Abstract
M.Sc.
The City of Johannesburg (CoJ), South Africa, faces many waste management challenges.
Some of the primary challenges are a general lack of waste management, recycling and
composting awareness (City of Johannesburg, 2003a). Within this context, addressing the
challenges of composting is complex, time consuming and faced with difficulty. The CoJ has
embarked upon a composting initiative that is designed to redirect organic waste from
landfills to the compost production plants. Furthermore, this initiative is also aimed at selling
bags of compost to Johannesburg consumers (individuals and nurseries). The ultimate aim
however is to meet several sustainable development objectives: economic development;
social development and environmental protection.
The problem statement investigated by the research is whether the Panorama Composting
Plant meets the above mentioned sustainable development objectives. Research was
conducted qualitatively and data was obtained using both primary and secondary sources. For
example, the sources of data comprised of research reports, magazine articles, journals and
interviews with key personnel in the waste management field. Subsequent to intensive analysis and interpretation, in conclusion, the research has
established that Panorama plant contributes to environmental sustainability. It has also been
established that the Panorama plant's contribution to social and economic sustainability is
limited.