Recycle or be fined proposed

New by-laws are being drafted that will make separation of waste into recyclables a legal requirement for residents and businesses. Fines are also being mooted.
WASTE management by-laws are being drafted that propose that residents should separate their refuse or risk a hefty fine.

Residents will be required by law to seperate their wasteResidents will be required by law to seperate their wasteNew by-laws are being ironed out and will only be available for public comment once Pikitup has concluded a pilot project on waste management, which it started in 2009 and has involved about 35 000 households.

The proposed by-laws emphasise the separation of waste as the catalyst for keeping a clean environment, and stipulate stringent measures for non-compliance. If approved, they will help the City meet the obligations set out by the national Waste Management Bill, which will be enacted into law when President Jacob Zuma signs it.

The bill is the national government’s new legislation on waste minimisation, says Gugu Mathibela, a Joburg spokesperson. Once passed into law, it will act as a legal framework for regulating South Africa’s thorny waste management problems.

According to the bill, waste that has a detrimental effect on the environment should be discarded separately, and prescribed standards should be adhered to. Should residents or private entities fail to comply with the conditions or requirements of the bill, they may be liable for a hefty fine or imprisonment for up to 10 years, or both.

With this in mind, in its proposed by-laws, Pikitup urges people to have separate bins for the various recyclable items. Recyclable waste includes glass, paper, metal, plastic, textiles, furniture, electronic equipment, building material and vehicles.

Recycling is a common world practice for conserving natural resources and energy, which manufacturers use in producing new products. It reduces the amount of waste going into landfills and cuts the pollution that may result from waste disposal.

According to the Department of Environmental Affairs, the Waste Management Bill envisages a shift towards more sustainable waste management strategies and practices, and emphasises the need to reduce, reuse and recycle.

Through the bill, the government wants to develop an integrated pollution and waste management system that contributes to sustainable development and a measurable improvement in the quality of life.

It is estimated that municipalities spend more than a billion rand on waste management each year, with metropolitan cities like Joburg spending more than R150-million annually. This spend competes with other environmental management functions.

The national bill also aims to regulate waste management in an attempt to protect health and the environment by providing reasonable measures for minimising the consumption of natural resources; preventing pollution and ecological degradation; reducing, re-using, recycling and recovering waste; treating; and safely disposing of waste as a last resort.