Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning

1. The recovery rate of municipal waste for recycling is determined by the information submitted by municipalities to the Provincial Integrated Pollutant and Waste Information System (IPWIS). Municipalities are required to report monthly on both their disposal and recovery figures relating to municipal waste, which includes household waste. Recovery rates also include materials like builder’s rubble used for cover material at landfills and green waste that is composted by the municipality.

Some of the challenges with the quality of the reported data include: the limited number of weigh bridges available, irregular and infrequent waste reporting and poor data capturing by municipal officials, resulting in inaccurate data. To improve the quality of the data, my Department of Environmental Affairs and Development Planning conducts training and data verification audits and has developed a waste quantification tool to assist municipalities to quantify their waste disposed.

The table below summarises the current waste diversion rates for municipalities for 2017 as reported on the IPWIS system and must be viewed in the context of the above explanation.

 

WASTE DIVERTED FOR 2017
Municipalities	% Diverted
Swartland	13
Bergrivier	50
Cederberg	0
Saldanha	47
Matzikama	0
Cape Agulhas	1
Overstrand	46
Swellendam	0
Theewaterskloof	0
Drakenstein	1
Langeberg	8
Breede Valley	0
Stellenbosch	34
Witzenberg	6
Oudtshoorn	0
Kannaland	0
George	14
Mossel Bay	1
Bitou	6
Knysna	5
Hessequa	1
Laingsburg	0
Prince Albert	0
Beaufort West	4
City of Cape Town	58

 

2. Yes, the Department does assist municipalities with recycling initiatives. Comprehensive support is given to municipalities which include, but is not limited to:

• convening of governance platforms such as Western Cape Recycling Action Group (WC RAG) and Waste Management Officers’ Forum where best practices in waste management are shared and waste policy matters are discussed;
• conducting of an Integrated Waste Management Infrastructure Study to improve waste management planning at municipal level;
• setting of waste diversion targets to fast-track recycling (i.e. 50% diversion of organic waste from landfills by 2022 and a ban of organic waste to landfill by 2027).
• conducting of training workshops and roadshows to capacitate municipalities on various topics such as waste characterisation, construction and demolition waste, waste minimisation, organic waste management and the quantification and reporting of waste information;
• the roadshows focused on creating awareness to stimulate the waste economy in the Western Cape and to secure the supply of waste material;
• development of guidelines and pamphlets as well as providing support to small and micro waste entrepreneurs to improve the recovery of municipal waste for recycling; and
• currently the Department is working closely with municipalities on separation of waste at source and waste awareness to ensure that the recycling of waste will become a social norm which will benefit municipalities and stimulate the waste economy and job creation.

Through the WC RAG the Department is working with the recycling industry to provide support to municipalities as well as the provision of equipment to enable the recovery of waste for recycling.

Despite all our efforts to assist municipalities to recover re-use and recycle their waste we must be mindful of the global market fluctuations in the price and demand for recyclable material. The shutting down of major global markets for recyclable material, such as the recent refusal of China to accept recyclable material from other countries, has impacted on our local waste economy and recovery rates. A decrease in demand for certain materials often means that the material is landfilled if collectors do not have sufficient resources to store waste until markets recover. It is therefore critical that the local markets for recycled material is stimulated as part of our efforts to increase waste recovery and create much needed jobs in the Western Cape.