Integrated Waste Management in South Africa: Governance Analysis

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of integrated waste management in South Africa, focusing on the governance approach and its influence on waste management strategies. It examines the role of the National Development Plan (NDP), Medium-Term Strategic Framework (MTSF), Presidential Outcome 10, and the National Waste Management Strategy (NWMS) in shaping the country's approach to waste management. The report details how the governance approach is implemented within each of these frameworks, offering a critical analysis of their effectiveness. It explores the challenges faced by South Africa in waste management, including increasing waste generation and the need for sustainable practices. The report highlights the importance of effective governance in achieving environmental sustainability and improving the quality of life for South African citizens, emphasizing the need for continuous improvement and the integration of various waste management elements.

Intergrated Waste Management
With Special Reference to South Africa
Student Details
27/07/2019

Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................2
Integrated Waste Management in South Africa.........................................................................2
Governance Approach............................................................................................................3
Place and Role of Governance Approach in Integrated Waste Management............................4
National Development Plan (NDP)........................................................................................4
Medium-Term Strategic Framework (MTSF)........................................................................5
Presidential Outcome 10.........................................................................................................5
National Waste Management Strategy...................................................................................6
Conclusion and Recommendations............................................................................................7
Bibliography...............................................................................................................................8

Introduction
Environment present around is a combination of different states of elements which in
together helps the environment to provide sustainability to the living organism surviving in it.
The environment is shaped with the changing efforts of living beings especially human
beings (Atkinson et al., 2019). The up-gradation, as well as degradation, can be bought to the
environment due to many factors. The human being plays a very big part in this phenomenon,
as it is the sole living organism, which has the capacity to change the things present around
according to his personal needs and wants. The drastic changes made by human beings in the
environment can cause negative changes in it hence the degradation of the environment may
start (Garlapati, 2016). Waste is considered one of the major elements of the degradation of
the environment. Waste is considered as an unusable or unwanted substance; however, the
incorrect disposal of it creates a problem.
It is important to manage the waste as effectively as possible; still, the human beings tend to
produce more waste as well as dispose of it in such way that may bring degradation of the
environment in which they are living. Integrated waste management is a technique that can
help an individual to integrate various elements of waste management and manage the
wastage effectively. It is important to manage the waste present around in order to bring
sustainability in the environment (Cucchiella et al., 2017). In this report, the integrated waste
management of South Africa is analyzed with reference to the governance approach and its
various factors.
Integrated Waste Management in South Africa
Waste management is the combination of such practices which in together help in managing
the waste from the place of its origin to its disposal in an effective as well as efficient
manner. Many activities waste management. As it is, a process that is the combination of
many activities, which in together helps in managing the waste. This is the reason it is known
as integrated waste management (Jansen et al., 2018). There are some activities, which
facilitates integrated waste management such as collection, transportation, treatment of them
and final disposal of them. It is not easy to dispose of the waste, as it is not of the same type.
The waste can be found in three forms, which are solid, liquid and gaseous. Each state of
waste has a different method of disposal and according to it; its waste management
mechanism is undertaken (Kinnaman, 2017). The management of waste deals with every type
of waste whether it is industrial, biological or household. Waste can be biodegradable as well

as non-biodegradable. In the case of non-biodegradable waste, it gets difficult to dispose of, it
as it cannot be biologically degraded in the environment; hence, this may future reused in
something else. Waste can cause harm to the environment as well as to human life in some
cases, hence its efficient management is very important (Saling, 2018).
In this assignment, the integrated waste management in South Africa is analyzed. The
country is developing at a rapid pace as well as looking forward to bring sustainability in its
environment and operations. South Africa is a country of the African Continent and situated
on the southernmost tip of this continent. Among its other major cities, there are Cape Town,
Pretoria, etc. The currency of the country is Cyril Ramaphosa (Yong et al., 2016). South
Africa is gaining its reorganization in the world gradually and growing rapidly with its fast-
changing economy. The country is very big with different factors to produce waste. It is
getting difficult for South Africa to manage its waste in an effective manner. In order to do
this, the country focused on the formation and implementation of an integrated waste
management program, which is influenced by the governance approach of the country. Other
approaches affected the waste management program of South Africa such as fiscal based
management approach and market approach; however, in this report, only governance
approach with respect to integrated waste management program of South Africa is analyzed
(Gupta & Laubscher, 2017).
Governance Approach
Governance approach means the control and monitoring of things with efficiency and
effectiveness. This approach focuses on the governance of things, in a mechanism, in a
productive manner (Godfrey & Oelofse, 2017). This approach is not attached to the
governance of one thing, in particular, it can relate to the governance of anything. Its main
aim is to monitor and manage the things in order to bring efficiency in the mechanism. In this
report, the governance approach is applied in context with waste management in South
Africa. It is analyzed with the help of four elements that include the plans and policies
implemented by the South African government with respect to the integrated waste
management program. These all elements are analyzed with the help of the governance
approach (Scarlat et al., 2015).
In governing various factors of a country with a view to bringing efficiency in the
developmental functions, the governance approach of the respective government must be
productive in nature (Atkinson et al., 2019). They must bring sustainability and consistency

in the waste mechanism of the country. Their aim is to bring integrity in the waste
management functions of the country to enhance the economic value of the country. With
respect to South Africa, the integrated waste management framework has implemented and
managed with effective governance of the respective government of the country (Garlapati,
2016).
Place and Role of Governance Approach in Integrated Waste Management
National Development Plan (NDP)
South Africa is a country that is situated in the African Continent, is focused on growing its
economy is continuously changing the world. In order to do so, the country needs to manage
effectively its various elements that have the potential to bring efficiency in the mechanism of
the country (Karriem & Hoskins, 2016). Among those elements, one is waste management
and its approaches. The country stared an integrated waste management program a few years
back and continuously focusing on brining sustainability in its environment. There are many
measures, which the country can take into consideration while focusing on managing waste
effectively. National Development Plan is a plan that is undertaken by the national planning
commission of South Africa. This plan focuses on the overall development of the country
until the year 2030. Under this plan, there are many schemes and policies regarding each
sector of development (Inglezakis & Moustakas, 2015).
In case of waste management, National Development Plan (NDP) of South Africa focuses on
bringing efficiency in the functions of the country, which involves less wastage and more
efficiency (Blackman Jr, 2016). According to the promises made by Minister Trevor Manuel
of South Africa, with this NDP, the country aims at uniting all races and classes of the people
present in the country in order to implement a program to eliminate poverty and inequality.
NDP facilitates the country is focusing on the development of its education sector, industrial
sector, etc. From the point of view of waste management, the South African governments
with their right governance approach introduced schemes that facilitate in strengthen the life
of its people, providing them health and safety measures, environment problem solving and
sustainable development of the country (Kinnaman, 2017). Among other measures to take
into consideration, there are some measures related to waste management in the NDP of the
South African government launched with dealing of the year 2030.

Medium-Term Strategic Framework (MTSF)
In the year 2014 before elections and appointment of respective government, the promises
made by the respective government are the implementation of the National Development
Program. This plan focuses on the development of South Africa from 2014 to 2030. Under
the program, many schemes were implemented with respect to some core activities related to
the overall development of the country (Kinnaman, 2017). Under those schemes, there was a
scheme named as Medium Term Strategic Framework (MTSF). This framework was
launched with respect to the main development plan of South Africa from the year 2014 to
2030. This plan was ranged from 2014 to 2019, with a view to providing strategies regarding
the development of the country (Myers, 2017). The aim of this framework is to improve the
quality of life of the people of South Africa with launching some schemes related to waste
management as well as the sustainability of the environment.
The MTSF plan enforces the government of South Africa to bring some changes in the
country related to infrastructure, education, employment, waste management, environmental
sustainability, etc. Among various developmental plans of this MTSF framework, there is one
related to waste management and environmental sustainability (Letcher & Vallero, 2019). In
order to achieve environmental sustainability, it is important to manage waste in the country
in an effective manner. The integrated waste management is a crucial action that the country
needed to take as soon as possible. With this view, the government launched some waste
management programmers like clean cities, monuments, fine on wastage, etc. These all
programs under MTSF bring development in the economy as well as the environment of
South Africa (Mohee et al., 2015).
Presidential Outcome 10
The presidential outcome number 10 of the South African government also influences the
governance approach related to integrating waste management framework. In the elections of
2010, after the implementation of National Development Plan of the country until 2030,
many subsidiary schemes were launches in order to accomplish the NDP of the country
(Kurdve et al., 2015). Among those subsidiary schemes, one of them was twelve presidential
outcomes. These outcomes are established in order to accomplish the development task of the
country. Among those outcomes, one is related to the environment and its number is 10. The
title of this outcome is “Environmental Assets and Natural Resources that are well protected
and Continually Enhanced”. There are some elements of this outcome of the country such as

water, atmosphere, environment, and biodiversity, are discussed in order to identify solutions
for the same (Swilling et al., 2016).
The aim of 10th presidential outcome of South Africa is to take care of some things, which are
in together have the capacity to reduce the wastage and bring environmental sustainability.
This outcome of the South African government has implemented some outputs. Those
outputs are as follows:
 Quantity and quality of water resources of South Africa need to be enhanced
 Reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, improvement in the atmosphere of the
country as well as climate change impact.
 The sustainable management of the South African environment
 Biodiversity Protection
These all outputs of outcome 10 of South Africa government can help the country in
managing their waste in an effective manner, which can be possible with the good
governance approach of the respective government of South Africa. This governance
approach of South Africa facilitates the mechanism of the country government to enforce
such schemes, frameworks, plans, etc, which can help the country ineffective management of
waste in terms of environmental sustainability (Rigamonti et al., 2016).
National Waste Management Strategy
In order to facilitate the governance approach of South Africa, the government has enforced
National Environmental Management: Waste Act, 2008. According to this act all the factors
related to wastage management in the country are identified and managed in an effective
manner (Rhyner et al., 2017). The legislation related to the act a strategy that is known as
“National Waste Management Strategy (NWMS)”. This strategy focuses on accomplishing
various challenges related to waste management in the country. The challenges faced by this
strategy are:
 Increase in waste generation due to growth in population, hence the pressure on waste
management facilities is enhanced.
 Waste streams got complex due to industrialization as well as urbanization. This,
unfortunately, mixes the hazardous waste with the general waste of the country.
 The historical backlog of waste services in the country related to informal areas, rural
places, tribal areas, etc. Almost 61% of houses of South Africa has access to domestic
waste collection, however, rest are lacking in this.

 Outdated waste recycling infrastructure leads to ineffective management of waste in
the country.
 In overall, the country has few waste treatment options, which in together are not
sufficient as well as expensive in nature.
The objective of Waste management act is to consider the above-given challenges related to
waste management in South Africa as well as taking corrective measures accordingly.
National waste management strategy (NWMS) is taken into consideration in order to bring
effectiveness in the integrated waste management program of the country. The strategy
focuses on the implementation of the waste management program; however, it is not the sole
responsibility and capability of the South African government (Cucchiella et al., 2017). This
is the reason it distributed the waste management activities among diffident entities like
private and public entities as well as state, district level management of waste.
Conclusion and Recommendations
Waste management is the combination of some steps that include collection, transportation,
treatment and disposal of waste as well as the monitoring and regulating the mechanism. A
set process facilitates the proper management of waste present all around. In this project, the
integrated waste management framework of South Africa is discussed. The framework is
discussed with the help of the governance approach as well as some schemes and plans of the
South African government. The report disclosed that South Africa has a good waste
management framework; however, it is not that effective. The country needs to follow the
new integrated waste management program, which is proposed in its National Developmental
Plan. In this plan, the country established presidential outcomes, waste management strategy,
and medium-term strategic framework. With the effective governance approach as well as the
plans of NDP of South Africa, the country is able to bring efficiency in its waste management
program. It is recommended to the people of the country to personally start managing their
waste from their houses only. They can separate the dry waste from the wet waste; can also
make their environment clean by reducing the hazardous wastage, etc. There are many
methods to bring environmental sustainability such as reducing and managing waste
developed in their country, in an effective manner.

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