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Turning waste into wealth - SA’s ESG roadmap for 2025South Africa is a country in crisis – on the verge of an environmental disaster, with collapsing infrastructure and growing waste streams. ![]() Kate Stubbs, Marketing Director at Interwaste As a country, there is no doubt we are facing a magnitude of issues that border on human rights violation - from poor waste management to the inability to meet and manage effective supply of basic needs including water and electricity and there is no doubt that urgent intervention must be considered in order to start the journey back to restoration. Priority must be taken by business and government if we hope to see a turn around. Painting a pictureWaste conundrumAccording to research, South Africans generate roughly 122 million tonnes of waste per year, equating to roughly two tonnes per person per year. A maximum of 10% of this is recycled or recovered for other uses, meaning at least 90% ends up in landfills or illegal dump sites. Landfill sites are reaching capacity and most municipalities have not been able to commission new ones. With stringent environmental impact assessment regulations and waste licensing, it can take up to five years to approve a new landfill site, and, on average, another year to construct it. We need to drastically change South Africa’s waste system, invest in alternative waste processing infrastructure and solutions to support a transition to a more circular economy, where materials are reused for as long as possible The water challengeThe National Water and Sanitation Master plan outlines that the demand for water will exceed the available supply by between 1,6 billion and 2,7 billion cubic meters by 2030. This, coupled with the fact that 7 of the 13 major water systems in South Africa are predicted to be in deficit by 2040, means that as a country we are in dire need of a sustainable water resource recovery and management plan and urgent action must be taken. Furthermore, more than two thirds (67.6%) of all wastewater treatment works are close to failure. On top of this, it showed that over 47% of all clean and treated water was lost through leaks, or could not be accounted for. The national Blue Drop Risk Rating also showed, the overall risk had dropped from 52.3% in 2022 to 47.15% in 2023 after some water supply systems made improvements and improved their risk category from critical or high to medium or low risk. However, to achieve Blue Drop certification, water supply systems must meet 95% of the criteria for delivering clean, drinkable water - and only 26 of South Africa’s 958 water supply systems managed this. The ESG RoadmapSustainability has become the watchword for South African corporates, as they grapple with both the public’s demand for environmentally friendly products and the demands of environmental, social and governance (ESG) reporting. The combination of the above is helping to drive a culture change across society, leading waste producers and waste managers to work together to identify innovations that address key waste issues, while meeting changing legislative demands.
Sustainable development goalsWithout a doubt, the waste sector plays a fundamental role in meeting the country’s sustainable development goals (SDGs), tackling not one, but at least 6 of the 15 goals in total. Goals 6 (safe water), 7 (clean energy), 13 (climate action) and 11 (sustainable cities) being the most prominent in this regard. In fact, the waste sector is an integral part of these goals – where, taking the circular economy thinking into account where waste reuse and repurposing is fundamental to not only meeting these objectives but very importantly, is central to addressing environmental impact and growing ESG targets globally. Practical education, solutions are keyHowever, we have a conundrum where business, community and at some levels of government - are underinformed about the potential of well-managed, compliant, and innovative waste management solutions. The reality, though, is that with a population of 61 million people and growing by around 1% a year, and with each person generating around 2kgs of waste per day, we are heading towards a waste disaster if we don’t start creating solutions and ensuring that all parties are educated as to why effective waste management is so important. This reiterates the importance of not only alternative solutions to meeting South Africa’s challenges but indicates the fundamental role of effective, ethical and compliant waste management practices in driving South Africa’s climate agenda. About Kate StubbsKate Stubbs is the current group business development and marketing director for the Interwaste Group which forms part of Séché Environment, an international environmental solutions business. View my profile and articles... |