eWASA News – 6 May 2022

Approximately eight Western Cape municipalities have come under fire for unsustainable waste management programmes aggravated by a lack of funding and suitable land.

The Department\’s Rudolf van Jaarveldt said, “there is a huge shortage of suitable landfill sites. Sites need to meet strict environmental, social and technical considerations before they can be deemed suitable, and there are very limited parcels of land that meet this requirement. Waste minimisation needs to be taken seriously, and circular economy principles should be considered.”

He stated that municipalities are required to perform a topographical survey to estimate the remaining space. The department could assist an estimated 18 to 20 municipalities over the three-year funding cycle with the available funding. Read the full article in InfrastructureNews.

The Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) proposed that the producers of the following must establish extended producer responsibility (EPR) schemes:

• Pesticide sector (i.e. pesticides, pesticide co-formulant, and related containers)
• Portable battery sector (i.e. a battery which is sealed, can be hand-carried without difficulty, and is neither an automotive nor industrial battery)
• Lubricant oil sector (i.e. all virgin and re-refined mineral and synthetically based lubricants, with or without additives that is used for lubrication within heat transfer, load transfer, insulation or any other application).

If you want to read more about this month\’s changes in our legal landscape, you can see Mark Dittke\’s newsletter.