A study of the current status of waste management and minimisation initiatives in two district municipal areas of the Gauteng province (West Rand and Sedibeng)

M.Sc. (Environmental Management)Over the last eighteen years or so, the Gauteng province has attracted the greatest proportion (45.6%) of foreigners in South Africa. Along with rapid population growth, accelerated rural-urban migration and the rise of low-income houses and informal settlements, some of the District Municipalities around the City of Johannesburg and other urban centres have witnessed increased concentration of population and settlements. In many instances, the capacity of local municipalities to provide adequate infrastructure and services has been severely compromised, especially with respect to the achievement of integrated and sustainable waste management and waste minimisation interventions, including the reuse, recovery and recycling of municipal solid waste. Inevitably, local municipalities are struggling to successfully deliver effective waste management services within their jurisdiction, despite the lack of space for new landfill sites in urban complexes and the promulgation of new laws, regulations and strategies for achieving waste minimisation in South Africa. However, there is paucity of research on how municipalities are performing with respect to waste management challenges and minimisation initiatives, given the new waste management and regulatory regime in South Africa. Considering that the Gauteng-City region has limited space for new landfills, the need to maximise the use, effectiveness and efficiency of current landfill sites is of strategic importance. Hence, this study has examined the effectiveness and efficiency of current waste management and minimisation trends in two District Municipalities in the Gauteng province. To this end, questionnaire surveys have been undertaken in the study areas, making use of purposive sampling methods. The surveys undertaken targeted key individuals in the municipalities and some of the managers of landfill sites. The survey also included the role of informal waste reclaimers and the quantities of waste they recover and sell as well as some of the operational barriers they are experiencing. Findings emanating from this study indicate that more emphasis is placed on the traditional waste management approach through ‘unsustainable’ landfilling rather than providing an enabling management framework for enhancing and promoting waste minimisation through waste prevention and recycling. Failure by local municipalities to encourage waste recycling initiatives is of serious concern, especially in view of the fact that existing landfill sites in West Rand District Municipality have a limited lifespan. The need to preserve landfill space is therefore vital and the best way to achieve this is to reduce the amount of waste being disposed off. The current practice of unrestricted solid waste generation and its disposal and the low level of waste recycling suggests that most local municipalities in the study area lack the capability to make a substantial contribution to waste minimisation. For further research, it is recommended that more surveys should be undertaken in other Metropolitan Municipalities of the Gauteng province, including the City of Johannesburg, City of Tshwane and Ekurhuleni. Such studies would provide additional insights on the extent of waste minimisation in these areas and whether or not the goals of integrated and sustainable waste management are being achieved in South Africa