An analysis of waste minimisation initiatives in the City of Cape Town, South Africa

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Mounting pressure on waste management has forced the City of Cape Town (CCT) toprogressively move towards achieving an integrated waste management system (IWMS).This system presents a holistic approach of dealing with waste issues. The wastemanagement hierarchy indicates that the 'cradle-to-cradle' approach of wastemanagement is more ideal as compared to the traditional 'cradle-to-grave' approaches ofwaste management, example landfilling. However the challenges that have transpired inthe rollout of waste minimisation initiatives highlight the need to continuously improve thesystem.This thesis investigates the municipal solid waste (MSW) minimisation programmesinitiated by the CCT Solid Waste Management Department. A systems approach thatcombined both quantitative and qualitative methodologies was employed in the analysis. Amaterial flow analysis (MFA) model was used to trace the flow of waste through the wastemanagement system. The benefit of applying the MFA approach for waste managementproblems has been highlighted in literature in terms of identifying potential recycling, andother, waste-treatment technologies, and predicting the outcomes of waste treatment anddisposal initiatives. The main objective of this study was to apply an adapted MFA methodin order to determine the progress of the existing waste minimisation programmes and toalso determine the opportunities to utilise biodegradable and other recyclable componentsof the waste streams; thereby improving the IWMS of the CCT.The MFA provided a conceptual understanding of the flow of waste materials in the CCT.The mass assessment of waste minimisation facilities, such as the Bellville compost plantand Athlone material recovery facility and refuse transfer station, unveiled that there is stilla large amount of biodegradable and recyclable municipal solid waste that ends up inlandfills regardless of the waste minimisation facilities available. However, it is stillimmature at this stage to conclude the success of the Think Twice campaign, since this isa fairly new initiative that relies on the response rate of the public. There are challengesassociated with the recyclable waste recovery rates such as public awareness, properadvertising, operational problems that still need to be addressed. The MFA results alsoshowed the final sinks of the different waste types that are sent through the different wasteminimisation facilities run by the CCT. The current institutional arrangements and legislative environment have been greatly improved but there are still a number ofchallenges that need to be addressed.The largest, overall challenge is devising a practical plan of 'closing the loop' in order todevelop a circular economy. The concept of 'cradle-to-cradle' seems to be premised onextended producer responsibility and other stringent control mechanisms, which arecurrently believed, will yield negative consequences in the South African context. A lotmore work needs to be done to achieve a genuinely integrated and sustainable solid wastemanagement system.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University