Waste Management
Waste management is the industry and practice concerned with the collection, transport, treatment, recycling and disposal of waste materials generated by human activity. The sector encompasses municipal solid waste, industrial waste, hazardous waste and organic waste streams, with activities ranging from street cleaning and refuse collection to landfill operation, incineration, composting and materials recovery. Waste management plays a critical role in public health, environmental protection and resource conservation, preventing pollution of air, water and soil while recovering valuable materials for reuse. The industry includes both public-sector municipal services and private contractors operating collection fleets, transfer stations, sorting facilities, recycling plants and disposal sites. In South Africa, waste management is governed by the National Environmental Management: Waste Act and involves national, provincial and municipal authorities alongside private operators. Key challenges include illegal dumping, inadequate landfill capacity, low recycling rates and the need to transition from linear disposal models to circular economy approaches that prioritise waste minimisation and resource recovery. The sector increasingly focuses on extended producer responsibility schemes, which require manufacturers and brand owners to fund the collection and recycling of packaging and other post-consumer waste. Waste management also intersects with climate policy, as landfills generate methane emissions and waste-to-energy technologies offer alternative disposal pathways. The industry has grown in complexity with rising urbanisation, stricter environmental regulation and greater public awareness of plastic pollution and marine litter.
Waste Management Updates
SA: Willie Aucamp: Adress by Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment, at DFFE Budget Vote 2026, Parliment, Cape Town (27/05/2026)
27th May 2026 While our mandate is to protect the environment for future generations, we must also use our natural resources to drive economic growth and create... →
Provincial Waste Strategy drives surge in organic waste diversion as Western Cape eyes 2027 zero target
14th May 2026 The Democratic Alliance (DA) in the Western Cape welcomes the significant growth in the province’s recycling and composting capacity, which... →
What a Waste 3.0: Global Snapshot of Solid Waste Management Toward Circularity until 2050
24th March 2026 What a Waste 3.0 is the third edition of the World Bank Group’s What a Waste series, following the 2012 and 2018 publications. It updates and... →
Operators of historic waste disposal facilities called upon to apply for a Waste Management Licence
15th January 2026 As with various environmental management aspects, waste management in South Africa has seen a number of regime changes. In 2009, when the National... →
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