Large amounts of recyclables disposed of at a landfill
in eMalahleni. (Picture: Dr Suzan Oelofse)
A recent CSIR study revealed that only 3.3% of the country's
urban population regularly recycled household waste in 2010.
This finding is underscored by another study, also conducted
by the CSIR, which shows that, of the estimated 19 million
tons of municipal waste generated in South Africa in 2011,
about 25% were mainline recyclables such as glass, paper,
tins and plastics.
Separating recyclables at household level is a requirement
in terms of the Waste Act. The National Waste Management
Strategy requires that in four years' time all metropolitan
municipalities, secondary cities and large towns will have
initiated programmes for waste separation at source.
According to CSIR principal researcher Dr Suzan Oelofse,
the participation of households in these programmes will
be crucial to achieving the 2016 target. However, the results
of the survey show that municipal authorities face a daunting
task to create public awareness around the requirements
of the Waste Act.
“It is alarming that two thirds of the more than 2
000 urban South African households surveyed do not know
where to dispose of their household recyclables. Furthermore,
the majority of the participants in the study said that
they do not know how nor what to recycle,” project
leader Wilma Strydom, a researcher in the waste management
for development research group at the CSIR, explains.
Urban South Africans do not recycle
The 2010 survey, aimed at understanding post-consumer recycling
behaviour in South Africa, does not paint a very positive
picture about urban South Africans' attitude and behaviour
when it comes to recycling:
- More than 73% of South Africans living in urban areas
reported no recycling at all;
- About 27% of urban South Africans reported some recycling
- Only 3.3% of the respondents indicated that they sort
most or all of the selected five recyclables from their
household waste and recycle it on a frequent basis.
The survey results also highlight an overall negative
attitude towards recycling. Urban households are not recycling
seemingly because of a lack of space, lack of time, because
it is dirty or untidy, or they lack the knowledge of what
is recyclable and what not. Another reason cited was inconvenient
recycling facilities, says Strydom.
Municipal waste composition by source in 2004
However, the survey results also indicate that South Africans
might start to recycle and continue to recycle should it be
convenient to recycle: “The results show that a two-bag
system – simply separating dry waste from wet waste
like food scraps – combined with a regular kerbside
collection service, would create the best opportunity to mobilise
South Africans to start recycling. This should be complemented
with communication and awareness-raising campaigns, as well
as continued research to understand the drivers of recycling
behaviour and how to motivate people to recycle,” she
But the story does not end here. Improved recovery of recyclables
at household level will also significantly alleviate the
pressure on municipal landfill sites.
Taking the pressure off municipal landfill sites
Gauteng alone generates about 45% of South Africa's municipal
waste. Yet, only a few landfills in the province have a lifespan
of 10 years remaining. The City of Cape Town, contributing
70% of the municipal waste in the Western Cape, is also running
out of landfill airspace.
The sums are simple, declares Dr Oelofse: “The best
solution for reducing pressure on available landfill space
is a reduction in waste through waste minimisation and recycling.”
In an attempt to estimate the mass of recyclables disposed
of at municipal landfill sites in 2011, she obtained landfill-based
characterisation information from Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg.
This showed that landfill airspace is mainly consumed by green
waste, recyclables and builders' rubble. Mainline recyclables
– that is paper, plastics, glass, tins and tyres –
contribute 25% of the municipal waste generated in Gauteng
and 22% in Cape Town.
Municipal waste composition expressed as percentages
by mass for Cape Town and Gauteng
According to the Department of Environmental Affairs, an estimated
19 million tons of municipal waste was generated in South
Africa in 2011. “If it is assumed that the composition
of waste in Gauteng is a reflection of the rest of the country's
municipal waste, then it can be concluded that 25% of the
19 million tons of municipal waste is mainline recyclables.
That means 4.75 tonnes of recyclables that could have been
recovered in 2011.
“Furthermore, if 70% of all households can achieve a
70% recovery rate of their household recyclables, we will
be able to achieve a recovery rate of 49%”, she concludes.
Dr Suzan Oelofse