1.6.1 General waste

1.6.1(1)
General waste ‘does not pose an immediate hazard or threat to health or to the environment’ ⁹ and includes the following waste flows:

• domestic waste
• construction and demolition waste
• business waste
• inert waste

1.6.1(2)
The composition of general waste varies considerably between households, business and industry, with lower income households in general generating waste with a lower level of recyclable material. The proportion of recyclable and compostable materials in the general waste stream varies between 50% and 80%.

1.6.1(3)
Although current data on waste flows is incomplete, DEA’s figures for the 2006/7 financial year indicate that 24,115,402 tons of general waste was disposed of in landfills during that year. This figure will increase as waste services are extended, unless there is a significant increase in the recycling rate and greater diversion of waste from landfill through waste to energy recovery, treatment and reuse programs.

1.6.1(4)
The larger, comparatively well-resourced metropolitan municipalities are experiencing fiscal pressures in maintaining existing levels of waste management services and landfill capacity, while many smaller municipalities face more severe capacity problems. In general, waste services and landfill management charges are underpriced, and a large proportion of municipal waste divisions are operating at a loss. By making alternative waste management options relatively expensive, under-pricing waste service removes important incentives for waste minimisation and encourages higher levels of disposal to landfill.

1.6.1(5)
Generally, public awareness of waste related issues is low in South Africa and the permissive attitude towards littering increases waste collection costs. Furthermore, the lack of opportunity for consumers to correctly dispose of wastes with special disposal requirements, such as eWaste, batteries and Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs) affects the composition of the domestic waste stream. The absence of consumer pressure has contributed to the slow response to this problem by industry and the retail sector in the form of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) and product stewardship measures, with some notable exceptions.

1.6.1(6)
General wastes that present particular strategic challenges include:

• Domestic waste: Currently about 40% of the population receive inadequate or no domestic waste services. The Packaging Council of South Africa (PACSA) estimates that approximately 12 % of the domestic waste stream derives from packaging¹⁰. This figures compares favourably with international estimates. The composition of the domestic waste stream directed to landfill varies considerably across different locations based on a variety of factors, including income and opportunities for recycling. Internationally, this waste stream is subject to extended producer responsibility programs, with industry being required to fund separation and collection of recyclable paper and packaging at source.
• Tyres: Many landfills do not currently accept tyres since they cannot be compacted and require significant airspace relative to their weight. As a consequence, they are often illegally burnt on open land to recover steel for recycling, presenting a health hazard and leaving environmentally damaging residues in soil. In 2009, regulations were promulgated requiring tyre producers and importers to develop integrated industry waste plans that must indicate how waste management measures for waste tyres will be managed and funded.
• Construction and demolition waste: Although construction and demolition waste does not consist primarily of hazardous waste, it needs to be diverted from general landfill sites due to airspace constraints. It is a mixed waste source that requires separation into component parts for the purposes of recycling, and typically includes low levels of hazardous wastes, particularly legacy building materials such as asbestos which can present a significant health risk when disposed of or inappropriately reused.
• Mining waste: The mining industry contributes more waste to the national total than any other sector, and some mining waste has significant environmental impacts. These impacts are addressed in terms of environmental management plans developed by the industry and approved by the Department of Mineral Resources. Environmental regulation of the mining industry has traditionally resorted under this department, but there is a process underway to shift this environmental function to DEA. These shifts have resulted in some confusion regarding the regulatory framework that pertains to the environmental impact of mining and the exact scope of the application of the Waste Act.
• High Saline waste: This waste is produced during the treatment of waste through osmosis and crystalline evaporation, as well as desalination of water. It results in a saline leachate when mixed with other wastes, and for this reason requires specialised disposal procedures. As waste treatment is implemented more widely as part of the hierarchy of waste management measures, and as desalination becomes more important to the supply of water, this waste stream will require special attention.

Footnotes:

⁹South Africa. 2008. National Environmental Management Waste Act, No.59 of 2008. Pretoria: Government Printer. [Laws.]

¹⁰Marthinusen, Andrew. 2007. Sustainability and Packaging. [Online]. Available: http://www.pacsa.co.za/doc/IPSA%20WC%20Presentation%20Sept%202007.ppt [9 February 2010]