2.1 Socio-economic and Demographic Context

Socio-economic and demographic factors such as urbanisation, unemployment and population growth impact on future waste trends and service provision, and provide a backdrop against which the NWMS should be developed. While 65% of South African households had access to domestic waste collection services in 2007, access to waste services remains highly skewed in favour of more affluent and urban communities.

In South Africa, growth in waste volumes is projected to rise to nearly 67 million cubic metres by the year 2010. Household waste generation varies considerably by settlement type and income, with wealthier consumers in urban areas generating much higher volumes of waste. Urban residents typically also generate more non-organic waste, which is less conducive to on-site disposal.

While the growth in the volume of general waste produced underlines the importance of waste minimisation strategies, it also highlights the economic potential of the waste management sector, which has an estimated total expenditure of approximately R10 billion per annum. Both waste collection and the recycling industry make a large contribution to job creation and GDP, and there is considerable potential to expand this further.

The 1999 National Waste Management Strategy defines the development objective of the waste sector as the “Reduced generation and environmental impact of all forms of waste, so that the socio-economic development of South Africa, the health of its people, and the quality of its environmental resources are no longer adversely affected by uncontrolled and uncoordinated waste management”.

Research has clearly indicated that well-considered, effective solid waste systems can make critical contributions to public health, environmental sustainability, economic development and poverty alleviation by:

1. improving public health outcomes (through reduced opportunities for disease)
2. enhancing environmental quality (through protecting watercourses and preventing degradation of public open spaces)
3. reducing waste quantity that can clog up public storm water and sanitation networks (thereby reducing flooding, service failures and the need for maintenance)
4. supporting higher levels of economic activity (through stimulating growth in GDP)
5. contributing directly to poverty alleviation (through offering opportunities for employment, SMME development, and empowerment).

Effective waste strategies can clearly make a profound contribution to the achievement of the South Africa’s broader economic and social objectives. The NWMS will therefore aim to integrate the objectives of environmental sustainability and achievement of the waste hierarchy with the broader transformation and development objectives of improved public health outcomes, economic development, poverty alleviation and improved access for all.