Azra Hoosen | ah@radioislam.co.za
19 April 2024 | 13:30 CAT
3 min read

South Africa stands out with the highest rate of plastic waste generation in Africa, averaging 28kg per person annually, contrasting with the continent’s average of 16kg per person per year.

South Africa will advocate for banning single-use plastics and creating a global fund to combat plastic pollution. Department of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment (DFFE) Minister Barbara Creecy attributes much of the country’s plastic pollution to inadequate waste removal services.

Alongside 174 other nations, South Africa will participate this month in Ottawa in negotiations to create a legally binding treaty aimed at ending plastic pollution, particularly in the marine environment. The government has collaborated with local authorities, including the South African Local Government Association (Salga), to enhance municipal waste collection and address plastic pollution.

SALGA expressed hope that the treaty would address funding and infrastructure challenges, thereby improving waste services.

UNIDO and WWF South Africa have embarked on a five-year project to promote a circular plastic packaging system. This initiative aims to curb plastic waste pollution originating from the food and beverage industry, ultimately reducing the amount of plastic ending up in landfills.

Salga highlighted that, at the current pace of waste collection expansion, South African municipalities are estimated to require approximately 50 years to achieve an 80% collection rate for household waste, which currently stands at 66.3%. Salga emphasised that South African municipalities collectively spend an average of about R100 million annually on solid waste management.

Speaking to Radio Islam, Marvelous Nengovhela, SALGA Waste Management Specialist, said: “It is critical to look at what the municipalities have been entrusted with in terms of the constitution, which is to provide waste management services to all citizens of the country. It is critical to look at where we are currently as a country, where 66.3% of the population receives waste services. So we have a quarter of the population who are not receiving collection, so there is a need to increase services to those not receiving waste services.”

He pointed out that there is still a leakage of waste material into the environment, indicating that there are several areas that require attention, emphasising that there is ample opportunity for improvement.

“Waste management requires the municipality to have specialised vehicles and storage facilities, so the funding surrounding those infrastructures is challenging. What we have recommended to the negotiators is that whatever mechanisms come out of negotiations should also fund the relevant vehicles and infrastructure that local authorities are providing services with,” he said.

According to Nengovhela, when it comes to collaboration, SALGA extends beyond local authorities. He indicated that they forge partnerships with the private sector, particularly with producers. The DFFE has implemented a policy intervention known as ‘extended producer responsibilities’, mandating that waste producers or manufacturers of products with waste engage with waste pickers and municipalities. He said they actively collaborate on this initiative to ensure collective efforts towards a common goal.

“Issues of funding are also addressed because the producer has responsibilities to financially and operationally ensure the materials they are putting into the economy in South Africa are not causing pollution. We are also collaborating with the internal government, the National treasury, and DFFE to look at grants that municipalities will be able to use to provide services,” he said.

The fourth INC session (INC-4) will kick off on 23 April and will last a week.

“The INC-4 is the discussion that will happen regarding finding a binding instrument to deal with global issues of pollution, specifically plastic,” said Nengovhela.

He believes what they are lobbying for is reasonable and applies to all countries, including developing countries.

“Our long-term vision is to see municipalities with improved capacity to deliver services, including waste management, and by doing that, we prioritise creating space for those in the industry and experts to collaborate with municipalities. And the need to get our communities behind the work of the municipalities. The challenges that they face cannot be addressed alone.  We believe households have a big role to play. Your role, and mine, is to make sure waste is put in the bin, and we need to work on a campaign to change the mindsets of our communities so we all know our roles and responsibilities. It also increases the issue around recycling because there are economic opportunities for waste. Those are some of the key things we are looking at,” he said.

LISTEN to the full interview with Ml Suhaib Lasanya and Marvelous Nengovhela – SALGA Waste Management Specialist, here.