Abstract
M.Sc. (Environmental Management)
In South Africa, the National Environmental Management: Waste Act (NEMWA) (Act No. 59 of 2008) makes a distinction between general waste and hazardous waste. Whereas general waste can be disposed of in municipal landfill sites, more stringent controls are required for the disposal and the recycling of hazardous wastes in South Africa. Furthermore, the management and recycling of hazardous wastes require an environmental impact assessment for licencing purposes. This requirement is based on compliance with the National Environmental Management Act (Act No. 107 of 1998), 2014 NEMA EIA Regulations, National Environmental Management: Air Quality Act (NEMAQA) (Act No. 39 of 2004), as well as the NEMWA (Act No. 59 of 2008). Poor Environmental Impact Assessment Report (EIAR) quality has the potential to negatively impact environmental decision-making as well as sustainable development in any country. Therefore, it is important to ensure that the reports created are of satisfactory quality. Effective EIARs is the first step in complying with the goals of the precautionary principle and long term sustainability for any planned infrastructural development projects (Glasson et al., 2012). EIARs should provide useful information to the government regulator and all interested and affected parties on whether or not the proposed development actions have significant environmental impacts and to what extent they can be mitigated successfully (Aucamp, 2009).
This study has reviewed the quality of 5 EIARs using the adapted Lee and Colley Review Package as well as the EIA Quality Index. The adaptation of the review package was a modified version of the ‘South African Lee and Colley (1992) Review Package’. The EIARs evaluated were based on proposed hazardous waste-related projects in the Gauteng province of South Africa. The results of this study showed that generally all of the assessed EIARs were compiled in a satisfactory manner, thus achieving “A-C” quality grades. Sixty percent (60%) of the EIARs received the “A” quality standard. This quality rating represents an excellent and outstanding performance on the part of the Environmental Assessment Practitioners (EAPs) or compilers of these reports. Twenty percent (20%) of the EIARs achieved a “B” quality, implying that the reports were generally satisfactory and completed with only a few minor omissions. Lastly, another 20% of the EIARs achieved a “C” rating as their quality was characterised as ‘just satisfactory’ despite omissions and inadequacies. Since 40% of the reports were rated either with “B” or “C” symbols, there is a need for improving EIAR report quality where deficiencies were found failing which weaknesses in planning hazardous waste control projects will not be addressed in this sector. If hazardous waste is disposed of inappropriately, this may lead to human health risks or major environmental risks. Given the importance of the hazardous waste management sector in South Africa and the amounts of hazardous waste materials that are produced from the manufacturing and mining sector, it is imperative that such wastes are disposed of effectively or are treated properly whether or not there is any recycling (Bosman, 2009).