Environmental Sustainability Studies ESS 122 Lecture 4

Environmental & Sustainability Studies (ESS) 122 Lecture 4 Waste Management Prof TP van Reenen, Faculty of Law Dr Rich Knight, Mr S Kasker

Environment Conservation Act 73 of 1989 • ECA inadequate to deal with every facet of environmental management • ECA only directly dealt with disposal sites and littering. • Separate Act required for comprehensive management. • Until recently control authority for waste disposal sites was the Min of Water Affairs & Forestry but now its the Min of Environmental Affairs and Tourism. The Department of Water Affairs & Forestry made guidelines for the classification of Waste as hazerdous and non as well as setting a maximum limit for amounts of waste to be processed per day.

National Environmental Management: Waste Act 59 of 2008 • Repealed ECA. • Working Paper on Integrated Pollution and Waste Management 2000 • Focused on the minimisation of waste. • Most of subject matter dealt with in new Act was not directly dealt with in the old Act. • Powers could broadly be interpreted to address specific subjects mentioned in the new Act.

Preamble • Sustainable Development! Requires the generation of waste to be avoided and where it cannot be avoided it be reduced, re-used, recycled or recovered and then only as a last resort treated and disposed of.

Objects of the Act • • • • • Protect health well-being and the environment by providing reasonable measures to: The objects of (his Act are— (a) to protect health, well-being and the environment by providing reasonable measures for— (i) minimising the consumption of natural resources; (ii) avoiding and minimising the generation of waste; (iii) reducing, re-using, recycling and recovering waste; (iv) treating and safely disposing of waste as a last resort; (v) preventing pollution and ecological degradation; (vi) securing ecologically sustainable development while promoting justifiable economic and social development; (vii) promoting and ensuring the effective delivery of waste services; (viii) remediating land where contamination presents, or may present, a significant risk of harm to health or the environment: and (ix) achieving integrated waste management reporting and planning; (b) to ensure that people are aware of the impact of waste on their health, well-being and the environment; (c) to provide for compliance with the measures set out in paragraph (a) and (d) 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.

NEMWA • Broadly the Act deals with: • A National Waste Management Strategy, institutional and planning matters and waste management measures including licensing and technical aspects. • The Act requires the Minister to develop a Waste Management strategy within two years and must include the following:

NEMWA • • • • (a) 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 objects of this Act; (b) mechanisms, systems and procedures for giving effect to the Republic's obligations in terms of relevant international agreements; (c) practical measures for achieving co-operative governance in waste manage environmental matters; (cl) guidance on raising awareness regarding the impact of waste on health and the environment; (e) approaches for securing compliance with the requirements of this Act, including the monitoring of compliance; and (/) any other matter that the Minister considers necessary for achieving the objects of this Act. The national waste management strategy may include targets for waste reduction.

• Minister in charge of setting norms and standards classification of waste; planning for and provision of waste management services; storage, treatment and disposal of wate • Purpose is to bring waste services to those who have previously not had access and generally improve services. • These standards are to be implemented by local government authorities

Municipalities • Municipalities also have powers to determine ‘waste service standards’ at s 9 • Must deliver services to achieve objectives and ensure access of services to all. • The Minister, MEC’s and Municipalities must work in harmony.

CH 3 - Institutional and planning matters • Provides for appointment of Waste Management Officers at all levels to coordinate. • DEAT and provincial departments to develop integrated waste management plans. • Describing how objectives are to be met and what challenges are faced in specific areas as well as a situation analysis eg. Population size • Implementation of minimisation, re-use and recycling and give effect to ‘best environmental practice’.

CH 4 – Waste Management Measures • The categories under this heading are: • Priority waste; Duty in waste management; Reduction, re-use, recycling; Listed waste management activities; storage collection and transport; treatment processing and disposal; industrial waste management plans; contaminated land other measures.

• Minister enabled to declare ‘priority waste’ and state how to deal with it, including stopping all import and manufacture of such products. • • • General duty in respect of waste management 16. (1) A holder of waste must, within the holder's power, take all reasonable 15 measures t o— (a) avoid the generation of waste and where such generation cannot be avoided, to minimise the toxicity and amounts of waste that are generated; (b) reduce, re-use, recycle and recover waste; (c) where waste must be disposed of, ensure that the waste is treated and disposed 20 of in an environmentally sound manner; (d) manage the waste in such a manner that it does not endanger health or the environment or cause a nuisance through noise, odour or visual impacts; (e) prevent any employee or any person under his or her supervision from contravening this Act; and 25

• • • • (/) prevent the waste from being used for an unauthorised purpose. (2) Any person who sells a product that may be used by the public and that is likely to result in the generation of hazardous waste must take reasonable steps to inform the public of the impact of that wasle on health and the environment. (3) The measures contemplated in this section may include measures t o— 30 (a) investigate, assess and evaluate the impact of the wasle in question on health or the environment; (b) cease, modify or control any act or process causing the pollution, environmental degradation or harm to health; (c) comply with any norm or standard or prescribed management practice; 35 (d) eliminate any source of pollution or environmental degradation; and (e) remedy the effects of the pollution or environmental degradation. (4) The Minister or MEC may issue regulations to provide guidance on how to discharge this duty or identify specilic requirements that must be given efleet to, after following a consultative process in accordance with sections 72 and 73. 40 (5) Subsection (4) need not be complied with if the regulation is amended in a

• Any person who sells products to the public that might be a threat to health or the environment eg. Hazardous waste, must take reasonable steps to inform the public and Minister on environmental impact. • Minister may classify products that require extended producers responsibility. • May also declare ‘listed activities’ which require a licence or compliance with notice.

• Lists in terms of s 19 published in 2009 • Category ‘A’ and ‘B’. • ‘A’ requires basic assessment process ito chap 5 NEMA and ‘B’ an EIA because these include hazardous wastes. • Persons who store waste must take reasonable measure to ensure no contamination. • If want to collect waste privately must register with municipality.

• S 27 – if public access land must supply bins.

Conclusion • Comprehensive statute for waste long overdue. • Concerns: are provisions relating to contaminated land. • Municipalities responsible for implementation but are behind on service delivery in general. • Kidd suggests a less sophisticated Act focused on basics. • Implementation in diff ways; compulsory deposit refund system; subsidised recycling.

• South Africa’s recycling stats are good, 58% of paper was recycled and 69% of steel. • These stats are comparable to developed countries. • Dumping is our main issue. Currently over 900 sites with half of those not being licenced. • Litter is also a big problem here.