The National Waste Management Strategy was released in November 2011, aiming to achieve the objectives of the National Environmental Management: Waste Act (Act No. 59 of 2008) and address the numerous challenges in waste management in South Africa. This strategy was formulated by the Department of Environmental Affairs and consists of five parts, including background, overall approach, implementation tools, implementation mechanisms, and conclusion, providing a comprehensive plan for waste management in South Africa.
1. Background
Legislative Basis: This strategy is a legislative requirement of the National Environmental Management: Waste Act (Act No. 59 of 2008), with the purpose of achieving the objectives of this act, and state organs and affected persons are obliged to implement it.
Challenges Faced:
Population and economic growth have led to an increase in the amount of waste, while existing waste management facilities are in short supply.
Urbanization and industrialization have increased the complexity of waste streams, and the mixing of hazardous waste with general waste has made management more difficult.
Some areas have serious historical problems with waste services, with uneven access to services, affecting the environment and the quality of life of residents.
The submission of waste data is not mandatory, resulting in limited understanding of the main waste flows and the national waste balance.
The policy and regulatory environment has not actively promoted the waste management hierarchy, limiting the economic potential of the industry.
There is a lack of recycling infrastructure, making it difficult to separate waste at the source and recover resources.
Waste management infrastructure is outdated, with declining levels of investment and maintenance.
Waste management is generally underpriced, and consumers and the industry have insufficient understanding of costs, preferring waste disposal over other management methods.
There are limited options for waste treatment, which are more expensive than landfill, and there are insufficient safe landfill facilities, with a large number of facilities unpermitted.
2. Overall Approach
Goal Setting: Built around eight priority goals, covering waste minimization, reuse, recycling, service provision, economic contribution, awareness raising, planning integration, budget management, land remediation, and regulatory enforcement, with specific indicators to be achieved by 2016 for each goal.
Principles to Follow: Follow the waste management hierarchy, including waste avoidance and reduction, reuse, recycling, recovery, treatment, and final disposal. Encourage stakeholder cooperation and co-regulation, adopt a tiered and consensual regulatory model, and comprehensively use a variety of measures and tools.
3. Implementation Tools
Waste Classification and Management System (WCMS): Classify waste based on the Globally Harmonised System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS), identify pre-classified waste, stipulate classification and management timeframes, prohibit waste mixing, and phase out co-disposal and macro-encapsulation. Establish a management system for hazardous waste, including waste manifests, safety data sheets, container labels, and storage records. Develop relevant standards for landfill disposal, assess risks, and stipulate classification and design requirements.
Norms and Standards: The national, provincial, and municipal governments jointly build a norms and standards system. At the national level, priority is given to formulating mandatory standards such as waste classification, service planning, storage, treatment, and disposal; discretionary standards can also be developed in some areas. Provinces and municipalities can formulate local standards without conflicting with national standards. The standard-setting mechanisms include internal procedures and the South African Technical Infrastructure (SATI) standard-setting procedures. Consensus is reached through multi-stakeholder committees, and in some cases, the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) can promulgate standards on its own. Certification bodies are responsible for certification, and standards can be enforced through regulations.
Licensing System: Implement a licensing system for specific waste management activities, clarify the list of licensing activities and conditions, and activities that do not meet the licensing requirements but comply with the standards need to be registered and reported. The licensing categories (A and B) determine the environmental assessment procedures, with basic assessment and full assessment applicable respectively. The Minister of the Department of Environmental Affairs or the Provincial Executive Council (MEC) serves as the licensing authority, and the National or Provincial Environmental Management Inspector (EMI) is responsible for supervision. Establish the National Environmental Authorisation System (NEAS) to manage license applications, simplify the process, and achieve system integration.
Industry Waste Management Plans (IndWMP): The industry formulates plans to manage specific waste streams, sets management standards and goals, including recycling, reuse, etc., and needs to report on the achievement of goals. Plans can be formulated for specific waste streams or companies and can be submitted voluntarily or as required. Mandatory plans are formulated by relevant industries, and the content needs to comply with regulations. The formulation process requires consultation and consideration of the opinions of all parties. After submission, they are approved by the Minister or MEC and reviewed and updated regularly.
Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR): For specific products or waste streams, producers, importers, or retailers are responsible for managing waste after the point of sale, and mandatory plans can be implemented when voluntary plans fail. Product characteristics determine applicability, and the design of measures needs to consider funding mechanisms, collection networks, market utilization, and cooperation, and requires consultation with stakeholders. When the Minister announces the application, relevant departments need to be consulted. The state does not bear the financial responsibility, and the DEA will develop cost allocation and plan development guidelines.
Priority Waste Management: The Minister can declare waste that poses a serious threat to health and the environment as priority waste and take management measures such as restricting or prohibiting generation, detailed registration and reporting, and restricting import and export. Before the declaration, stakeholders need to be consulted, and decisions are made based on scientific research and analysis, considering economic impacts. After the declaration, an implementation plan is formulated to clarify the consequences.
Economic Instruments: According to the provisions of the Waste Act, the Minister, in consultation with the Minister of Finance, formulates economic incentives and disincentives to change waste management behavior. Measures need to comply with fiscal and tax policies and the "polluter pays" principle, and need to be used with caution before addressing the problem of underpricing of waste services. Specific measures include deposit refund, waste disposal tax, product tax, tax intervention for hazardous waste disposal, tax relief, etc., and research, evaluation, and implementation monitoring will be carried out.
4. Implementation Mechanisms
Responsible Entities:
Private Sector: Responsible for waste management throughout the product life cycle, formulate industry plans and EPR plans, adopt clean technologies, provide recycling facilities, comply with licensing regulations, provide information, and participate in service provision and technological innovation.
Civil Society: Consumers and households reduce, reuse, and recycle waste and enhance environmental awareness; non-governmental organizations and others participate in all stages of waste management, including recycling, service provision, monitoring, education, and publicity, and participate in the implementation of the strategy and the act.
Government Departments:
Local Government: Provide waste management services, including collection, storage, and disposal, cooperate with the industry to promote recycling, set up classified trash bins, divert and compost organic waste, appoint waste management officers, formulate and implement Integrated Waste Management Plans (IWMPs), register waste transporters, and can formulate local standards.
Provincial Government: Is the main regulatory body, promotes and ensures the implementation of the national strategy and standards, appoints provincial waste management officers, formulates provincial IWMPs and annual reports, and has a number of discretionary powers that need to be exercised in consultation with the DEA.
National Government (especially the DEA): Is responsible for the overall implementation of the Waste Act, formulates national strategies, norms, and standards, manages information systems, issues licenses for specific wastes, fulfills international obligations, and coordinates the work of other departments. Other departments such as the Department of Cooperative Governance, the Department of Trade and Industry, and the National Treasury also have different responsibilities in waste management.
Cooperative Governance: Through institutions such as MINMEC, MINTEC, and the Committee for Environmental Coordination, conduct cross-departmental coordination in waste management licensing, IWMP, industry regulation, land remediation, law enforcement, etc.
Waste Management Officers (WMO): WMOs are established at all levels of government, responsible for coordinating waste management, supervising waste management activities, supporting EMI law enforcement, establishing waste forums at all levels to coordinate work, and their responsibilities vary according to the level of government.
Capacity Building: Different levels of government face different capacity challenges in waste management implementation, such as human resources, skills, and training needs. The challenges at the local government level are particularly prominent, and a nationally coordinated capacity building program will be implemented, covering policy guidance, training, expert advice, and financial support.
Waste Information System (SAWIS): Established in accordance with the Waste Act, it records and analyzes waste data, provides information for management plans, ensures public and industry access to information, and ensures data security. It stipulates reporting obligations, thresholds, and sanctions, is implemented incrementally, is integrated with other systems, and realizes data standardization.
Monitoring and Evaluation: Align with the government's monitoring and evaluation system, set national goals and indicators, and conduct annual summary and review. Require all levels of government to submit annual performance reports of IWMPs, including the degree of plan implementation, waste management initiatives, service delivery, compliance status, and improvement measures, and clarify reporting deadlines and approval requirements.
Mechanisms for Fulfilling International Obligations: South Africa has signed a number of international agreements related to waste management, and the DEA cooperates with other departments to formulate implementation plans, including cooperating with the International Trade Administration Commission (ITAC) and the South African Revenue Service (SARS) to handle matters related to the Basel Convention, formulating the national implementation plan for the Montreal Protocol, studying the management of chemicals under the Rotterdam Convention, implementing the provisions of the Stockholm Convention, participating in the negotiation of the new mercury convention, coordinating the management of waste dumped at sea, establishing interdepartmental committees and coordination mechanisms, and integrating import and export control systems.
5. Conclusion
This strategy is an important milestone in the implementation of the Waste Act and the achievement of sustainable waste management, clarifying the roles and responsibilities of all stakeholders. Although facing challenges, it is crucial for the sustainable development of South Africa. The strategy needs to be updated regularly, and its formulation process has widely consulted the opinions of all parties. The government thanks the stakeholders for their contributions and looks forward to joint implementation.