Waste Management, Strategies and Situation in South Africa: An Overview

This paper highlights some interesting facts on South African-s waste situation and management strategies, in particular the Integrated Waste Management. South Africa supports a waste hierarchy by promoting cleaner production, waste minimisation, reuse, recycling and waste treatment with disposal and remediation as the last preferred options in waste management. The drivers for waste management techniques are identified as increased demand for waste service provision; increased demand for waste minimisation; recycling and recovery; land use, physical and environmental limitations; and socio-economic and demographic factors. The South African government recognizes the importance of scientific research as outlined on the white paper on Integrated Pollution and Waste Management (IP and WM) (DEAT, 2000).

• Edison Muzenda
• Freeman Ntuli
• Tsietsi Jefrey Pilusa

• Cleaner production
• demographic factors
• environmental quality
• integrated waste management
• hierarchy
• recycling

[1] Global Waste Management Market Report, 2007.
[2] The 1999 State of the Environment Report for South Africa, Department
of Environment and Tourism, 1999.
[3] Department of Water Affairs and Forestry (DWARF), Report on Waste
Generation sub-project. Report No. 3064/1505/4/S, 1997.
[4] A. J. van der Merwe and J. I. Vosloo, "Soil pollution - action required,"
Proceedings of the National Veld Trust, Jubil. Congress, Potchestroom,
South Africa, 1992.
[5] Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, 1999
[6] Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, 2000
[7] New National Environmental Management Waste Act, 2008
[8] D. Savage, Cooperative Governance, Local Government and Waste
Planning System Report, Department of Environmental Affairs, 2009
[9] National Waste Management Strategy - First Draft for Public Comment,
Depart of Environmental Affairs, March 2010.
[10] Republic of South Africa Millennium Development Goals Country
Report, 2010.
[11] Gauteng Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Environmental
Affairs: Development of a general waste minimisation plan for Gauteng;
Status Quo and Waste Minimisation Report, 2008.
[12] http://[email protected]. Accessed 28-06-2011
[13] G. Purnell, "National Waste Quantification and the Waste Information
System," Paper Prepared for Department of Environmental Affairs as
part of NWMS process, August 2009.
[14] M Goldblatt, "Macroeconomic trends, targets and economic
instruments," Paper Prepared for Department of Environmental Affairs
as part of NWMS process, August 2009.