National Organic Waste Composting Strategy
Tipo de pratica Recycle
Nombre la actividad profesional National Organic Waste Composting Strategy
Nombre del agente principal South Africa Government
Tipo de agente(s) Autoridades públicas
Ubicación South Africa
Etapa de la puesta en práctica Final de la vida útil
Año de puesta en práctica 2013
Actividades realizadas o en vías de realización The government of South Africa is currently working on the implementation of an organic waste
composting strategy on the basis of the provisions of the National Environmental Management:
Waste Act 2008, as well as the National Waste Management Strategy 2011. The strategy promotes
composting as an effective management solution for diverting biodegradable waste from landfill
sites. South African authorities believe that its adoption will facilitate the endorsement of regulations
and the development of standards that guarantee environmentally sound treatment for organic
waste. The strategy differentiates three categories of organic waste, depending on the level of hazard
for the environment: Category 1 includes waste considered to have the lowest impact on the environment
(wood and green waste); Category 2 includes fruit, vegetables and drinks; and Category 3
includes animal by-products, fatty oils and household domestic mixed waste which has the highest
environmental impact. The strategy identifies legislative gaps and limitations, and proposes solutions
and options for the maximization of composting opportunities. It also calls for sound cooperation
between local and national public authorities and the private sector for the development of capacity-
building programmes and composting facilities, and it reiterates South Africa’s commitment to
meeting landfill diversion targets for organic waste as provided under its National Waste Management
Strategy 2011.
South Africa also has identified other practical solutions that promote organic waste treatment facilities
and divert biowaste from landfills such as: government funding and subsidies to private and
local authorities; green funding through the Development Bank of South Africa; use of carbon credits
and CDM projects; use of standards to check compliance for waste management businesses; a gradual
ban of organic waste from landfills; and public awareness and education campaigns and programmes
to assist citizens with source separation, home or communal composting and reuse.
Resultados y repercusiones It is also worth noticing that there are already some pioneering projects related to the reduction of
organic waste going to landfill. One of them is the Reliance compost project in Cape Town. About
800 tons of organic waste are daily collected, chipped and composted. This project has been developed
and up-scaled already five years ago together with the consulting firm Soil & More International
from the Netherlands who also helped the Reliance project to generate carbon credits, verified
through TÜV-Nord from Germany, an accredited UNFCCC certification body.