Keynote address by Deputy Minister Bernice Swarts at the Circular Economy Summit in Limpopo
Programme Director,
Vice-Chancellor, Dr Mabelebele and the leadership of the University of Limpopo
Distinguished academics and researchers,
Representatives of government, industry and civil society,
Entrepreneurs and members of the waste management sector,
Our students and future leaders,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Good morning.
It is an honour to be among the thought leaders here in the University of Limpopo, in this Great hall named after a prominent South African anti-apartheid activist and a student leader Abram Onkgopotse Ramothibi Tiro.
Tiro hails from a small village in the North-West Province, Dinokana. His life reminds us that a person's origins, social circumstances or status should never limit the possibilities and influence that their future can have on humanity. Where we come from should instil a sense of pride and resilience and demonstrate the zeal on how much we can contribute to society.
I wish to draw inspiration from the significance of this place and the values it represents. As we gather to discuss innovation, entrepreneurship, research and collaboration, let us remember that some of the most transformative ideas and influential leaders can emerge from communities and circumstances that others may underestimate.
To our students, I want to say this: never allow your background to limit your imagination. The challenges facing our country require fresh ideas, courageous leadership and people who are prepared to turn seemingly ordinary opportunities into extraordinary solutions.
The National Development Plan consider Universities as important drivers of economic growth, innovation, skills development and entrepreneurship. Universities should do more that educate students for emplpyment, universities should help develop people who can create businesses, commercialise research, innovate and create jobs.
The theme of this student summit, “Empowering Tomorrow’s Leaders: Advancing the Circular Economy Through Entrepreneurship, Innovation, Research and Collaboration,” could not be more relevant to the challenges and opportunities confronting South Africa today.
South Africa faces significant environmental, economic and social challenges associated with the generation and management of waste. Yet, within these challenges lies an enormous opportunity to create businesses, develop innovative technologies, generate employment, attract investment and build a more sustainable economy.
The waste sector must no longer be viewed merely as a problem that government and municipalities must manage. It must increasingly be recognised as an important contributor to economic development, enterprise creation and environmental sustainability.
Programme Director, the University of Limpopo's motto, “Finding Solutions for Africa,” makes this institution an appropriate place for this important conversation. The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment has made the right choice in bringing this engagement to a university whose vision speaks directly to the need to develop solutions that respond to the realities of our communities and our continent.
The university's mission of fostering a vibrant research culture and innovative enterprise, while embedding community engagement in its academic and research activities, aligns closely with the objectives of this summit.
We are here not only to discuss the circular economy, but to identify practical solutions that can be researched, developed, tested and implemented to improve people's lives.
Our responsibility is to ensure that the knowledge generated in our universities translates into solutions for our communities, opportunities for our entrepreneurs and sustainable development for our country.
Programme Director,
Waste management and the circular economy are about much more than collecting refuse, operating landfill sites or keeping our streets clean. They are fundamentally about restoring dignity to our people, protecting public health and safeguarding the natural resources upon which present and future generations depend.
Every person has the right to live in an environment that is not harmful to their health or well-being. This is a right enshrined in section 24 of our Constitution.
When waste is not collected, when it is dumped illegally, when it pollutes our rivers and wetlands, or when households are forced to burn waste because they lack access to adequate waste management services, the consequences extend beyond environmental degradation. They affect human dignity, public health, community safety and economic opportunity.
Our natural resources must also be used responsibly. We cannot continue to extract resources, manufacture products, consume them and simply discard them without considering their environmental and economic consequences.
This is why the circular economy is so important.
Circular economy seeks to retain the value of materials and products for as long as possible. It encourages us to prevent waste, reuse products, repair and refurbish items, recycle materials and recover value from resources that would otherwise be discarded.
Landfilling should be the last resort, not the default option.
Every material that can be recovered, reused, recycled or beneficiated represents a potential economic opportunity. When recyclable materials are sent to landfill, we lose valuable resources that could have supported new businesses, created jobs and supplied raw materials to our industries.
The transition to a circular economy therefore requires a fundamental shift in how we design products, manufacture goods, consume resources and manage materials at the end of their useful lives.
It requires government, universities, municipalities, businesses, communities and entrepreneurs to work together.
The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment is reviewing the National Waste Management Strategy, which seeks to advance waste prevention and the circular economy through recycling, reuse, recovery and beneficiation, while reducing the amount of waste disposed of in landfill sites.
The scale of the challenge remains significant.
Current estimates indicate that only approximately 10% of waste is diverted from landfill. This means that the vast majority of waste is not being diverted through recycling, reuse, recovery or other beneficial uses.
The consequences are serious.
Waste that is not properly collected or managed can pollute our rivers, oceans, wetlands and other water resources. It can damage ecosystems, undermine water security, create health risks and place additional pressure on the limited landfill infrastructure available in many parts of our country.
Landfilling is also expensive. Municipalities must finance the development, operation, maintenance and eventual rehabilitation of landfill sites. As available landfill capacity becomes increasingly constrained, the financial burden becomes even greater.
At the same time, many households in poor and underserved communities resort to burning or burying waste because of frustration with inadequate collection services and limited access to appropriate waste management infrastructure.
This is unacceptable. Communities should not have to choose between living with accumulating waste and resorting to practices that may harm their health and the environment.
We must therefore address the waste management challenge through a combination of improved service delivery, appropriate infrastructure, stronger enforcement, investment, innovation and community participation.
We must also acknowledge the regulatory and administrative challenges that can delay the establishment and operation of waste management facilities.
Entrepreneurs and investors have raised concerns about the time required to obtain waste management licences and other authorisations for facilities such as recycling plants, material recovery facilities, transfer stations, waste-to-energy facilities, anatomical waste treatment facilities and landfill sites.
These concerns must be addressed without compromising environmental protection.
Our objective must be to establish a regulatory environment that is efficient, predictable and proportionate to environmental risk, while ensuring that waste management facilities are developed and operated responsibly.
One of the important policy instruments introduced to support the transition to a circular economy is Extended Producer Responsibility, commonly known as EPR.
The Extended Producer Responsibility Regulations were promulgated to ensure that producers contribute towards the management of products and packaging that reach the end of their useful lives.
Through these arrangements, producers contribute funding administered through Producer Responsibility Organisations, which support investment in waste infrastructure, enterprise development, recycling and the integration of waste pickers into the formal waste management value chain.
These interventions are important because public funding for waste management remains constrained by competing priorities at national, provincial and municipal levels.
EPR provides an additional mechanism through which industry can contribute to the costs of managing waste generated by products placed on the market.
The system covers sectors including electrical and electronic equipment, lighting, lubricating oils, pesticides, paper and packaging, and portable batteries.
According to departmental information, 2,183 Producer Responsibility Organisations have been registered across the relevant sectors.
Between 2022 and 2025, Producer Responsibility Organisations collectively received approximately R2.4 billion from their members, of which approximately R1.4 billion was reinvested.
Of this expenditure:
· Approximately R915 million was directed towards infrastructure development.
· Approximately R160 million supported micro, small and medium enterprises.
· Approximately R40 million supported waste picker integration.
These investments demonstrate that EPR is beginning to make a contribution towards the development of circular economy.
However, we must be honest with ourselves: much more remains to be done.
The scale of South Africa's waste management challenges requires greater investment, stronger accountability and a more deliberate effort to ensure that the resources collected through EPR translate into measurable benefits for communities, municipalities and the recycling sector.
The Department is therefore reviewing the EPR Regulations to strengthen governance, transparency and accountability.
Among the proposed measures is a requirement for Producer Responsibility Organisations to invest 40% of the fees collected in waste infrastructure. The proposed regulatory changes also seek to improve transparency regarding beneficiaries and assets acquired through these funds, and to introduce consequences for non-expenditure and malpractice.
These reforms are intended to ensure that funding collected for environmental purposes delivers meaningful and measurable outcomes.
Municipalities are encouraged to engage with Producer Responsibility Organisations and enter into memoranda of understanding where appropriate, to facilitate the use of EPR funding to support waste infrastructure and circular economy initiatives within their jurisdictions.
We must build partnerships in which industry, municipalities and communities understand their responsibilities and work towards common objectives.
EPR must not simply be a compliance exercise. It must become a practical instrument for expanding recycling capacity, supporting entrepreneurs, creating employment and improving waste management services.
Entrepreneurship is one of the strongest pathways through which the circular economy can contribute to inclusive economic growth.
The waste sector offers opportunities across the entire value chain: collection, sorting, transportation, repair, refurbishment, recycling, manufacturing, waste treatment, material recovery and the development of new products from recovered materials.
These opportunities must be accessible to emerging businesses, young entrepreneurs, women and historically disadvantaged communities.
The Department is pleased to report that it has supported 56 small and medium-sized enterprises through the Recycling Enterprise Support Programme, with support valued at approximately R200 million.
Of these beneficiaries, 12 enterprises are women-owned.
This demonstrates the importance of targeted interventions to ensure that women participate meaningfully in the green economy and are not left behind as new industries and markets emerge.
I am also informed that Limpopo Province has 13 beneficiaries under the Recycling Enterprise Support Programme. This is encouraging, and we must build on these achievements.
Our objective should not merely be to support businesses to enter the waste sector. We must help them become sustainable, competitive and capable of growing.
That requires access to finance, appropriate technology, business development support, reliable markets, skills development and opportunities to participate in public and private sector supply chains.
It also requires us to mobilise greater private sector investment in waste infrastructure.
Municipalities cannot be expected to address the growing demand for waste management services without additional capacity and resources. Private investment can help expand recycling infrastructure, establish material recovery facilities, improve collection systems and create markets for recovered materials.
Government must provide an enabling policy environment, while businesses must recognise the commercial opportunities presented by responsible resource management.
The circular economy is not simply about doing less harm to the environment. It is also about creating new economic value from materials that would otherwise be wasted.
A further concern is the low level of compliance among landfill sites across the country. Departmental assessments indicate that fewer than 20% of landfill sites are compliant.
This situation poses significant risks to public health, ecosystem integrity, water security, river health, food security and the ocean economy.
Poorly managed landfill sites can result in environmental pollution, including the contamination of soil and water resources. These impacts can impose substantial costs on communities, municipalities and the economy.
The Department, the South African Local Government Association and provincial authorities are working together to identify municipalities experiencing persistent non-compliance and to determine the support and interventions required to improve their performance.
We must recognise that addressing non-compliance requires both accountability and practical support.
Municipalities need the necessary technical expertise, financial resources, infrastructure and institutional capacity to meet their obligations. At the same time, environmental legislation must be implemented consistently to protect communities and the environment.
We must also explore more efficient environmental assessment and authorisation processes.
The Department has noted that alternative strategic environmental assessment tools are not being used to their full potential. We intend to investigate why developers may be reluctant to explore these instruments, particularly where there is a perception that conventional Environmental Impact Assessment processes take too long.
We need to understand the barriers and determine how appropriate environmental tools can be used more effectively, without weakening environmental safeguards.
The Department is also finalising listed activities for waste management, with the aim of reducing the time required to obtain waste management licences.
In addition, the Department is finalising regulations for the beneficial use of waste, with a proposed authorisation turnaround time of 90 days.
Norms and standards for various waste management activities, including waste storage, sorting and scrap-related activities, are also being revised to facilitate more efficient processing, with the intention of achieving turnaround times of 90 days for the relevant activities.
These measures are intended to reduce unnecessary administrative delays, facilitate access to waste management infrastructure and help prevent illegal dumping by making appropriate waste management options more accessible.
However, faster processes must go hand in hand with proper environmental management, compliance monitoring and enforcement.
The Department is also calling on municipalities and companies operating under Environmental Conservation Act permits to apply for waste management licences by the end of December 2027, in accordance with the applicable transitional arrangements under waste legislation.
This process is important to ensure that previously authorised facilities operating under the former regulatory framework are brought within the appropriate requirements of the National Environmental Management: Waste Act.
Ultimately, our objective is to create a system in which responsible waste management is easier to undertake, environmental violations are addressed, and investment in legitimate waste infrastructure is encouraged.
Programme Director, distinguished guests and students,
This summit takes place at a particularly significant moment.
Every year on 14 October, the world observes International E-Waste Day, a global initiative established by the WEEE Forum to raise awareness about electronic waste and encourage responsible collection, treatment and recycling.
The 2026 observance marks its ninth edition and places the spotlight on a growing challenge known as Fast Tech.
Fast Tech refers to the increasing range of low-cost electrical and electronic products that consumers often purchase impulsively and discard without much consideration of their environmental consequences.
These include inexpensive earphones, charging cables, USB adapters, LED string lights, mini fans, electronic toys and other small gadgets.
The term draws a deliberate parallel with fast fashion. Just as inexpensive clothing has encouraged a culture of frequent purchasing and disposal, similar consumption patterns are emerging in the electronics sector.
The result is a growing volume of small electronic products leaving everyday use, many of which are never properly collected or recycled.
Why is this a concern?
Unlike large household appliances, which consumers are more likely to recognise as electronic waste, small devices are often overlooked.
A broken pair of earphones may be thrown into a general waste bin. An old charging cable may remain forgotten in a drawer. A small electronic device with a battery may be discarded without anyone considering the materials it contains or the risks associated with its improper disposal.
Yet these products may contain valuable recoverable materials, while some batteries and components can pose environmental and safety risks when handled or discarded incorrectly.
The challenge is becoming more serious as online shopping makes it easier to purchase inexpensive electronic products from a wide range of sellers and platforms.
Where producers or sellers fall outside applicable registration and producer responsibility systems, they may fail to contribute appropriately to the financing of collection and recycling infrastructure. This can shift the financial burden of managing electronic waste onto already constrained waste management systems.
The circular economy cannot succeed if products enter the market without adequate arrangements for their responsible end-of-life management.
International E-Waste Day provides an opportunity to challenge these practices and encourage all stakeholders to take responsibility.
For 2026, I wish to emphasise three practical actions.
First: Recognise.
Every small electronic device containing a plug, cable or battery must be considered carefully when it reaches the end of its useful life. Its size or low purchase price does not make it ordinary waste.
Consumers must avoid throwing unwanted electronic products into general waste bins when appropriate electronic waste collection options are available.
Second: Return.
Consumers should take unwanted electronics to recognised collection points, retailer take-back facilities or dedicated electronic waste drop-off sites.
Retailers, manufacturers, municipalities and recycling organisations must work together to make these collection options accessible and convenient.
Third: Demand compliance.
Consumers, regulators and industry must work together to ensure that businesses placing electronic products on the market meet their applicable producer responsibility obligations and contribute to properly funded recycling systems.
We must also encourage manufacturers to design products that last longer, can be repaired, use resources more efficiently and are easier to dismantle and recycle.
The WEEE Forum has reported that International E-Waste Day attracted participation from more than 140 organisations across 50 countries on six continents in 2025, demonstrating the growing international recognition of this challenge.
South Africa must be an active participant in this global effort.
Our universities, entrepreneurs, municipalities, retailers, producers and recycling organisations have a responsibility to ensure that electronic waste becomes a source of recovered resources and economic opportunity rather than another source of pollution.
I therefore call on our students and researchers to pay particular attention to the Fast Tech challenge. There is a need for research into collection systems, product design, battery recovery, repair and refurbishment, recycling technologies, consumer behaviour and business models that can make electronic waste management more effective.
The challenge is not only to manage the waste generated by today's electronic products. It is to help design a future in which less waste is generated in the first place.
THE ROLE OF UNIVERSITIES, RESEARCH AND INNOVATION
Programme Director,
The presence of our students, researchers and academics at this summit is particularly important.
Universities must be more than institutions where knowledge is acquired. They must be centres where solutions are developed, tested and translated into practical benefits for society.
The transition to a circular economy requires research that responds to real-world challenges.
We need researchers who can develop technologies to convert waste into useful products, identify new applications for recovered materials and improve the efficiency of recycling processes.
We need engineers and scientists who can design products that are durable, repairable and environmentally responsible.
We need economists and business researchers who can identify viable circular business models, assess investment opportunities and develop markets for recycled materials.
We need legal scholars, environmental specialists and policy researchers who can help government design effective regulations informed by sound evidence.
We also need social scientists who can help us understand consumer behaviour, community needs and the barriers that prevent households and businesses from participating in recycling programmes.
Research must not remain confined to academic publications. It must reach municipalities, industries, entrepreneurs and communities.
The University of Limpopo, through its research capacity and engagement with surrounding communities, has an opportunity to contribute meaningfully to practical circular economy solutions in Limpopo Province and beyond.
I encourage the university to strengthen partnerships with municipalities, Producer Responsibility Organisations, recycling enterprises, waste picker organisations, manufacturers and other relevant stakeholders.
Such partnerships can support pilot projects, applied research, technology transfer, student entrepreneurship and the commercialisation of innovative ideas.
We must create pathways through which promising research can become a viable business, a useful product, a more efficient process or a policy intervention that improves people's lives.
To our students, I wish to emphasise that the circular economy offers opportunities for you to become job creators rather than job seekers alone.
Look at the waste streams in your communities. Ask what materials are being discarded, what value is being lost and what products or services could be developed to address these challenges.
Can agricultural residues be converted into useful products? Can plastic waste be transformed into suitable secondary raw materials? Can electronic waste be collected and processed more efficiently? Can digital technologies improve waste collection and traceability? Can new business models help waste pickers earn sustainable incomes?
These are not merely academic questions. They are potential business opportunities and research projects that can contribute to the development of our communities.
We must empower our young people to see environmental challenges not only as problems, but also as opportunities to innovate, collaborate and create solutions.
COLLABORATION: EVERY STAKEHOLDER HAS A ROLE TO PLAY
Ladies and gentlemen,
No single institution can build a circular economy on its own. The partnership with the Palabora Mining Company is critical and we need more of these collaborations.
The Palabora Mining Company has acknowledged the need for the private sector to contribute or assist government in funding community initiatives such as awareness, capacity building programs and any information exchange platform such as this Student’s Summit that is intended to enhance implementation of National Environmental Management: Waste Act,
Government can establish policies, regulations and support programmes, but implementation requires the active participation of other stakeholders.
Municipalities must improve waste collection services, plan and maintain appropriate infrastructure, enforce municipal by-laws and work with communities to prevent illegal dumping.
Businesses and producers must take responsibility for the products they place on the market and invest in systems that support reuse, recovery and recycling.
Producer Responsibility Organisations must ensure that the funds they collect are managed transparently and invested in ways that support the objectives of extended producer responsibility.
Entrepreneurs must identify opportunities, develop innovative business models and create sustainable enterprises that generate employment and recover value from waste.
Universities must produce relevant research, develop appropriate technologies and prepare graduates with the skills required by the circular economy.
Waste pickers must be recognised as important participants in the recycling value chain. Their contribution to recovering recyclable materials should be supported through fair opportunities, safer working conditions and meaningful integration into formal systems.
Communities and households must also play their part by reducing waste generation, separating recyclable materials where collection systems allow, using appropriate disposal facilities and discouraging illegal dumping.
These responsibilities are interconnected.
When waste pickers are excluded, valuable materials may be lost. When infrastructure is unavailable, entrepreneurs struggle to operate. When markets for recycled materials are weak, recycling becomes financially difficult. When research is disconnected from industry, promising innovations may never reach the market.
Collaboration helps us address these challenges collectively.
It allows us to combine public resources, private investment, scientific knowledge, entrepreneurial energy and community experience in pursuit of a common goal.
The circular economy must therefore be built on partnerships that are practical, inclusive and accountable.
CONCLUSION AND CALL TO ACTION
The future of our waste management sector and the success of our transition to a circular economy will depend on the decisions we make today.
We cannot continue to treat waste as though it has no value. We cannot continue to allow recyclable materials to be buried in landfill sites while entrepreneurs struggle to access raw materials, funding and markets. Nor can we accept a situation in which communities are exposed to environmental harm because appropriate waste management services and infrastructure are unavailable.
We must move from a culture of disposal to a culture of resource recovery, innovation and responsibility.
To our students, I challenge you to use your education to solve real problems. Let your research respond to the needs of our communities. Let your innovations create opportunities. Let your entrepreneurial ideas contribute to economic growth while protecting our environment.
To our researchers and academics, I encourage you to strengthen partnerships with industry, government and communities so that your work can translate into practical and measurable outcomes.
To our entrepreneurs, I urge you to recognise the opportunities within the circular economy and to develop enterprises that are both commercially viable and environmentally responsible.
To our municipalities, I call for stronger planning, improved service delivery, greater accountability and partnerships that expand access to waste management infrastructure.
To our private sector partners and producers, I encourage you to invest in circular economy infrastructure, support emerging enterprises and fulfil your responsibilities in ensuring that products and materials are managed sustainably throughout their life cycles.
And to all stakeholders represented here today, I call upon you to move beyond discussions and commitments towards implementation, measurable results and lasting impact.
Let us ensure that the circular economy creates decent work, empowers women and young people, supports waste pickers, strengthens local enterprises and protects the natural resources upon which our country depends.
Let us work together to ensure that the solutions developed at institutions such as the University of Limpopo reach the communities that need them most.
Let us also remember that even the smallest electronic device has value, and that responsible choices at every stage of a product's life cycle can make a difference.
The work ahead requires all of us. Every stakeholder in the waste value chain has a role to play, and every contribution matters.
Let this summit be remembered not only for the conversations we have held, but for the partnerships we establish, the ideas we develop, the enterprises we support and the solutions we implement.
Together, let us turn waste into opportunity, research into innovation, innovation into enterprise, and collaboration into lasting environmental and economic benefits for our people.
Let us find solutions for Africa.
I thank you.
