2.1 Objectives of National Waste Management Strategy
2.1(1)
Section 6 (1) of the Waste Act requires the development of a National Waste Management Strategy that gives effect to the objects of the Act, which are:
to protect health, well-being and the environment by providing reasonable measures for—
minimising the consumption of natural resources;
avoiding and minimising the generation of waste;
reducing, re-using, recycling and recovering waste;
treating and safely disposing of waste as a last resort;
preventing pollution and ecological degradation;
securing ecologically sustainable development while promoting justifiable economic and social
development;
promoting and ensuring the effective delivery of waste services;
remediating land where contamination presents, or may present, a significant risk of harm to health or the
environment; and
achieving integrated waste management reporting and planning;
to ensure that people are aware of the impact of waste on their health, wellbeing and the environment;
to provide for compliance with the measures set out in paragraph (a) and
generally, to give effect to section 24 of the Constitution in order to secure an environment that is not harmful to health and well-being.
2.1(2)
The primary focus of these objects is the achievement of the waste hierarchy, but there is also a set of broader social and economic objectives which the strategy aims to achieve, summarised in Section 6 (1)(a)(vi) above. These objects of the Waste Act have been distilled into a set of high level goals and objectives for sustainable development and for each step of the waste hierarchy. The goals and objectives of the NWMS are summarized in the table below.
Goal | Objectives |
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Securing ecologically sustainable development while promoting justifiable economic and social development |
|
Avoiding and minimizing the generation of waste |
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Reducing, re-using, recycling and recovering waste |
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Promoting and ensuring the effective delivery of waste services |
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Treating and safely disposing of waste as a last resort |
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Remediating land where contamination presents a significant risk of harm to health or the environment |
|
2.1(3)
In addition to the above high level goals and objectives, there are a number of process related goals and objectives relating to the mechanisms required to achieve the overall goals, which reflect intermediate level outputs. The goals and objectives for these are summarized in the table below.
Goals | Objectives |
---|---|
Achieving integrated waste management planning |
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Sound budgeting and financial management for waste services |
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Adequate staffing and capacity for waste management |
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Effective compliance with and enforcement of waste regulations |
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Effective monitoring and reporting on performance with waste functions |
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Ensure that people are aware of the impact of waste on their health, well-being and the environment |
|
2.1(4)
Progress against the achievement of these goals and objectives will be measured in terms of indicators and targets set for the NWMS in Section 5.10 below. DEA’s annual performance report will report on progress against a priority list of the indicators.
2.1(5)
Section 6(5)(e) of the Waste Act states that the strategy must be reviewed by the Minister at intervals not exceeding five years, and as part of the five year review a comprehensive assessment of progress against the indicators will be undertaken.
2.1(6)
The Waste Act further prescribes that the strategy must include the following elements:
- Strategies, objectives, plans, guidelines, systems and procedures relating to the protection of the environment and the generation (including the avoidance and minimisation of such generation), re-use, recycling, recovery, treatment, disposal, use, control and management of waste in order to achieve the objectives of the Act.
- Mechanisms, systems and procedures for giving effect to the Republic’s obligations in terms of international agreements.
- National norms and standards for waste management, including planning, and service delivery.
- Practical measures for achieving co-operative governance in waste management matters.
- Guidance on raising awareness regarding the impacts of waste on health and the environment.
- Approaches for securing compliance with the requirements of the Act.
- Targets for waste reduction.
2.1(7)
These elements have all been addressed in this NWMS. The Minister may also prescribe additional items to be included in the strategy that are considered necessary for achieving the objects of the Act.
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