Waste management is one of the more serious environmental issues that South Africa faces. Household waste is increasing because of a growing population. Under the South African Constitution, municipalities are responsible for refuse removal, refuse dumps and solid waste disposal. Unfortunately, however, they are struggling to do this, as budgets are not enough to cover all the basic services. Therefore, waste management competes for funding with essentials, such as water, sanitation and electricity. South African households generate about 12.7 tonnes of waste annually. 3.67 million tonnes of this goes to illegal dumping sites instead of going through formal waste collection systems.

If we divert more waste from landfills and utilise the materials, we could unlock a value of R17 billion per year. But, at the moment, between 75 per cent and 90 per cent of solid waste goes to landfills.

Electronic waste is a growing problem as technology becomes more affordable. The World Economic Forum says that “e-waste” is the fastest-growing waste stream on the planet. South Africa generates about 6.2 kilograms of e-waste per person annually, and only 12 per cent of that is recycled. The materials in e-waste are valuable, but they can be toxic. Unfortunately, many people dismantling electronics to reclaim these materials for resale are not employed by an official recycling programme. This means that they often work without personal protective equipment. Consequently, they are vulnerable to the health risks of touching and breathing in these materials.

Industrial waste is another big environmental issue. The country has millions of tonnes of coal waste. In the past, the spontaneous combustion of coal heaps has led to dangerous levels of air pollution.