Commercial organic composting : a case study of the Panorama Composting Plant, City of Johannesburg, South Africa

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