Abstract
M.A. (Environmental Management)
Organic waste constitutes the largest proportion of waste generated on the planet.
When improperly dealt with (as it is in most places), it contributes to greenhouse gas
emissions, water pollution, general environmental degradation and climate change.
This project outlines the regulatory, legislative and policy framework governing
organic waste management in the City of Cape Town, after which current initiatives
to recover and beneficiate organic materials are explored, both within and beyond the
city. In-depth interviews were used to obtain the views of experts working within the
waste sector, as to the current regulatory environment and practice regarding organic
waste diversion from landfill, as well as some changes that might be implemented
towards an integrated system that simultaneously confronts the public health and
environmental risks presented by organic waste, whilst also capitalising on its value
as a resource for economic development and ultimately, building resilience within
human settlements. The main findings were that in Cape Town there are various
efforts underway to divert organic waste from landfill, however there are some
obstacles to implementing meaningful solutions. The most significant of these is that
there is currently an incomplete definition of organic waste in South African policy
and regulations, as well as a somewhat uncoordinated and contradictory legislative
and regulatory framework and inconsistent application and implementation thereof.
For example, national government is currently trying to pass the draft Norms and
Standards for Organic Waste Composting, which are intended to facilitate diversion
of organics from landfill by means of composting. The Western Cape provincial
government has however found that, because they are overly risk-averse (as
opposed to risk-based), the proposed Norms and Standards would instead make it
unfeasible for municipalities to implement; even the City of Cape Town which is
better-capacitated and resourced than most. As it is, the cost of compliance for any
project of scale that seeks to beneficiate organic materials is unduly high. In addition
to the more formal regulatory aspects, it is crucial to get separation at source
programmes off the ground and increase public education, partly also because this
feeds into another piece of puzzle, namely to develop a market for beneficiated
organic waste products.