National policy imperatives facing waste management in South Africa
Programme Director: Me Mamosa Afrika
MEC for Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs: Mr Mxolisi
Dukwana Mangaung Local Municipality Executive Mayor: Councillor Playfair Morule
Mayor of Tswelopele local Municipality: Mayor K Phukutsi
Deputy Director-General for Economic Development in the Department of Tourism, Environment and Economic Affairs: Mr T Lioma
Chief Executive Officer of SALGA: Mr X George
CEO of Pikitup: Mr Zami Nkosi
CEO of Buyisa-e-Bag: Mr S Strydom,
All protocol observed
Ladies and gentlemen.
Introduction
This year has been declared by the United Nations as the International Year of Biodiversity. At a recent African Union (AU) Summit in Addis Ababa the Heads of States have declared 2010 as the Africa Year. This declaration of 2010 gives us much needed opportunity to focus on biodiversity. The challenges and opportunities presented to us all is how do we translate this as the Free State province, South Africa, the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and Africa?
Yesterday globally we celebrated World Wetlands Day and in South Africa we celebrated at Rietvlei Nature Reserve, a unique wetland which is a peatland wetland. We have only a few in South Africa. They assist to absorb carbon dioxide; however, when degraded they release it as greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change. Taking care of the environment could be through conservation, rehabilitation, keeping our environment clean, waste management, to name but few. I'm happy to be part of this forum that seeks to discuss an issue that is close to my heart and one of my priorities - waste management.
Dear participants, if waste management is left unlegislated, unregulated, it will work against our efforts to build an environmentally healthy society. The Constitution of our country binds us to keep the environment clean for our benefit and for the future generation. It is with those authoritative and legally-binding constitutional requirements that we locate our efforts to promote the concept of waste minimisation and we must assist our communities to reduce, reuse and recycle waste. Yesterday's Daily Sun had a picture of youth that matriculated but due to poverty they cannot continue with their studies. They decided to start a waste management project, collecting waste from households, businesses and functions with a little fee paid to them. They are now making money while cleaning the environment. Those are initiatives that we must support.
Legislative interventions
We have anchored our responsibilities as a department in these constitutional obligations. We dare not fail in our quest, for it is the objective of my party - the ruling party - to ensure that we build a healthy South Africa. A healthy South Africa will be realised not only by the number of hospitals we build or the amount of medicine we distribute to our hospitals but through our collective efforts and initiatives. We need to go back to basics to keep our environment clean that will result in a healthy nation. As a department, we have been at the forefront of strengthening our regulatory muscle through the development of legislation, regulations, norms and standards to facilitate better management of the environment. It is estimated that South Africa generates millions of tonnes of waste from household, commerce and industry. Much of this ends up in landfill sites where it degrades and generates methane which contributes to our total greenhouse gas emissions which are causes of climate change. In addition there are more resources lost and extra emissions created when those products dumped in landfill are replaced. Some of our waste ends up in rivers, lakes, dams and oceans contaminating and killing fish, plants, and other aquatic species. These species and water end up being consumed by human beings and affect their health. It's a vicious cycle that must be stopped. Traditional ways of dealing with waste have a considerable environmental footprint, not only from landfill methane emissions but also from the energy and raw materials needed to collect and move it around; hence I indicated earlier that our new approach is groundbreaking.
It is estimated that 45% of South Africans, mainly living in informal settlements and rural areas do not have access to domestic waste collection services. In addition the country has about 1 292 waste disposal sites, of which about 442 are unauthorised, and must be formally closed. This situation clearly has a significant negative effect on human health and the environment, thus defeating government's drive to build healthy and safe communities where our people can live dignified and normal lives. That sums up where we've been for some time and why things have to change. Though it's not a good picture, we however have a reason to be optimistic. We have to work hard and change the mindset of our people to see waste as wealth when properly handled. We must give them support to achieve that goal.
We have however made some progress lately. In July last year, the Waste Act came into effect. This landmark legislation seeks to address the problems we have over our waste by instituting mechanisms of waste avoidance, minimisation, reuse, recycling, recovery, appropriate collection and transport services and environmentally sound treatment and disposal. The legislation presents us with an opportunity to adopt a new approach in managing waste in our country. It is our intention to break new ground in the implementation of our waste management policies and legislation through this Act. I want to highlight a few imperatives that come from the Waste Act.
Firstly, in terms of the Act the Minister is required to establish a National Waste Management Strategy (NWMS) within two years of the Act coming into effect. The Department has already developed a draft strategy which:
* establishes the socio-economic and legislative context within which the Strategy must be located;
* sets out the overall goals and approach to implementing the waste hierarchy, and the strategies to be followed in addressing each stage of the waste hierarchy;
* describes each of the regulatory, economic and fiscal instruments that will be used to give effect to the strategy;
* responds to the challenges we face in relation to specific categories of waste, and describes how the different instruments described in the Waste Act in relation to each waste category will be applied and
* deals with the various mechanisms for implementing the NWMS, and sets out the roles, responsibilities, coordination and review mechanisms.
Secondly, we have to provide the waste removal service to all South Africans. Waste services delivery, including the storage, collection and transportation of waste, is the main point of interface between the public and government. The extent and form of provision of waste services to households and businesses also impacts directly on all stages of the waste hierarchy. The Waste Act requires municipalities to ensure access to and sustainability of waste services, to provide waste services at affordable prices.
The Strategy sets out a programme for universal provision of waste services according to standards developed in terms of the Waste Act. In order to achieve this, coordinated action by different spheres of government is required to address the fiscal and capacity problems faced in waste service provision, for it is only when we, as different spheres of government, that we can do more.
Thirdly, we have to reduce, reuse and recycle. Education and awareness campaigns regarding the importance of waste minimisation and ways in which the industry, households and consumers can achieve this, are vital. There is also a need for government to run an overarching public awareness campaign for waste minimisation. This campaign would be run and coordinated by the Department, and should be aligned with other campaigns related to waste management.
Finally we have to sort out our institutional arrangements. The Waste Act creates a specialised system of officials, referred to as Waste Management Officers, who are charged with the broad responsibility of coordinating waste management matters at each level of government. This system addresses the historical fragmentation of waste management functions within government by ensuring that a dedicated authority is responsible for implementing policy and regulations in terms of the Waste Act. An important public sector implementation mechanism established by the Waste Act is the provision for an interlocking set of national, provincial and local Integrated Waste Management Plans (IWMPs). National and provincial departments responsible for waste management and all municipalities must prepare Integrated Waste Management Plans in terms of section 11 of the Waste Act.
IWMPs must be developed in a consultative manner, and municipalities are required to follow the prescriptions of Section 29 of the Municipal Systems Act. There is a tiered system for approving IWMPs, with national and provincial IWMPs being submitted to the Minister for approval, and municipal IWMPs to the MEC for approval, whose responsibility it is to ensure alignment with other relevant plans. The MEC may also request amendments to an IWMP and enforce adherence to the planning procedures set out in the Waste Act.
It is in this context that municipalities must have a dedicated councillor responsible for environmental matters. Today we see our country full of litter dumped at most open spaces, especially in townships, informal settlements, next to rivers and dams. How do we hope to have a healthy nation and environment without commitment and dedication? There must be a dedicated budget at municipal level for waste management. Some municipalities already include this in their Integrated Development Plans. However, it is not only the three spheres of government that can achieve success but, partners and business.
We are lucky that we now have dedicated partners which are Buyisa e Bag and Indalo Yethu who assist us with awareness and initiatives of recycling and putting up buy-back centres. These partners are adding to communities' entrepreneurial skills by educating them to separate waste at source for effective recycling and greater benefit to the environment for us and future generations. In conclusion, together, with you as our valued partners, I know we can build stronger, healthier communities, a cleaner environment and a more prosperous and successful life for everyone in the Free State and South Africa in general.
I thank you.
Media Enquiries may be directed to:
Mr Moses Rannditsheni
Cell: 0824482450
Issued by: Department of Environmental Affairs
4 February 2010
