CHAPTER 4 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
4.2 Results relating to research objective 1: Actual incorporation of waste
4.2.1 Objectives for waste prevention
The analysis of the South African waste management regulations, policies and plans shows that the objectives and purposes of the documents mainly focus on the handling of waste (minimisation of waste) with some reference made to waste prevention (“before a substance, material or product has become waste”) as defined by the DEFF (2020a:7).
Table 4-1 shows that most of the ambitions of the regulations, policies and plans aim to redirect waste through reuse and recycling (green row), thus only improving the management of already existing waste. Notably, only two documents do not focus on implementing waste prevention strategies. Since most of the regulations, policies and plans focus on the implementation of the waste management hierarchy with prevention (avoidance) the preferred option, other alternatives, such as landfills, may in most cases be more feasible (costs the least), in the short term (Ferrari et al., 2016:761).
Table 4-1: Focus area of ambitions of South African waste management regulations, policies and plans.
White Paper on IP&WM Polokwane Declaration NEM: WA IWMP of CoJ Model By-Laws MWSP NPSWM IWMP CCT Exclusion regulations EPR regulations NWMS
Prevention of waste ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
White Paper on IP&WM Polokwane Declaration NEM: WA IWMP of CoJ Model By-Laws MWSP NPSWM IWMP CCT Exclusion regulations EPR regulations NWMS Minimisation of waste
(re-use, recycling) ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Non-specified
Further analysis of the ambitions was done according to the expected effect of the specific document (Table 4-2). The ambitions of the waste management regulations, policies and plans mainly focus on mitigating the impact of waste on the environment and human health, but that seems to be only treating the symptom of the cause (green row). Some of the regulations, policies and plans focus on reducing the quantities of waste generated (yellow row); however, this is not the main focus of many of the documents.
According to the waste management hierarchy, reducing waste generation is considered as the stepping stone towards the total prevention of waste generation. Only a few documents aim to reduce the hazardousness of waste (orange row), which seems contradictory as hazardous waste has a significant impact on the environment. This discussion shows that only four of the South African waste management regulations, policies, and plans studied have fulfilled the requirements of waste prevention as defined by Corvellec (2016:8).
Table 4-2: Waste prevention effect of South African waste management regulations, policies and plans.
White Paper on IP&WM Polokwane Declaration NEM: WA IWMP of CoJ Model By-Laws MWSP NPSWM IWMP CCT Exclusion regulations EPR regulations NWMS
Reduce quantities of
waste generated ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Reduce hazardousness
of waste ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Reduce environmental
impact ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Non-specified
Analysing the quantitative preventative objectives in the South African waste management regulations, policies, and plans revealed objectives with precise percentage reductions mentioned only in the EPR regulations (for waste electrical and electronic equipment). Household waste includes paper, packaging, and single-use products, and hazardous waste includes waste from the lighting sector. The waste streams mainly focused on was household and hazardous waste (yellow rows), followed by WEEE, construction and demolition waste (orange rows). Food and textile waste is the least focused on in South African waste management regulations, policies and plans (
Table 4-3). The DEA has published a guideline on food waste prevention and management to assist South Africa in decoupling food waste from economic development at the consumer level (DEA, 2019:2). This guideline may form part of the NWMS targets/measures to inform consumers about food waste prevention. However, there are no specific targets set in the document for consumers to strive towards. Thus as with many of the waste types without any quantitative targets, this document may not be as effective as it was intended to be. According to Error!
Reference source not found., there are still many waste streams generated in different sectors,
such as process waste generated, including slag and tailings, which have not been provided for in South African waste management regulations, policies and plans.
Figure 4-2: Types of solid waste generated (adapted from UNESCAP, 2000:170).
• Food wastes, paper, cardboard, plastics, textiles, leather, yard wastes, wood, glass, metals, ashes, special wastes (bulky items, consumer electronics, batteries, oil, tires) and houshold hazardous wastes
Household waste
• Houskeeping wastes, packaging, food wastes, construction and demolition materials, hazardous washes, ashes and special wastes
Industrial waste
• Paper, cardboard, plastics, wood, food wastes, glass, metals, special wastes, hazardous waste
Commercial waste
• Same as commercial wastes Institutional waste
• Wood, steel, concrete, dirt, etc.
Construction and demolition waste
• Street sweepings, landscape and tree trimming, general wastes from parks, beaches, and other recreational areas and sludge
Municipal services waste
• Industrial process wastes, scrap materials, offspecification products, slag and tailings
Process waste
• Spoiled food wastes, agriculural wastes and hazardous waste such as pesticides
Agricultural waste
Municipal waste
Table 4-3: Waste type focused on in South African waste management regulations, policies and plans.
White Paper on IP&WM Polokwane Declaration NEM: WA IWMP of CoJ Model By-Laws MWSP NPSWM IWMP CCT Exclusion regulations EPR regulations NWMS
Food waste ✓ ✓
Textile waste Construction and
demolition waste ✓ ✓ ✓
WEEE ✓ ✓ ✓
Household waste ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Hazardous waste ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Non-specified ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓