CITY OF CAPE TOWN

DISCUSSION PAPERS WORKSHOP

21 January 2009

Sustainable Integrated
Solid Waste Management

S Engledow (BSocSci, BA Hons, MA)

Jeffares and Green (Pty) Ltd
Tel: (021) 532 0940;
cell: 074 243 8234,
E-mail: engledows@jgi.co.za
 Let’s jump in…
• City of Cape Town
• Waste – general / domestic; commercial /
business; Industrial; hazardous
• Many laws – ECA (S20); NWA; NEMA (EIA
Regs; protection of the environment)
– NEM: National Waste Management Bill
– IWM By-Law
• Municipal function
 Annual Tonnage (x1000)

19
91
/

0.00
500.00
1,000.00
1,500.00
2,000.00
2,500.00
3,000.00
3,500.00
19 199
92 2
/
19 199
93 3
/
19 199
94 4
/
19 199
95 5
/
19 199
96 6
/
19 199
97 7
/
19 199
98 8
/
19 199
99 9
2 0 /2 0
00 00
/
20 200
01 1

Year
/
20 200
02 2
/
20 200
03 3
/
20 200
04 4
/
20 200
05 5
/
20 200
06 6
Annual Tonnages disposed of at the CoCT Landfill Sites

/
20 200
07 7
/
20 200
08 8
increase

/2
Projected

00
9
figures: 8% pa
Bellville South Landfill Cells 3 & 4 – Feb 2006 - 5 hectares – Disposal on cell from
March 2006

Bellville South Landfill – Cells 3 & 4 – June 2007

(15 months later)– 74m – remaining life = ± 4 months
 Trends in Waste Disposal
Volumes…
• Urbanisation and population increase
• Formalised and equitable services
• More accurate record keeping
• Increase in production and
consumption (associated with an
increase in affluence) incl building
rubble waste
 GDP (US Dollars)

10000
20000
30000
40000
50000
60000
70000
80000
90000
0
South Africa
Turkey
Mexico
Poland
Slovak Republic
Hungary
Portugal
Czech Republic

Affluence vs Waste Generation (per capita)

Korea
GDP

New Zealand
Greece
Italy
Spain
France
Countries

OECD total
Japan
Germany
Finland
United Kingdom
Waste Generation

Belgium
Sweden
Denmark
Australia
Austria
Iceland
Netherlands
Canada
Switzerland
Ireland
United States
Norway
Luxembourg
0
100
200
300
400

500
600
700
800

Waste Generation
(kilograms)
 Waste generation…
Kg/c/day
Kilogram per person per day
Income
Group
Household Garden Total

Figures have been modified from

original CoCT IWMP to take into
High 2.1 0.35 2.45 account the increase in generation -
approximately 5%

Middle 1.2 0.35 1.55

Low 0.5 0 0.5

 Key challenges to waste
minimisation…
• Legislation & other legal barriers which can delay
proactive alternative solutions e.g. the necessary EIA,
Permitting procedures and land use planning issues
• Funding & capital expenditure – for Private and Public
sectors
• Municipal Finance Management Act & other
Procurement processes
• Customers are generally driven by the price of the
service and not necessarily interested in alternative
solutions (especially relevant for the private industry)
• Time constraints as the roads are becoming more
congested which leads to transport delays
 Key challenges to waste
minimisation…
• Lack of skilled people in the industry –
private, public (including regulating
authorities)
• Lack of inter-departmental and inter-
governmental communication
• Creating markets for recyclables to ensure a
sustainable recycling economy
• Participation – mostly voluntary
• Gaps in information
 Opportunities…
• Partnerships
• Business re-engineering including the
establishment of new business and changing
the business case from ‘business as usual’ to
‘business as unusual’ – Extended Producer
Responsibility
• New markets – promotion of alternative
treatment methods to open up the recycling
economy
• Decrease in reliance on raw materials if
recycling initiatives are increased
 Opportunities…
• Increased public awareness (changing
behaviour) as to their role in waste
minimization and recycling
• Increased landfill airspace savings
• Implementing instruments
• Green Procurement Policies
 Current & future plans…
• Current:
– 2-bag – think twice project
– Building rubble crushing
– Green waste chipping – composting, mulch
– Sewage Sludge – composting/land application
• Future:
– Roll out of 2 bag / yellow bag system …?
– ORTS IWMF
– Tybergberg IWMF
– Integration with other Departments
– CoCT IWM By-law
– NEM: Waste Bill…
 In conclusion…
• Lets do it!
• Whilst keeping it simple…
• Change the way we look at doing
what we do…

Novella (2000):
‘Good waste management starts at home’
DISCUSSION