2.5 Storage, collection and transportation of waste

2.5(1)
Waste services delivery, including the storage, collection and transportation of waste, is the main point of interface between the public and waste service providers. The extent and form of provision of waste services to households and businesses also impacts directly on all stages of the waste hierarchy. The Waste Act requires municipalities to ensure access to and sustainability of waste services, to provide waste services at affordable prices, and to keep separate financial statements for waste services provided, amongst others. Waste management services are a core function of all metropolitan municipalities and most local municipalities, while district municipalities in general do not view waste management as part of their functions.

2.5(2)
The NWMS sets out a programme for universal provision of waste services according to standards developed in terms of the Waste Act. In order to achieve this, coordinated action by different spheres of government is required to address the fiscal and capacity problems faced in waste service provision.

2.5(3)
Norms and standards for the planning and provision of waste management services will be promulgated. The Waste Act obliges DEA to set norms and standards for waste management services, and draft norms and standards have been published for public comments. DEA recognises that the levels of waste service will differ between areas depending on the practicality and cost efficiency of delivering the service. The following minimum levels of service have been proposed:

1. On-site appropriate and regularly supervised disposal (applicable mainly to remote rural areas with low density settlements and farms supervised by the waste management officer)
2. Community transfer to central collection point (medium density settlements)
3. Organised transfer to central collection points and/or kerbside collection (high density settlements)
4. Mixture of ‘b’ and ‘c’ above for the medium to high density settlements.

2.5(4)
The Waste Act also provides for provincial norms and standards to be set in relation to waste management services, although differing provincial standards will raise issues in terms of the administrative capacity to monitor and enforce them. Provinces and DEA will agree on a common set of national standards to be promulgated, thereby obviating the need for separate provincial standards.

2.5(6)
Municipalities may further set waste services standards for the separation, compacting and storage of solid waste, the management and directing of solid waste, and in respect of the control of litter. The Waste Act requires that municipal waste service standards are aligned with provincial and national norms and standards. Many municipalities have already passed by-laws regulating solid waste management and setting local standards. DEA will prepare a draft model municipal by-law for regulating waste services, which can be used as a basis for less capacitated municipalities to develop their own by-laws.

2.5(7)
Targets for waste services delivery will be set in municipal and provincial integrated waste management plans, with the objective of ensuring universal coverage of waste services according to the above standards within a realistic timeframe. The Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Department (COGTA) recognises a degree of difference in the fiscal, spatial, functional and governance capabilities within local municipalities. These differences require a differentiated approach to be adopted to waste services provision by municipalities across the rural and urban landscape of South Africa. The four local municipal categories included in the COGTA classification are:

• Class 1: Most vulnerable (57 local municipalities)
• Class 2: Second most vulnerable (58 local municipalities)
• Class 3: Second highest performing (58 local municipalities)
• Class 4: highest performing (58 local municipalities)

2.5(8)
DEA will prepare a detailed Sector Plan for Addressing Waste Services Backlogs in order to support the provision of a sustainable waste management services to all South Africans.

2.5(9)
A policy for Free Basic Refuse Removal (FBRR) will be finalized to ensure that poor (indigent) households have access to at least basic refuse removal services from the concerned municipality. The FBRR policy service will address three key pillars listed in order of priority namely:

• Gaining access (dependent on capital expenditure for FBRR services).
• Maintaining access (dependent on operating expenditure for FBRR services).
• Targeting the poor (dependent on subsidy mechanisms that will remove the financial burden from the indigent).

2.5(10)
It is important that as an initial step municipalities are aware of the true costs of waste services. Full cost accounting, which includes taking account of the full capital replacement, operating and environmental costs of delivering waste collection and disposal services, is essential in order to plan for waste service delivery, to correctly target subsidies to the indigent and to ensure financial sustainability. DEA in conjunction with National Treasury will prepare a guideline for municipalities setting out the steps that should be followed to account fully for the costs of waste services.

2.5(11)
Municipalities are required to adopt a tariff policy for municipal services in terms of Section 74 of the Municipal Systems Act, and pass a by-law to give effect to that policy in terms of Section 75. Current tariff policies and under-pricing of waste services over the years has led to an average 15% operating deficit in municipalities¹⁵. Waste service tariffs need to be comprehensively reviewed by municipalities, and DEA will prepare and issue guidelines in this regard. The guideline will avoid artificially influencing pricing to support waste minimisation objectives only.

2.5(12)
Alternative service delivery models need to be evaluated. The Municipal Systems Act, 2000, requires that in expanding services to non-serviced areas, municipalities must evaluate the most appropriate method for service delivery, including the use of external delivery mechanisms. Despite the potential for external mechanisms for waste services delivery to contribute to greater efficiency and job creation, only 13% of authorised municipalities have outsourced or commercialised service provision activities in 2007¹⁶. The use of community-based service delivery mechanisms has also been limited. The process for evaluating service delivery mechanisms is set out in Section 78 of the Municipal Systems Act, 2000, and the procedure for establishing Public Private Partnerships is regulated in terms of the Municipal Finance Management Act, 2003. National Treasury has issued detailed guidelines for the utilization of PPPs by municipalities.

2.5(13)
Labour intensive and community based mechanisms for waste service delivery will be promoted by all spheres of government. Community based waste service models will be piloted in both private and government waste services provision in municipalities to maximize job creation and SMME development. Existing government programmes such as the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) will be utilised to increase job creation in waste services industry. Through the EPWP all spheres of government (in terms of their normal mandates and budgets) and the non state sector (supported by government incentives) can optimise the creation of work opportunities through the delivery of public and community services. DEA will examine how best employment creation pilot projects such as these can be brought to scale, and will consult with National Treasury regarding the most appropriate fiscal mechanisms to achieve this.

2.5(14)
Provisions for the storage of waste and hazardous waste, including temporary storage, are contained in the Waste Act. Storage facilities receiving in excess of 30 tons of waste per day or with a through put capacity of 20 cubic metres of waste per day require a waste management license, and will be subject to a basic assessment in terms of the EIA Regulations as part of the licensing process. This is elaborated further in Section 3.8 of the NWMS.

2.5(15)
Provisions for the registration of transporters of waste with the relevant province or municipality will be developed by DEA, with appropriate thresholds set for transporters, so that the regulatory burden on government and industry is kept to a minimum. This is elaborated further in Section 3.8 of the NWMS.

Footnotes:

¹⁵Savage, D. (2009) Cooperative Governance, Local Government and the Waste Planning System Research Paper commissioned for the National Waste Management Strategy.

¹⁶Savage, D. (2009) Cooperative Governance, Local Government and the Waste Planning System Research Paper commissioned for the National Waste Management Strategy.