain terms as they appear in this article.

First, landfill airspace is the volumetric difference between the approved final landform (digitised), and the surface of the existing waste body (surveyed). Cognisance is to be taken of

plan

the availability of sufficient cover material with allowance made for airspace consumed by daily, intermediate and final cover. It is not a ‘guestimate’ of the remaining capacity of the landfill based on a visual inspection.

Second, the ‘waste deposition (disposal) rate’ is the monthly average waste mass disposed of on a landfill converted to a compacted volume – based on an average compaction density representative of the waste stream disposed of on a particular landfill. Where weighbridges are not available (or operational), weighpads can be used over a limited period to calibrate volumetric data; although this is not the preferred option. It is not a

‘guestimate’ of volumes recorded by a landfill gate controller, converted to mass with a ‘guestimate’ of the average density for waste delivered in both closed and open waste collection vehicles.

Third, the ‘remaining life of a landfill’ (in months) is determined by dividing the remaining landfill airspace by the average monthly waste deposition rate (converted to a compacted volume). It is to be presented as a function of the monthly waste deposition rate – i.e. x months at y tonnes per month. It is not a ‘guestimate’ based on the current size of the waste body for the period over which the landfill was operational.

South a frican context

South Africa’s desired waste management strategy, as laid out in the National Environmental Management: Waste Act (NEMWA, No. 59 of 2008) supports the Waste Management Hierarchy (Figure 1) by promoting cleaner production, waste minimisation, reuse, recycling and waste treatment, with waste disposal seen as a last resort.

The Waste Management Hierarchy is endorsed by most waste management professionals in South Africa – subsequently forming the basis of Integrated Waste Management Plans (IWMPs) developed for both the public and private sectors.

However, the reality is that South Africa generally does not comply with the Waste Hierarchy and we need to get a clear understanding of the way in which most waste is currently managed in South Africa.

Minimisation and recycling

Despite various declarations, policies, strategies and action plans developed and approved in South Africa over the last two decades, the reality is that about 10% of waste generated in South Africa is recycled, compared to Switzerland, where 52% of waste is recycled; Austria, where 49.7% is recycled; Germany, where 48% is recycled; The Netherlands, where 46% is recycled; Norway, where 40% is recycled; Sweden, where 34% is recycled; and the United States, where

Feasible short- and medium-term plans

short-term Plan

1 A plan of action taking about one year to implement would involve first determining the remaining airspace for a municipal landfill – this requires a comparison of the topographical survey and digitally modelled final landform.

2 The municipal waste deposition rate must be calculated, preferably by means of weighbridges, but alternatively volumetric measurements converted to mass with weighpad calibration.

3 These calculations are then to be used to determine the remaining life of landfills at current and projected disposal rates.

4 Landfill managers must assess the legal compliance of their landfills in terms of development and operations. Shortcomings need to be identified and a budget calculated based on the cost of upgrading that landfill to a state of legal compliance.

5 Waste collection efficiencies must be evaluated. By flagging routes not achieving at least two collection rounds per day, waste managers will maximise their route efficiency. Also important is to confirm the average travelling time and landfill turnaround times for such routes.

6 Consider the availability and efficiency of roundcollected-waste transfer stations (these are distinct from public drop-off facilities).

7 The availability of legally compliant private landfills for interim use by municipalities needs to be established. This action can result in reduced waste transport distances for more costeffective municipal waste collection.

8 Municipalities need to undertake a long-term (50-year) municipal waste disposal plan. Most importantly, this must be a ‘feasible plan’ and not a declaration, policy, strategy or action plan that is unlikely to be achievable in the South African context. This plan might involve actions like securing landfill airspace by entering into longer term (five or more years) contracts with private landfill owners – where justifiable and feasible. It will require developing sustainable recycling initiatives. It should also mean investigating the viability of municipal waste incineration.

mid-term Plan

A feasible plan of action, taking about five years to implement, would involve the following:

1 Sustainable recycling initiatives must be developed and supported.

2 New municipally owned landfill sites need to be identified, licensed and developed with at least a 50-year life of landfill that is based on projected deposition rates. Alternatively, municipalities can enter into public-private partnerships to have new regional landfills with 50-year lifespans identified, licensed and developed for both municipal and private sector waste. Another option here is to support the private sector to have new regional landfills with at least 50-year life identified, licensed and developed to accommodate municipal waste. This approach might entail entering into long-term airspace procurement agreements.

3 Where feasible, municipalities should implement waste-to-energy programmes.

31.5% is recycled. So, what are South Africa’s challenges?

Research has indicated that high participation rates from waste generators in source separation are required to achieve the recycling percentages achieved in Europe and the USA. Achieving the necessary rates of participation has been a challenge, as is evident from a Pikitup pilot study conducted in Johannesburg since 2009, where out of 469 000 households the participation rate has been less than 30%.

Nevertheless, it must be remembered that even in places like the UK, there was a slow evolution, from a state where landfilling was the predominant method of waste disposal, to the current situation where there is a more integrated mix of recycling, composting, incineration, landfilling and other alternative waste management technologies.

a lternative technologies

for disposing of the 10% - 20% residues (depending on the waste composition) remaining from incineration.

e xisting landfill compliance

With transitional arrangements having ended on 22 August 2016, domestic waste, general business waste, waste packaging and garden waste may, in terms of Norms and Standards for Disposal of Waste to Landfill (GNR 636), only be disposed of at Class B or GLB+ designed and lined landfill sites. Disposal of domestic or municipal waste on any lesser designed site (for example Class C/D, or GLB- or GMB+/-) is accordingly unlawful from this date; irrespective of whether this was the regulator’s intention or not. This is why I contend that we are not only in need of landfill airspace but we are in need of legally compliant and environmentally sound airspace.

ReL transport costs can double over the first 35 km (from R 200/t for round collection only to R400/t for collection and transport over a distance of 35 km)

Information on the incineration of municipal waste in South Africa is available in the ‘Environment and Infrastructure Services’ briefing for Alternative Waste Treatment Technology in JHB (2014). It proposes that instead of disposal to landfill, waste is to be treated to create a reusable end product. These include recovery of energy, heat, gas, and recyclable material among others.

Note that Pikitup manages in excess of 1 600 000 t of waste per annum. Also note that no allowance has been made in the briefing

The potential environmental impact of noncompliant landfills include noise, flies, odour, unsightliness and windblown litter. These are the short-term impacts. The long-term impacts include: groundwater pollution, landfill gas generation and air pollution. These effects are generally associated with incorrect landfill site selection, design, preparation or operation and may persist long after the landfill site has been closed. Contrary to the climatic water balance principle by which landfills were classified in the Minimum Requirements for Waste Disposal to Landfill, recent experience confirmed that significant volumes of

leachate are generated by general waste landfills in most parts of South Africa.

need for waste transfer

We know from the available data that a fair number of South Africa’s metropolitan municipalities are running out of landfill airspace. The IWMPs for most of these bodies are publically available online. These same documents indicate imminent closure of a number of metropolitan landfills. The difficulty of developing new landfills within close proximity of waste sources, together with closure of existing municipal landfills, creates the need for waste transfer to more remote landfills.

Not only do increased transport distances for rearend loaders (RELs) have a significant impact on transportation costs, but they also have a detrimental effect on waste collection efficiencies.

Although impacted upon by various fac-

tors, this is demonstrated in a sensitivity analysis conducted in 2015 on ‘Transport Distance vs Transport Costs’, which showed that REL transport costs can double over the first 35 km (from R200/t for round collection only to R400/t for collection and transport over a distance of 35 km).

The analysis further demonstrated that waste collection and REL transport costs “increased drastically for transport distances in excess of approximately 60 km”. This is as a result of collection being limited to one round per day due to excessive time spent travelling to and from landfills by RELs.

non-compliant landfills

The reality is that there are many public and private landfills that are non-compliant for a wide variety of reasons. These include buffer zones not being in place between the landfill and residential housing, a landfill sited on a floodplain, cells without a cell liner, contaminated run-off ponds without liners, leachate ponds without liners, lack of security or access control, no weighbridges, no daily cell covering due to lack of cover material, burning of waste, and waste piled with steep side slopes... the list goes on and on.

Short- and medium-term actions will be required to ensure sufficient airspace and make these landfills legally compliant (see text box on opposite page). The desperate situation most metropolitan municipalities find itself in does not allow the luxury of relying on long-term plans.

Conclusion

If we don’t have a feasible plan for what to do with our waste and how to provide legally compliant landfill airspace, the reality is that landfilling practices and standards will continue to deteriorate. If this happens, the environment and human health will pay the price for poor planning and execution by waste management authorities.

Specialist Waste Management Consultants

FIG u RE 1 REL Cost/tonne vs distance to landfill (Jan 2015)

Two years in

the 10-year waste research development and innovation (rdi) roadmap, an initiative of the department of science and technology (dst), completed its second year of implementation at the end of march 2017. so what has the roadmap achieved to date and what are the plans for the coming year?

Given the state of readiness of the national system of innovation (NSI) to give effect to the Waste RDI Roadmap, and the resources available to the DST, the first two years of implementation have been incredibly exciting,” explains Professor Linda Godfrey, manager of the Waste RDI Roadmap Implementation Unit, hosted by the CSIR.

To recap, the roadmap is about supporting the diversion of waste away from landfill towards value-adding opportunities, through directed research and development, human capital development, and technological and social innovation, in line with the mandate of the DST.

Research on waste management has been conducted in South Africa for many years, but it’s typically been through an ad hoc approach, driven by the interests of students and researchers at South African universities and science councils.

“The result is that we haven’t yet created depth and breadth of expertise needed to truly support

Despite the limited financial resources available for R&D in sA, in both the public and private sectors, I think we’ve made good strides towards achieving this long-term goal.” Professor Linda Godfrey

the transition of South Africa’s waste sector away from largely uncontrolled dumping, where 90% of our waste ends up in landfills, to one where the majority of our recyclable material is diverted towards reuse, recycling and recovery,” explains Godfrey. The capability mapping exercise that the DST conducted across all South African universities and science councils in 2014 highlighted that pockets of waste expertise do exist within the NSI; however, the maturity of the South African waste RDI community is still considered as ‘emerging’.“Our job, over the past two years of implementation of the Waste Roadmap, has been to help strengthen this local research capability and generate new research and innovation to help inform and guide this transition,” says Godfrey. “Despite the limited financial resources available for R&D in South Africa, both from the public and private sectors, I think we’ve made good strides towards achieving this long-term goal.”

achievement timelines

The short-, medium- and long-term waste RDI objectives are mapped out in the 10-year Waste RDI Roadmap, and so the role of the DST and CSIR is to give effect to these objectives. The focus over the past two years has been on strengthening South Africa’s skills set in alternative waste treatment, particularly at postgraduate level. The roadmap has taken a strong programmatic approach towards investment to ensure maximum

impact. The DST/CSIR awarded 11 research and innovation grants to South African public research institutions in 2015/16, with a strong focus on organic waste (including industrial biomass) beneficiation. A commitment of R14.7 million over the next two to three years has been made. Grant projects awarded in 2015/16 include, e.g.:

• value recovery from solid confectionary waste

• sustainable utilisation of post-harvest waste

• valorisation of waste chicken feathers

• biogas and VFA biorefinery by co-digestion

• production of novel cellulose nanocomposites. Godfrey adds, “However, in addition to this focus on organic waste, we also wanted to fund specific research projects, which we considered crucial to addressing the strategic issues currently facing the South African waste sector.” The DST/CSIR, thus, also funded grant projects in 2015/16 on:

• lessons from waste-picker integration initiatives

• decision support tools for implementing separation at source

• leaching of metals from printed circuit board waste.

Private sector support

“In partnership with Plastics|SA, we were also able to provide grant funding for the

Postgraduate skills development is an important aspect of the Waste RDI Roadmap

establishment of a pilot-scale pyrolysis facility at Stellenbosch University, which can now be used to undertake research on the viability of pyrolysis, and the optimisation of this technology, for various waste streams,” explains Godfrey.

Postgraduate opportunities

“The 11 grant projects are not only generating new information and knowledge, but also providing opportunities for postgraduate students who, we hope, will eventually move out into the waste

sector and help further the transition away from landfill.” As at December 2016, these 11 grant projects were directly supporting 17 Master’s and PhD students, with another 10 students still planned on these projects. A further eight Master’s students are being supported directly by the Waste RDI Roadmap through postgraduate scholarships, bringing the total number of funded students at the end of 2016 to 25. “This is not bad for the first year, but there is still a long way to go,” says Godfrey.

Programmatic investment

The second year of implementation of the roadmap also took a programmatic approach towards investment. In 2016/17, the focus was on investing in waste electrical and electronic equipment or e-waste research. “As one of the fastest-growing waste streams, and with only an 11% recycling rate (last official figures for South Africa), opportunities for increased collection and local beneficiation need to be explored, before these resources move into the global value chain”, explains Godfrey. In 2016/17 the DST/ CSIR awarded five research grant projects to public research institutions, aimed at maximising re source recovery from electronic waste in the following ways:

• recycling rare earth elements from fluo rescent lamps

• sequential extraction and recovery of valuable metals

• lithium ion battery recycling process

• thermal treatment of printed circuit board waste

• looking at PCB leach residue as reductant in pyrometallurgical operations.

In addition, the DST/CSIR funded a targeted

research project on: ‘Mapping South Africa’s WEEE Dismantling, Pre-Processing and Processing Technology Landscape’. The aim being to identify R&D and innovation needs where the DST, in partnerships with other public and private institutions, can help unlock the opportunities in WEEE. The report, which provides a comprehensive overview of the South African WEEE recycling sector, was released by the DST at the beginning of April 2017, and is available for download from the Waste RDI Roadmap website.

The full list of awarded grant projects and postgraduate scholarships is available on the Waste RDI Roadmap website, as is the full Annual Report for 2015/16 (www.wasteroadmap.co.za).

What’s ahead?

And for the year ahead? “Well, our first priority is to ensure that our existing research projects deliver high-quality research outputs that will help the South African waste sector,” says Godfrey. “We’ll be working towards two new Research Chairs in the waste sector, which is incredibly exciting – a first for South Africa – which will help to strengthen the research and profile of this discipline.” Keeping a programmatic approach towards investment, the intention is to support research in municipal solid waste in 2017/18 and, given the recent Industry-meets-Science workshop on Food Waste, further explore how to strengthen South Africa’s investment and focus in food waste research in support of the Sustainable Development Goals of 2030. “There’s not a shortage of research to be done,” says Godfrey. “The mobilisation of public and private sector investment is currently the biggest constraint to unlocking South Africa’s secondary resources economy, including unlocking relevant research and, with it, hudevelopment.

“the mobilisation of public and private sector investment is currently the biggest constraint to unlocking sA’s secondary resources economy.”

We’ll also be updating the 2014 Capability Mapping exercise to see how, and where, South Africa’s research capability has strengthened. We’ll be undertaking a national Roadshow to universities to share the roadmap with them, to allow them to appropriately prepare for future roadmap calls, and we’ll continue to market and showcase South Africa’s waste RDI to the international waste community, in order to strengthen collaboration.”

It’s going to be another busy year for the Waste RDI Roadmap; but given the transition that the South African waste sector is currently going though, there probably isn’t a relevant time than now to be evidencing this discussion through research.

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Fax: (086) 554 6573

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Environm ental Consultants 1998/46338/23

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Contact: Stephanie de Beer Independent Environmental Consultants specialising in:

• Environm ental Managem ent Plans

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Sharing african strategies

By 2035, sub-Saharan Africa’s urban population will more than double in size, growing from about 298 million to people to 697 million. Consequently, effective waste management is a growing challenge in urban areas. Sharing strategies between different countries is already paying off. by frances ringwood

Massive urban growth has the potential to act as a much needed economic driver in sub-Saharan Africa. But, if cities are overflowing with waste and the resulting vermin and diseases such as cholera and tetanus, living areas quickly become slums, negatively impacting on cities’ potential for economic growth and prosperity. The most important factor dictating whether or not large-scale waste management services will mitigate these hazards effectively is cost.

South Africa and Ghana have been collaborating to institute different best practices exercised by each country to make their distinct waste sectors stronger and more cost-effective, leveraging economies of scale while also creating more jobs. Here are the results so far.

Fast Facts

• Sub-Saharan Africa’s urban population will more than double by 2035

• Bicycle ownership is a UN metric for determining whether or not a household lives in extreme poverty

• Tricycle, motorbike and bicycle use is the primary means of travel between different townships in most African cities

• Both Ghana and Tanzania have experienced strikes in the last decade due to the high cost of urban waste management

Ghana and South africa

Attending last year’s WasteCon 2016: ‘The Changing Face of Waste Management’, held at Emperors Palace from 17 to 21 October, was a Ghanaian delegation representing waste management company Zoomlion.

Zoomlion is the largest waste management company in Ghana and operates in five other African countries: Togo, Angola, Zambia, Equatorial Guinea and Liberia (and negotiations are far advanced for the company to start operations in Sierra Leone and South Sudan.)

Zoomlion is a member of the Jospong Group of Companies. Sophia

Lissah, group head: Communications, Jospong, led the delegation to the South African conference with the primary objective of fostering collaboration with other waste management companies and showcasing their own services and products.

“We will also explore the possibility of brokering partnership arrangements with some leading waste management companies in South Africa and also seek their aid to extend expert support to Zoomlion operations in Ghana and other African countries,” she said.

Zoomlion was the only company from West Africa to participate in the event and was highly commended by the organisers.

Other members of the delegation from Zoomlion were: Sarah Kyei, coordinator of the Zoom Foundation; Daniel Ohene Obeng, senior communications officer; Kenneth Kwamina Moses, operations officer; Mariam Adzraku, operations officer; Kwaku Atakorah

“When we started out, these tricycles were not motorised. It was basically a threewheeled bicycle with a container mounted on top.”

Ghana’s Bola taxis are designed specifically for high-density areas and communities prone to indiscriminate waste disposal practices

Opoku, operations supervisor; and Kojo Njabore Upon, district manager.

Fleets for africa

Ghana has gained from its contact with the local industry, by modelling its own institute on the impressive example set by southern Africa’s IWMsA

As a waste management company with core focus areas in waste collection, storage and treatment, Zoomlion needs to strike the right balance between maintaining a large and efficient fleet of compactors, trucks and tricycles, and keeping its services affordable.

Lissah explains how this balance is achieved, “Our waste transport fleets are built and designed in Ghana, specifically for African use. A key consideration for us is the need to uplift local communities.”

the right vehicle for the job

While Zoomlion’s fleet boasts many large and advanced waste transportation vehicles, what makes it fleet different from those in South Africa is the extensive incorporation of specially designed tricycles, which are aimed at integrating the informal sector with the formal sector.

“When we started out, these tricycles were not motorised. It was basically a three-wheeled bicycle with a container mounted on top, so that street sweepers could put the waste they had collected somewhere, rather than leaving it in the street. Using the tricycles, they could move their collected waste to skip bins.

“In time, Zoomlion received a mandate from China, whereby the company would use Chinese parts to assemble motorised tricycles. By having the assembly capacity in Ghana, young mechanics have found employment and the system has created a number of jobs in the recycling sector,” Lissah explains.

These tricycles are called ‘Bola Taxis’, Bola being the Ghanaian’s word for solid waste.

“We’ve even seen these taxis employed for uses beyond waste management. For example, in the townships, the taxis collect produce grown on people’s properties to sell at the local market. In this way, Zoomlion’s innovation has fostered a number of entrepreneurship opportunities in the communities where they are most needed,” she adds.

Un and CSIR findings

The use of bicycles in creating economic opportunities for those living in informal settlements is not new. The UN uses bicycle ownership as a metric for determining whether or not someone is living above or below the threshold of extreme poverty. Also, the CSIR has previously pointed out the effectiveness of integrating bicycles into the waste transportation mix, as a method that is cost-effective, creates job opportunities and does not produce unnecessary carbon emissions.

While lightweight vehicles do use some fuel, their size makes it easier for them to negotiate the tight lanes and cul de sacs in townships. Moreover, vehicles such as these are used extensively in many parts of Africa, providing their owners with access to healthcare, schooling and earning opportunities they otherwise would not have.

West african Institute

Several years ago, Dr Joseph Siaw Agyepong – founder and CEO of Zoomlion, and executive chairman of the Jospong Group of Companies –visited South Africa and interacted with the local Institute of Waste Managers of Southern Africa (IWMSA). Impressed by the impact such an organisation could have to improve standards and best practices in the local waste management sector, Agyepong returned to Ghana where he established the African Waste Management Institute, headquartered in Ghana’s capital Accra.

Dr Joseph

Siaw Agyepong – founder and CEO of Zoomlion, and executive chairman of the Jospong Group of Companies

“His vision for the African institute is to build capacity in West Africa’s waste management industry. There are challenges in the industry that need to be addressed. While Zoomlion is the leader in the region, there are other, different players who want to join together to create a stronger, better industry. Currently, there also exists a group called the Environmental and Sanitation Practitioners Association, of which Agyepong is the president,” explains Lissah.

Building capacity

“To be able to turn waste into wealth, you need serious capacity building. Even just taking waste from point A to point B – in most cases the landfill site – requires a high level of technical knowledge, and so our institute was built to be able to provide that technological knowledge and also, at some point, help municipalities manage their waste better,” she adds.

The Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology has thrown its support behind the institute as the biggest science and technology university in Ghana. Just as South Africa is constantly building up its skills, qualifications and capacities in all facets of waste management, so too is Ghana. “Zoomlion also has its own research, innovation and development wing that assists to generate statistics and other hard data aimed at building the industry as a whole,” explains Lissah.

Conclusion

Large, specialised waste management vehicles are not going away and it certainly would not be desirous to be without them – especially with predicted urban growth being as high as it is for Africa’s cities. Nevertheless, using non-motorise transport and smaller vehicles could play an important role in keeping cities clean and allowing for economic opportunities to enter and uplift sub-Saharan Africa’s urban townships more effectively.

Worth noting is that knowledge sharing in the waste sector between Ghana and South Africa is not a one-way street. Ghana has gained from its contact with the local industry by modelling its own institute on the impressive example set by Southern Africa’s IWMSA.

Both the cycle race and the marathon have various refreshment stations where close to 20 000 bags are handed out to the athletes

Keeping Cape town beautiful

Plastics|SA partners with Cape Town Cycle Tour, SA Navy Festival and Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon for greener events in the Mother City.

Plastics|SA’s clean-up crews have been tasked with the responsibility of ensuring that the routes and surrounding areas for three of Cape Town’s biggest spectator events are kept clean and litter-free.

For the 10th consecutive year, Plastics|SA’s sustainability manager, John Kieser, will be coordinating three clean-up crews to quickly and effectively pick up all waste generated by athletes and spectators who will be attending the Cape Town Cycle Tour on 12 March, SA Navy Festival from 17 to the 19 of March, and the Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon on 15 of April 2017.

Feather in plastics industry’s cap

“These three events take place during March and April, and attract thousands of visitors from around the country and the rest of the world. It is no small task to ensure that all the water and energy drink sachets used by the athletes, and the litter strewn by the spectators, are picked up as quickly as possible and with as little disruption

to the events or the traffic,” Kieser explains. This year, Plastics|SA has been given the full responsibility of greening the events, and will once again be partnering with waste management company WastePlan to ensure that all recyclable material collected is sent away for recycling.

“Over the years, the active and visible involvement of the Plastics|SA clean-up team and the PETCO branded bins and truck at these events has helped to create an awareness of the plastics industry’s dedication to ensuring that the waste footprint is kept as small as possible,” Kieser said. Each year, several truckloads of plastic waste are collected and sent to the Kraaifontein materials recovery facility for recycling, while food waste is sent to Noordhoek for composting.

Unsung heroes

The majority of the waste collected during these events is plastic waste, which has a high

recycling value. Ensuring that this packaging is kept out of the environment and off the streets will be a crew of 205 cleaners employed from Masiphumelele, Ocean View and Athlone, who are trained to quickly and effectively sweep the areas. The City of Cape Town also plays a major role in boosting the clean-up efforts by ensuring that the routes for these annual events are cleaned prior to the race days.

“Both the cycle race and the marathon have various refreshment stations where, at each one, close to 20 000 bags are handed out to the athletes. The SA Navy Festival sees up to 50 000 people visiting the harbour per day. On top of this, the weather at these events also plays a big role, as rainy and windy weather presents its own set of challenges for the waste collectors,” Kieser says, explaining that makeshift raincoats are often made from refuse bags and the notorious Cape Doctor could blow the litter into the bushes.

advertising campaign

While the clean-up crews will be playing their part on the roads, Plastics|SA will also be supporting their efforts with an extensive marketing campaign aimed at raising awareness of the important role the plastics industry plays in keeping our environment clean, and also spreading anti-littering and recycling messages.

“We are very excited and proud to be part of these events and take the responsibility that has been given to us very seriously. We aim to improve on previous years’ successes and recycling rates,” Kieser concludes.

“It is no small task to ensure that all the water and energy drink sachets used by the athletes, and the litter strewn by the spectators, are picked up as quickly as possible and with as little disruption to the events or the traffic.”

The

plastics industry’s highly visible involvement in major Cape Town events helps spread awareness about plastic’s high recyclability

Growing the GReen eConoMY

WISP is a free facilitation service, funded by the City of Cape Town as well as the Western Cape Government and delivered by GreenCape, the Sector Developmental Agency for the green economy in the province. By using an industrial symbiosis approach that connects over 490 member companies with unused or residual resources such as energy, water, assets, services, waste, transport, logistics and expertise, WISP enhances business profitability and sustainability within the Western Cape.

Job creation

Over 7 600 tonnes of waste has been diverted from landfills, 25 300 tonnes of fossil fuel greenhouse gases have been prevented, and R24 million in financial benefits has been delivered to member companies of the Western Cape Industrial Symbiosis Programme (WISP).

are using this programme to improve efficiencies in the economy and who are contributing to our response to climate change. You are helping to build a resilient city economy that is better prepared to deal with the shocks and stresses of climate change.”

The free-to-attend breakfast highlighted the value that WISP adds to businesses in the city and province, with three companies sharing their resource-efficiency stories. They detailed the changes they have made to energy and water consumption as well as waste management and how these changes have helped them to improve their business processes, operate more sustainably and save money.

For every 290 tonnes of waste that WISP diverts, a job is created. To date, 25 temporary jobs, 17 permanent jobs at member organisations and 63 jobs in the economy have been generated.

During the inaugural WISP business breakfast held in Cape Town recently, Executive Mayor Patricia de Lille made the following address: “It is encouraging to see opportunity in products that would otherwise have been disposed of at our landfill sites. In terms of our new Organisational Development Transformation Plan, we don’t want any further landfill sites to be built in the

City of Cape Town. That will help all the initiatives that have come from WISP and its members to grow even further.”

She continued: “Industrial symbiosis identifies business opportunities to improve resource efficiency and typically results in economic, social and environmental benefits for all the companies involved. It also gives a real form of expression for the circular economy, which aims to see materials used productively for as long as possible before disposal.”

Climate change

De Lille added that the impacts of climate change present very real challenges to Cape Town in general and its economy in particular. “I would like to pay tribute to all the members of WISP who

Sewing change

Chris Handt, operations manager at ACA Threads, which has been a WISP member since its inception in 2013, unpacked the sewing thread manufacturer’s energy-reduction journey. To decrease its electricity consumption, meters were installed in every department throughout the factory and the data from these was then analysed. Based on the findings, further interventions were implemented, which included the staggering of machine usage, introduction of a variable-speed drive compressors, changing all bulbs in the plant to energy-saving ones and putting 131 KW photovoltaic (PV) cells on the roof. The outcome has been a drop in the factory’s monthly electricity usage from 130 000 KW to 100 000 KW with

a saving of R40 000. Furthermore, whatever electricity is not used from the PV cells is being pumped back into the grid. ACA Threads aims to continue cutting its electricity consumption and will be utilising lights with timers or motion sensors, replacing old motors with new inverter motors and adding additional PV capacity.

Saving water

GlaxoSmithKline’s (GSK) Tony Laughton shared that, through its water conservation interventions, GSK experienced a 42% reduction in wastage over the past seven years. These have included the use of reject water from reverse osmosis tanks to supply water to the factory’s HVAC cooling towers, the installation of a solar hot-water system to reduce water wastage whilst awaiting heating, retrofitting toilets with econo-flush systems and putting demand taps on 42 basins around the plant. After undergoing the City of Cape Town’s Water Star Rating certification assessment, GSK received a five-star rating for its water-saving efforts.

Industrial symbiosis identifies business opportunities to improve resource efficiency and typically results in economic, social and environmental benefits for all the companies involved.” Cllr Patricia de Lille

Waste to worth

Charles Dominion, owner of Simple Active Tactics SA, noted the value of waste for his business. As a manufacturer and processor of granular

abrasives for sandblasting, most of the company’s products are made by using waste from industry. Through WISP, the company has now been able to add to its product line-up by using recycled glass offcuts from the glazing industry, 200 tonnes per month of which was being dumped in landfills. The resultant product is used as abrasives as well as in swimming pool filtration systems.

Green economy

Mike Mulcahy, CEO of GreenCape, concluded the breakfast by saying: “There is evidence that there are increasing extreme events happening in regions and cities worldwide as a consequence of both climate change and how we’ve been producing goods and services in the past. There is a massive opportunity for Cape Town and this region to take a leading role in providing solutions to many of these problems. GreenCape’s role is to enable companies to look for these solutions, access opportunities, succeed in their businesses and access the green economy.”

The breakfast is one of the many networking opportunities offered to WISP members, comprising companies and organisations of all sizes, sectors and turnovers within the Western Cape. These are designed to help grow businesses and make them more resource-efficient.

Building for a better tomorrow

Mitigating a building’s carbon footprint can be achieved in multiple ways – from the selection of building materials to lifetime energy management.

Waste management also plays a significant role in minimising carbon emissions at both the construction and operational phases.

Measuring the total carbon footprint of a building is extremely difficult and highly complicated given that thousands of different materials are used in construction projects –each one having a unique carbon-per-kilogram (CO2/kg) output ratio.

An added variable is how close the material is sourced within the radius of the building site. This

is due to fossil fuels burned during transportation. Manfred Braune, chief technical officer and executive director at the Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA), explains that the method of transportation will also have an impact on buildings’ ultimate carbon footprint.

“While products like concrete might be carbon intensive, the client, contractor or project manager needs to look at how this compares with other ‘environmentally friendly’ options, which are

Black River Park, Cape Town

V&A Waterfront, Cape Town

green conscious

e xisting building performance monitoring projects focusing on waste management

imported by sea or air from places like China. When transportation emissions are taken into consideration, the local product might win out over the imported one,” says Braune.

He points out that carbon inventories of this sort, which quantify the individual CO2/kg value of every single component used in construction as well as the carbon cost of transportation, are rarely, if ever, carried out in South Africa. “There are a few local studies on the feasibility of the process, but it is incredibly labour intensive,” he says.

“However, in the UK and Europe, it’s starting to gain more traction through the use of building information

Black river Park in Cape Town has eight buildings that all achieved a Green Star SA - Existing Building Performance rating. Contributing to this achievement was a site-wide waste recycling and composting facility, where it produces mulch that is fed back into the office park’s planters.

v&a WaterFront shoPPing centre achieved a Green Star SA - Existing Building Performance rating. Contributing to this achievement was a site-wide waste recycling composting facility, where the centre also chips its wood offcuts, producing mulch that is fed back into its planters. The V&A also charges tenants extra for waste going to landfill, so it is cheaper for tenants if they recycle.

Life-cycle design

management systems. These count the CO2/kg value of every nut and bolt, allowing the person doing the assessment to‘play around’ with their design until they find the optimal solution from a design and carbon emissions perspective,” explains Braune.

The reality though, is that the embodied carbon

the average lifespan of a building is 50 years, and a lot of energy and other resources are consumed and generate waste over that period.”

of the building itself pales in comparison to its operational life. This is why the GBCSA places a much greater focus on managing a building’s carbon emissions during operation.

“In South Africa, where the majority of our energy is generated from coal-fired power stations, you need to focus on the energy consumption of a building. The average lifespan of a building is 50 years, and a lot of energy and other resources are consumed and generate waste over that period,” he explains.

Manfred Braune, chief technical officer and executive director, GBCsA

There are two main paths for buildings to reduce their carbon emissions through energy management.

The first is passive design, which looks at wall and roof insulation, slowing the rate of heat ingress into the building. Factors like daylight also need to be considered. The second is active design, or the use of key components in heating, ventilation air-conditioning, cooling systems and lighting to improve efficiencies.

“With regard to passive design, daylight is an important factor to consider. You need to allow enough daylight to enter the building so that you lessen the need for electrical lighting but you also have to balance that with shading and glare reduction; i.e. maximising the amount of light allowed in but not heat,” explains Braune.

“Passive design also uses the orientation of the building and the fabric to carefully design without any active components,” he adds.

The addition of renewable energy systems is considered part of active design and may incorporate grid-tied systems for feeding energy back into the grid during the day or during windy periods (depending on whether solar or wind power is used) and purchasing power from the national utility when sunlight or wind levels are low.

“Together, passive and active design will ensure that you have a really energy-efficient building,” says Braune.

Waste management

The GBCSA’s Green Star rating tool places a significant focus on the construction and life-cycle waste management of buildings.

Braun notes that there are huge opportunities during operation, but also during construction, to reduce the amount of waste produced, lowering CO2 emitted from nitrogenous waste. “Our Green Star Green Building Rating System, for the certification of new buildings, major refurbishment and buildings in operation, calls for comparatively high recycling rates,” he adds.

“We allocate one point for recycling 30% of the waste produced; two points for 50%; and three points for 70% of waste. Nedbank Phase II was the first project to be certified as a Green Star SA certified building in 2009, which included the achievement of this credit. At the time, the contractor thought it would be a difficult target to achieve. Then, as he started going through the process, he found it was actually possible to divert over 90% of waste from landfill,” says Braun.

“So the Green Star Rating System has really had an impact on the industry, effecting a mind shift towards prioritising the diversion of waste from landfill,” he concludes.

Vision Zero Waste Seminar 15 June

Waste represents opportunity. By embracing a zero-waste vision, companies can not only eliminate waste from their value chains but even profit from commercialising waste streams. The Vision Zero Waste seminar looks into how the waste management sector can achieve its full potential!

Programme Overview

Session 1: Wise resource use in waste management Topics:

• Waste Legislation – An overview and where we are today

• Managing the waste stream: Developing the most appropriate mix of infrastructure and services

• Wastewater, environmental and process engineering

“together, passive and active design will ensure that you have a really energy-efficient building.”

Session 2: Practical application of zero waste principles

• A cradle-to-grave approach to e-waste management

• The war on waste: creating jobs from rubbish

• A vision for a waste-free city

Delegate Fee - Half Day: R890 per person

Special rates for bulk booking: info@alive2green.com

The St Monica’s beneficiaries following an informative session on the use of vermi-tea and vermi-compost for gardening

Early worm

A first-of-its-kind green initiative is being championed by Cavendish Square retail centre in Cape Town’s Southern Suburbs, using earthworms to slash the carbon emissions of tenants’ green waste. by frances ringwood

Using earthworms to process leftover organic food waste, newspapers and even flowers creates high nutritional liquid and solid fertiliser, while also drastically reducing Cavendish Square’s carbon dioxide (CO2) footprint. This has assisted the retail centre to meet its internal commitments to environmental sustainability while championing government’s zero waste to landfill objective.

Brenda Bibby, centre manager, explains, “As a centre, we pride ourselves on protecting the

catches carbon

environment and providing our retailers with the tools to champion climate change. Being the first centre to implement the worm farm initiative, since 2011, we are actively and proudly flying the eco-conscious flag. Cavendish Square also has internal water conservation and energy-efficiency programmes.”

During 2017, the centre’s continued to work closely with tenants to minimise wasteto-landfill and fine-tune its integrated resource management mechanisms.

Managing carbon

Installed and managed by vermiculture experts, FullCycle, Cavendish Square’s worm farm, cuts the building’s CO2e (the measurement of all six greenhouse gasses) emissions by more than 350 kg per month. Mary Murphy, co-founder, managing director and owner of FullCycle, discusses what makes this project unique and

how the same principles can be applied at different scales.

“one tonne of food waste produces upwards of 385 tonnes of Co2. through our worm farm, that’s reduced to just 30 tonnes of Co2 per tonne of food waste.”

“Instead of waste going to landfill, it’s now managed on-site. When Cavendish approached us in 2011, the client specifically asked for a worm farm capable of processing between one and one and a half tonnes of food waste per month. One tonne of food waste produces upwards of 385 tonnes of CO2e. Through our worm farm, that’s reduced to just 30 tonnes of CO2e per tonne of food waste —a significant reduction in terms of reducing a building’s carbon footprint.”

FullCycle’s facilities are situated as close to the point of generation as possible so that environmental gains are not eroded by the burning

Mary Murphy of FullCycle has published this Beginner’s Guide to

of fossil fuels used in transport. The Cavendish worm farm is on Parking Level 1, just besides the Woolworths elevator.

The Cavendish worm farm is relatively small. However, FullCycle have a number of other designs and the facility’s size can be increased to an industrial scale. At scale, many tonnes of waste can be processed per month, as is being done at Grand West Casino in Goodwod, Cape Town.

Public interest

“The Cavendish site has generated a certain amount of interest among the public and people do come over and ask a lot of questions, but we don’t have specific times when people can visit because collection times from the various waste producers in the centre vary,” says Murphy.

The tenants who contribute toward the initiative include Col’ Cacchio, the Woolworths Café, Fabulous Flowers and the Mugg&Bean.

Worm tea anyone?

The end products of the process, vermi-tea and vermi-compost are both fertilisers that can be used to supress bacteria harmful to crops in soils. They represent a truly organic solution to pest control and can be used instead of traditional chemical-based fungicides and pesticides.

The worm tea given to us from the Cavendish worm farm is wonderful. We used it to feed our orchids and although it has come to the end of their season they are very healthy and vibrant,”

comments Josie van Aswegen, owner of Fabulous Flowers, one of the participating tenants at Cavendish Square’s worm farm.

Beneficiaries

FullCycle identified St Monica’s Home for the Elderly in the Bo Kaap as a beneficiary of the end products produced by the worms. “St Monica’s is a shelter for elderly people who would otherwise be forced to live on the street,” says Murphy.

“They use the vermi-compost and vermi-tea to grow vegetables and there is now a substantial garden on the premises, which could not have been established otherwise. This is because the garden was initially a rubble dump site and there was no nutrition in the soil,” she adds.

The other requirement from Cavendish was that the project had to provide full-time employment for someone who previously had no job.

super worms

Murphy has written a couple of books on the subject of worm selection, describing three types of worm species on the planet. Of those, there are only six species that are used – at global level – for producing vermi-compost.

FullCycle uses one specific species – Eisenia fetida, also called the red wiggler or tiger worm.

Tiger worm in compost

Red worms processing food waste

Community food garden

Earthworm Farming

Worm farmers

Horizontal garden fertilised with worm tea

showcasing innovations & solutions

REGISTER TODAY

VISITOR PROFILE

Local Authorities, Municipalities, Hospitals, Utilites & Services

Engineers, Technoloy Developers, Designers, Consultants, Manufactureres, Sales & Distribution

Scienti�c Researchers, Scholars and Educational Institutions

Investors, Technology Funders and Innovation Agencies

Professionals within the pollution, energy, water, waste and environmental industries

This trade-only expo will feature 3 days of workshops highlighting innovative advancements within the pollution and waste sectors. Talks will feature case studies, local and international as we as high-level keynote speakers.

WORKSHOP TOPICS

What can the 4th Industrial Revolution mean for Waste & Pollution?

What Technologies can Help Solve Air Pollution Problem?

Sustainable cities in developing countries with cutting edge technologies.

E-waste � The fastest growing waste stream and the Global E-Waste Management Market is expected to garner $49 4 billion by 2020

Case Studies: Solutions & Technology South Africa can learn from Apps that assist waste management/motivate circular economies

Technologies that contribute to the Circular Economy

They furthermore propose the preparation of an emergency preparedness plan, monitoring and inspection of the waste storage facilities and stormwater containment systems, bi-annual internal and external audit reports, and compliance with decommissioning standards when waste facilities cease operation.

WML to become less onerous

Proposed amendments to the NEMWA confirm the Department of Environmental Affairs’ intention to reduce the number of waste management activities requiring waste management licences, particularly where the environmental impacts are likely not significant, and to provide alternative regulatory mechanisms. b y s andra g ore and a lecia p ienaar*

the movement away from waste management licence (WML) requirements for certain listed waste management activities initially started in November 2013, with the enactment under NEWMA of the ‘List of Waste Management Activities that have or are likely to have a Detrimental Effect on the Environment’ (WML List). The WML List removed WML requirements for certain listed waste management activities and included them under Category C, which requires compliance with national norms and standards relevant to the particular waste management activity.

amendment information

Draft amendments to the WML List propose that sorting, shredding, grinding, crushing, screening or bailing of general waste be removed from Category A and added as a Category C waste management activity

The Minister of Environmental Affairs recently published draft amendments to the WML List, which propose that sorting, shredding, grinding, crushing, screening or bailing of general waste (Item 3(2) Activity) be removed from Category A and added as a Category C waste management activity. Draft Norms and Standards for the Item 3(2) Activity (Item 3(2) Draft Norms and Standards) have also been published. If these draft amendments and the Item 3(2) Draft Norms and Standards are promulgated, entities wishing to undertake the Item 3(2) Activity will no longer require a WML, but will only need to comply with the Draft Item 3(2) Norms and Standards.

The Draft Item 3(2) Norms and Standards propose that the location, construction, design and operation of, and access to, the waste facilities for an Item 3(2) Activity must comply with its provisions.

If the Draft Item 3(2) Norms and Standards are promulgated, operators planning to start an Item 3(2) Activity, or those already conducting an Item 3(2) Activity, will have 90 days to register their waste facility with the relevant provincial authority. Any waste facility already registered in terms of National Norms and Standards for Storage of Waste need not re-register. It is furthermore proposed that any entity that has been lawfully operating a waste facility for an Item 3(2) Activity under a WML prior to the date coming into effect of the Draft Item 3(2) Norms and Standards, will have to comply with the WML until its expiry, whereafter compliance with the Draft Item 3(2) Norms and Standards will become mandatory.

non-compliance

Failure to comply with the Item 3(2) Norms and Standards would constitute a criminal offence under NEMWA, for which a maximum fine of R5 million may be imposed.

The DEA has publicly announced that the movement to reduce the amount of licensing requirements for certain waste management activities is set to continue.

*Sandra Gore is director: Corporate and Commercial and Alecia Pienaar is a candidate attorney at law firm Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr.

LandfiLL 2017 “Back to Basics”

Date: 18 – 20 October

Venue: Buffelsdraai Regional Landfill, Verulam, eThekwini

Contact: Reshad Hassan at reshadh@kaytech.co.za

The KwaZulu-Natal Landfill & Waste Treatment Interest Group announces the twelfth biennial seminar dedicated to capacity building and technology transfer in the science and practice of waste treatment and disposal by landfill. Landfill 2017 continues this highly successful series, and for the first time, it will be held on a major operational landfill. This will give landfill equipment suppliers an ideal opportunity to demonstrate their products in action, and the associated static exhibition will be a good showcase for organisations who have products and services to offer to the waste management fraternity.

AfricAn construction and totAlly concrete e xpos

Date: 23 – 24 May

Venue: Gallagher Convention Centre, Johannesburg, South Africa

sA cleAnup And recycle Week

Date: 12 – 17 February 2017

Venue: South Africa’s catchment areas and coastlines as well as inland litter collection campaigns

Contact: www.plasticsinfo.co.za

Contact: Soren du Preez on + 27(0)21 700 4300 or Soren.dupreez@hypenica.com

Catering to the entire African construction, cement and concrete industries, 9 000 construction industry players are expected to attend this two-day event. The audience includes architects, engineers, contractors, quantity surveyors, government representatives as well as suppliers of products and services to the industry.

Date: 6 – 8 June 2017

Venue: Ticketpro Dome

Contact: Rene Staack at Rene@ThebeReed.co.za

Colocated with Africa Automation Fair, this trade exhibition is the ideal platform to showcase the latest technology, innovations and solutions for processing, reducing and managing waste and pollution. It promises to connect industry specialists and professionals across private and public sectors.

The first International Coastal Cleanup was held in 1996, as an initiative of the plastics industry and KZN Wildlife, to remove the most visible plastics litter from the coastal area. Since then, it has become an annual, countrywide event – supported by dozens of private companies and thousands of private citizens – to pick up many tonnes of trash that would otherwise pollute the ocean. More recently, Clean-up and Recycle Week SA has gone beyond just beaches to include cleaning up river catchments and inland areas.

Buffelsdraai Regional Landfill

Be part of Africa’s Premier Environmental Technology Trade Fair.

Free entrance for online registrations www.ifat-africa.com/online-registration.php

Dedicated

Contact: kzn@iwmsa.co.za