ReSource+May2013+LowRes

ISSN

168

0-49

02 R

40.0

0 (in

cl V

AT)

• V

ol 1

5, N

o 2,

May

201

3

Promoting integrated resources management

Adaptable reliability

Solid WasteeThekwini: modernised & mechanised

LandfillsSwaziland’s solid

waste management facelift

Cape TownConsidering Considering urban home urban home compostingcomposting

RecyclingBeverage Beverage

bottle recycling bottle recycling grows 18%grows 18%

The offi cial journal of the Institute of Waste Management of Southern Africa

Expert Opinion

is printed on 100% recycled paper

“Our role is to prove that technologies can be rolled out and commercialised using the intellectual capacity within the university.” Mansoor Mollagee, Director of the Process Energy and Environmental Technology Station (PEETS), University of Johannesburg

Institute ofWaste Managementof Southern Africa

660-

48080

-4

E

SSIISSN

1NN

1

Reduce your CO² footprint. Through our experience and knowledge we can help your company reduce the CO² impact on the environment and be in compliance with Environmental Act of 2012. Through our 18 years of experience, we have developed strategic partnerships revolving around corporate social investment in environmental sustainability. For more information on purchasing and installing bins, contact us on (011) 466 2939 or visit www.collectacan.co.za. Recycle cans today. Sustain tomorrow.

Cover StoryMercedes-Benz Atego

Adaptable reliability 6

RegularsPresident’s comment 3

Editor’s comment 5

IWMSA News 56

Hot seatPEETS, University of Johannesburg 8

Solid wasteSolid waste management practices

in Western Africa 10

Cape Town:

Considering composting 14

Ekurhuleni moves towards

strategic waste management 16

eThekweni: Modern and mechanised

waste transfer station 18

Waste to energyIncineration: a changing landscape 22

contentswww.3smedia.co.za ISSN 1680-4902, Volume 15, Number 2, May 2013

The RéSource team stands firmly behind environmental preservation. As such, RéSource magazine is printed on 100% recycled paper and uses no dyes or varnishes. The magazine is saddle-stitched to ensure that no glues are required in the binding process.

RéSource May 2013 – 1

in association with }

infrastructure news infrastructure4 www.infrastructurene.ws

10 Waste management

41 Medical waste

46 Wastewater

34 Recycling

RéSource offers advertisers an ideal platform to ensure maximum exposure of their brand. Companies are afforded the opportunity of publishing a cover story and a cover picture to promote their products and services to an appropri-ate audience. Please call Christine Pretorius on +27 (0)11 465 6273 to secure your booking. The article does not represent the views of the Institute of Waste Management of Southern Africa, or those of the publisher.

RecyclingPanel discussion: reviewing recycling• Mpact

• Pikitup 25

Plastics industry has its say 32

Beverage bottling recycling

grows 18% 34

LandfillsIntroducing Knot’s Dump 36

Air Pollution/CDMCarbon tax from 2015 39

Medical wasteA challenging context 41

Hazardous wasteKeeping ahead of SA’s wave of

hazardous waste 44

WastewaterA realistic perspective of energy

optimisation considerations: Part II 46


Cover strapPresident's comment

Patron members of the IWMSA

After much deliberation, we have de-

cided to postpone our Health Care

Waste Forum Summit this year and

integrate health-care risk waste management

(HCRW) into our WasteCon 2014 programme,

which will be taking place in Cape Town. The

decision was not an easy one, but we believe

that this alignment will yield far greater bene-

fits and exposure to all stakeholders involved

in this very important sector. If you have any

queries in this regard, please do not hesitate

to contact our head office.

In the last issue of RéSource, I provided

you with an overview of the various por tfo-

lios and the responsible council members

for these por tfolios. Your National Council

is very busy ensuring that these por tfolios

add value to you our IWMSA members. We

are making great strides in the training

programmes that are being offered by the

IWMSA and are receiving training requests

from across the country. Our accredited

training programmes are sought after by

municipalities and are an important par t

of our capacity building programme. We

are rolling out these accredited training

programmes to all our branches; you

are now also able to register online for

Looking aheadby Deidré Nxumalo-Freeman, president, IWMSA

Thank you to all our members for participating in the recent referendum pertaining

to the Quality Assurance scheme; your input is greatly appreciated. Feedback will be

provided to you in due course with regards to the direction that IWMSA will pursue.

We are engaging with additional stakeholders, including government authorities, to

establish a clear way forward.

these courses from our IWMSA website.

These training courses are facilitated by

members of the IWMSA. We are constantly

needing trained facilitators, assessors and

moderators who have the requisite waste

management experience to aide us in facil-

itating these programmes nationally. If you

have not already registered as a facilitator,

assessor or moderator on our database, I

would urge you to do so as your input into

the training programme would be highly

valued. You may contact our head office to

register on the database.

The Landfill Interest Group is hard at

work planning a very insightful Landfill

2013 at Misty Hills, Muldersdrift, Gauteng.

Similarly, the Eastern Cape branch is in

the throes of preparation for its bien-

nial Eastern Cape conference themed ’The

Eastern Cape Green Revolution’, to be held

in Port Elizabeth. Your involvement in both

these conferences by way of paper sub-

missions and/or conference attendance

is requested.

We are also pleased to advise our

members that within the past quarter we

have had formal engagements with the

Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA)

to discuss various

waste-related mat-

ters that impact

them. It was a very

fruitful meeting

and we are hop-

ing to structure

these quar terly

meetings with the

department, going

forward. The dis-

cussions helped

us gain insight

into the stances

adopted by DEA on the various agenda

items discussed and will definitely add

value in our day-to-day IWMSA business. We

would like to hear from you our members

on what issues you would like us to table in

our forthcoming meetings with the DEA – as

always your inputs are highly valued.

Keep well and WASTE not the wonder ful

RESOURCES we have at our DISPOSAL.

Yours in waste management,

Deidré Nxumalo-Freeman

IWMSA president


RéSource is endorsed by:

Publisher: Elizabeth ShortenEditor: Chantelle van Schalkwyk Tel: +27 (0)11 233 2600Head of design: Frédérick DantonSenior designer: Hayley MendelowDesigner: Kirsty GallowayChief sub-editor: Claire NozaïcSub-editor: Patience GumboProduction manager: Antois-Leigh BotmaProduction coordinator: Jacqueline ModiseFinancial manager: Andrew Lobban Marketing & online manager: Martin HillerDistribution manager: Nomsa MasinaDistribution coordinator: Asha PursothamAdministrator: Tonya HebentonPrinters: United Litho JohannesburgTel: +27 (0)11 402 0571 Advertising sales: Christine PretoriusTel: +27 (0)11 465 8255 [email protected]

Publisher: MEDIA

No.4, 5th Avenue Rivonia, 2191PO Box 92026, Norwood 2117Tel: +27 (0)11 233 2600Share Call: 086 003 3300 Fax: +27 (0)11 234 7274/5www.3smedia.co.za

Annual subscription: [email protected] (incl VAT) South Africa ISSN 1680-4902

The Institute of Waste Management of Southern AfricaTel: +27 (0)11 675 3462E-mail: [email protected]

All material herein RéSource is copyright-protected and may not be reproduced either in whole or in part without the prior written permission of the publisher. The views and opinions ex-pressed in the magazine do not necessarily reflect those of the publisher or editor, but those of the author or other contributors under whose name contributions may appear, unless a con-tributor expresses a viewpoint or opinion in his or her capacity as an elected office bearer of a company, group or association.

© Copyright 2013. All rights reserved.

The focus is increasingly moving from merely discussing incineration to considering waste-to-energy as a more appropriate focus

Editor’s comment

A fresh resourceA

new beginning is always daunting –

even more so when it is as the new

editor of an already established ti-

tle like RéSource. However, with the sup-

port of the Institute of Waste Management

of Southern Africa (IWMSA), through some

intensive days of training over February

this year as an attendee of the Waste

Management Training Programme, I think

I am finally coming to grips with an indus-

try that is both all-encompassing and has

the power to affect almost every aspect

of one’s life.

The training covered a number of inter-

esting topics and challenges that are

also – believe it or not – reflected in the

pages of this edition of the magazine.

These include the challenging context

relating to compliance and enforcement

with regards to medical waste, as high-

lighted in an interview with IWMSA past

president Stan Jewaskiewitz on page

41; the significant investment in train-

ing and capacity building required to

keep ahead of South Africa’s “wave of

hazardous waste”

as discussed by

SRK Consulting’s

Phillipa Emanuel on

page 44; and the

current waste man-

agement context

in the municipal

sphere, specifically

through highlighting three key projects

in three of the country’s metros – Cape

Town on page 14, Ekurhuleni page 16

and eThekwini on page 18.

In addition, the panel discussion

deals with a highly topical subject at

the moment that is garnering a lot of

attention both in the public and private

spheres – recycling. The idea of a panel

discussion is also relatively new in the

RéSource portfolio and, as such, the

support of the panel discussion col-

laborators – Mpact and Pikitup – is much

appreciated. We look forward to this fea-

ture continuing to grow in the magazine

in coming editions.

In an interview with Golder Associate’s

Natalie Kohler on page 22, I also high-

light that change is not only happening

at the 3S Media offices as I take over as

editor of RéSource, but also in the indus-

try at large as the focus is increasingly

moving from merely discussing incinera-

tion to considering waste-to-energy as a

more appropriate focus, partly because

of the negative connotations associated

with the word

incineration and

par tly because

waste-to-energy is

more progressive

and in line with

where, according

to Kohler, indus-

try is heading.

It is industry opinion leaders such as

these that I believe should be reflected

in the pages of the magazine, along

with the latest innovations, intellectual

findings and technologies that have the

capacity to add economic and envi-

ronmental value to the current South

African waste landscape, both further

adding to the larger discussion on the

topics and offering sustainable alter-

natives to current contexts. As such,

collaborations and contributions are

always welcome. Any suggestions, sub-

missions or enquiries can be directed

to me at [email protected]. As

a newcomer to the industry, I look

forward to your valued input over the

coming editions.

Chantelle van Schalkwyk

6 – RéSource May 2013

The fuel-efficient and reliable Euro 3

compliant engines in the Atego range

are particularly designed for economi-

cal operation. Whatever is to be transported,

each detail of the Atego is designed to cope

with the demands of light-duty short-radius

distribution. The Mercedes-Benz Atego is also

finding huge favour in niche conversions like

fire engine and emergency support, as well

Reliability, safety and environmental awareness, with excellent driving comfort, are but

a few of the qualities that set the Mercedes-Benz Atego apart.

MERCEDES-BENZ ATEGO

Adaptable reliability

as specialised equipment vehicles such as

the waste collection vehicles favoured in most

waste management applications .

As the Atego frame was specially designed

with the demands of short-radius operation

in mind, a special feature insuring this is its

two-piece design. The front section compris-

es two downward-sloping longitudinal mem-

bers with Z-profile, which enables the front

part to be lowered, resulting in a lower entry

level for driver and passenger convenience.

The vehicle offers two cabs for a wide

range of applications. The short cab is ideal

for short-radius operations and the long cab

with crew seat/bunk combination is best for

short- to medium-radius operation.

Christo Kleynhans, Mercedes-Benz Trucks

product manager, says: “Featuring relia-

ble, high-torque 4- and 6-cylinder engines

as well as gearshift systems, transmis-

sions and axles aligned with each appli-

cation, the Mercedes-Benz Atego delivers

supreme performance.

Three high-per formance, weight-opti-

mised and perfectly configured 6-speed

Cover story

The low-noise, low-maintenance drive axles have a positive effect on

fuel consumption

ABOVE AND BELOW The Atego is designed to cope with the demands of light-duty short-radius distribution, while ensuring driver comfort

transmission sys-

tems (optionally

available with the

Telligent auto-

mated gearshift)

enable engine

power to be trans-

ferred to the road

with minimal loss

due to friction,

adds Kleynhans.

The low-noise,

low-maintenance

drive axles have a

positive effect on

fuel consumption. Boasting a large num-

ber of different ratios, they deliver opti-

mum drive configurations to handle virtually

all applications.

The Atego chassis offers optimum protec-

tion against rust as a result of the cathodic

dip priming. Due to the 50 mm hole pattern,

no further drilling is necessary when mount-

ing any attachments and other units, such

as tanks, exhaust systems and batteries.

Bodies can therefore be pre-assembled and

mounted, efficiently reducing processing

time at the bodybuilder.

Kleynhans adds: “The Atego is arguably

the benchmark in its market segment and

offers unsurpassable performance, safety

and uptime among other things. Total cost

of ownership along with the support from

Mercedes-Benz South Africa’s value chain

offerings makes a strong business case for

the Mercedes-Benz Atego.”

Shift in focus“While we believe that there will be a shift in

the mode of transport as government imple-

ments the aggressive and ambitious expan-

sion of the rail network, we also believe that

the demand for more integrated transport

solutions will remain and increase,” con-

cludes Kleynhans.


The biggest tyre grab crane in SAMercedes-Benz South Africa (MBSA) has handed over a fleet of three Mercedes-Benz Actros 4144K/51 trucks with a unique heavy-duty tyre crane to Beltread Tyres. Mounted on the Actros, it is the largest and most sophisticated tyre handler currently in operation in the country. The iconic tyre grab was achieved by adapting the Stellar TM16160 Tyre Manipulator to suit the HMF 6020-K1-RC truck-mounted crane. The tyre handler was designed to fit onto a Mercedes-Benz Actros 4144 (8x4) with custom wheelbase and body crafted to the last centimetre to meet the spec from Beltread Tyres. Peter Toweel, managing member of the company, says: “The Mercedes-Benz Actros 4144 is a comprehensible choice for our requirements because it is power ful and reliable. The reliability of the Mercedes-Benz brand, as well as the support from the dealership and head office, is an added bonus to us.”Craig Rogers, sales manager of Crane & Forestry Equipment, says: “Custom-built tyre handlers have to conform to local and international mining safety standards. In the end, we had a phenomenal vehicle and are proud to have been part of this journey.”The vehicle allows for faster ear thmoving machinery, such as those necessitated on landfill and waste management sites, than the conventional method, with unsurpassable safety standards. The Stellar TM16160 Tyre Manipulator is capable of handling up to 63 inches of the largest ear thmoving tyre in Africa and has as safe working load of 7 500 kg.Mounted on the truck is an SHD-245 American Eagle air compressor – an industrial four-cylinder, two-stage unit that is powered by a hydraulic motor that

puts out 110 cfm at 175 psi. The crane is equipped as standard with continuous rotation, while the Danfoss PVG32 high-precision proportional valve bank offers smooth, multifunction operation.A feature that increases operator safety and efficiency of the crane operation is a Scanreco radio remote control that offers live feedback on crane speed and load percentage.The crane is equipped with multiple safety features for the protection of the staff and fitters working in and around the machine. The vehicle is remote-controlled so that the operator can work at a safe distance, away from possible harm, such as that posed by unstable landfill sites.

ABOVE AND BELOW (From right to left) Peter Toweel, Beltread managing member; Pieter Theron, regional sales manager (MBSA) and Dave Croxon, (sales executive Union Motors Lowveld)

TABLE 1 What is the product range?

Freight Carrier918/42

1118/48

1318/48

1323/48

1518/54

1523/54

1528/54

Tipper1518K/33

All wheel drive1118AF/39

1428AF/39

Cover story

Hot seat

The core business of the Process, Energy

and Environmental Technology Station

(PEETS), according to Mollagee, is in

the energy (focusing on renewables and en-

ergy efficiency) and environmental spheres (fo-

cusing on water, air and solid waste), with the

emphasis on waste-to-energy. “Our role is to

prove that technologies can be rolled out and

commer c ia l i sed

using the intellec-

tual capacity within

the university.”

Essentially, says Mollagee, PEETS moves

from the premise that the UJ's faculty of

Engineering and the Built Environment has a

7 000-strong student base, a considerable

postgraduate pipeline at master's and PhD

level and approximately 200 academics at its

disposal. These intellectual “resources” are

in addition to the over 1 000 trainees

eligible for internship in the technology

and training programme that are “being

churned out” every year across 10 to

12 different disciplines. “Harnessing

human capacity in a contextual man-

ner is really where a lot of the problem

originates because there is traditionally

a big chasm between universities and

industry – and that is where we envi-

sion our role,” says Mollagee, adding

that the issue is not skills but rather

the relevance of those skills to the

local markets and challenges.

“It is purely the idea of harnessing

the human capital within a real time,

real world context and then focusing

it on the problem at hand in order to

galvanise the role players towards a sustain-

able solution.”

Contextual analysis:1. AirThe focus in this context for the unit is on

investigating emissions from industrial activ-

ity in the engineering and mining sectors, pri-

marily. “There is appropriate legislation that

was recently modified, e.g. the Air Quality

Act, so our idea is to iron out the kinks that

prevent companies from complying with the

law,” he states.

Mollagee believes that the current “car-

rot and stick” approach is not necessarily

always the most beneficial approach and

is actually having a negative effect on the

growth of SMMEs in the sector. In addition,

the capacity to enforce this approach is


PEETS, UNIVERSITY OF JOHANNESBURG

Resourceful innovationA newly created unit, within the broader University of Johannesburg context, is focusing

on developing intellectual, technological and well-defi ned practical solutions for the

multitude of energy and environmental challenges within the South African milieu,

director of technology station Mansoor Mollagee tells Chantelle van Schalkwyk.

also lacking. “The main challenge therefore

comes down to technical competence and

the ability to implement lasting and sustain-

able solutions while bringing companies

closer to compliance with the law.”

On a project by project basis, the unit

assesses a particular operation, specifically

evaluating the extent to which the operation

contributes towards harmful emissions and

technological interventions to mitigate this.

“In this arena, we work with

all tiers of government, whether

national, provincial or local, to

make these interventions rel-

evant and help realise already

established targets.”

2. Water and wastewaterThe primary challenge in the context of

drinking water is the optimal utilisation of

the resource currently available to us as a

country. “We are losing water at the rate of

billions of litres per annum that are unac-

counted for,” continues Mollagee.

As such, the focus is on the capacity of

the coalface of service delivery – municipal

It is purely the idea of harnessing the human capital within a real time, real world context.” Mansoor Mollagee, Director of PEETS


officials. “We are looking at interventions

and specifically setting up facilities that

can train municipal officials in the already

prevalent and apparent challenges, like leak-

age detection, how to do a water audit and

so forth,” explains Mollagee, adding that he

believes it is pivotal that this problem be

addressed on a micro pilot scale, municipal-

ity by municipality. The intervention will start

in Limpopo and Gauteng jointly, before being

rolled out on a larger scale.

PEETS has, however, taken a different

approach to addressing the challenges faced

in the wastewater context. “We are sitting

with more than 800 water treatment plants,

of which at least 400

are operating at criti-

cal levels in the last

Green Drop report.

We require more

than R500 billion to

upgrade and main-

tain existing infra-

structure and build

new treatment plants

because it has gone

into a state of disrepair. But blame is not the

issue – we as PEETS are interested in how

we are going to solve the problem sustain-

ably,” he says.

Regionally, PEETS has started by focusing

its proposed interventions on KwaZulu-Natal.

“We are looking at creating strategic partner-

ships with international investors where they

will come and build the plant at no cost to the

municipality, recovering their cost per kilolitre

through water purchase agreements with the

municipalities, over sustained periods of

time,” states Mollagee. Obviously, challeng-

es arise around governance and municipal

finance management, but these can, to a

large degree, be solved through establishing

sound public-private partnerships (PPPs). “I

think the solution lies in forming solid PPPs

driven by technically competent entities, be it

us or similar role players, so that the related

politics is sidelined,” he continues.

A further wastewater focus – and a major

driver in the unit – is the waste-to-energy

aspect. The unit is engaging Johannesburg

Water on a project that assesses the use of

the sewage’s low-grade methane emissions

to generate electricity, wastewater treatment

plant by wastewater treatment plant.

“These interventions are about rolling out

implementable, bankable, scalable pilot

projects that feed into government’s drive

for increasing human capacity develop-

ment, technology transfer and job creation,”

says Mollagee.

3. Solid wasteAccording to

Mollagee, the con-

text locally with

regards to solid

waste and the

related legislation is

good; the ideal of a

zero-waste-to-landfill

is fully realisable. “It

is possible to move to a zero waste–to-land-

fill reality not only on a policy level, but on a

realised implementation level; however, the

issue is cascading this idea and its related

implications down to a micro-level within

communities and municipalities.”

The technology to make this a reality, how-

ever, is proven and readily available – as is

the case specifically with waste to energy,

which is where the unit is specifically focus-

ing its efforts in this sphere. “The problem

with waste to energy, particularly locally,

is the cost of rolling out the technology.

Our approach as PEETS is going to be very

different, looking at localising the technol-

ogy so that it becomes affordable within the

South African context.”

Proven processesPEETS, however, is not about merely provid-

ing intellectually driven solutions – it is more

than willing to practise what it preaches.

A good example of this is the implementa-

tion of the abovementioned technologies on

the Doornfontein Campus in Johannesburg,

where the unit is based.

Part of the project includes a 1 MW (gen-

eration capacity) photovoltaic installation of

a few thousand solar panels on all of the

campus’s rooftops to mitigate the current

consumption and move off-grid. “The idea

is to reduce our dependence on the city

power grid, and if this proves to be success-

ful, it will be the largest mass-scale roof-

top photovoltaic installation in the country,”

continues Mollagee.

Once the solar installation is complete, the

unit will move on to processing all waste gen-

erated on-site and piloting waste-to-energy

technologies, as well as assessing the effi-

cacy of harvesting its own water and digest-

ing the campus’ own sewage. “I think within

three to five years we will have achieved all

this and it will stand as proof that similar

integrated energy pilots can be implemented

on a micro-scale in South Africa and become

a major contributor towards job creation,”

concludes Mollagee.

PEETS: WHAT IS ON OFFER?

THE PRIMARY MANDATE of PEETS is to foment technology transfer and human capacity development in the energy and environment realm for the socio-economic benefit of all South Africans. “We support youth who demonstrate innovation, government entities that need refinement of their systems to achieve greater capacity to deliver or private companies that need assistance in addressing their energy needs or environmental problems,” says Mollagee.

The unit’s products and services include:• testing• analysis services• manufacturing/prototyping/ up-scaling• consultation/technology audit• product and process development• project-applied engineering, design and

development• project research and development• technology demonstration• training and development.

Hot seat

These interventions are about rolling out implementable, bankable, scalable pilot projects that feed into government’s drive for increasing human capacity development

ABOVE PEETS exhibition stand at the Energy Indaba, Sandton Convention Centre which was held from 19 to 21 February.OPPOSITE Qedani Mahlangu Gauteng Department of Infrastructure Development at the exhibition opening


Solid waste

PART IV OF IV

Solid waste management practices in Western AfricaIn Western Africa, the rapid rate of uncontrolled and unplanned urbanisation coupled

with a high density of urban settlement and changing consumption patterns, have

accelerated the need for water supply, sanitation and waste management infrastructure –

often resulting in no proper separation of the different health care waste as well.

This is the fourth and final instalment

of a paper investigating waste manage-

ment and its challenges in the west of

the African continent and deals specifically

with the handling of health-care waste in the

region as well as the final conclusions.

Health-care wasteOften, no proper separation of the differ-

ent types of health-care waste takes place,

resulting in it getting mixed with household

waste. Very few institutions separate their

waste – predominantly large hospitals in

major cities. They separate sharp waste;

infectious, but not sharp waste; and ana-

tomical waste; sometimes using a colour

code system. In the healthcare institu-

tions, waste is most often not transported

adequately (containers without wheels, etc).

Infectious waste is sometimes treated

with bleach, sterilised in autoclaves or

incinerated. But most health-care facilities

do not have access to such treatment

facilities and, if they exist, they are often

dysfunctional (open-air incinerators) or out

of operation. The most modern incinerators

in Senegal are to be found in the principal

hospital – the Dantec Hospital – and in the

Pasteur Institute. Ash is put together with

household waste and brought to the dump-

ing sites. Anatomic waste such as placentas

is often delivered to the belonging families

for burial.

Besides the few treatment options, most

of the health-care waste transportation is

subcontracted to the same companies that

transport municipal solid waste (MSW).

Consequently, it ends up at official or

informal dumpsites together with the MSW

without any prior treatment, except in Lagos

where the waste is shredded and the

original volume is reduced by 80%. The

shredded waste is heated at temperature of

135°C and 4 bar pressure. The final prod-

ucts are then disposed of with other general

waste (LAWMA, 2008).

Some structures, such as the University

Hospital of Yopougon (Ivory Coast) have

their own dumpsite for the reception of

wastes of all types.

A factory in Port Harcourt, River State

(Nigeria), called BOSKEL Thermal Factory

incinerates expired pharmaceutical products

and antiretroviral drugs in a high temperature

rotary kiln incineration (Iyortim et al., 2011).

ConclusionsMSW is composed of recyclable materials

such as organic matter, plastic, paper, card-

board, metal, glass and textiles, but also

toxic materials such as car batteries, dry

batteries from electronic devices, electron-

ic components, pharmaceutical products

and agrochemicals. In Ivory Coast, Ghana,


Solid waste

Mills & Otten ccEnvironmental Consultants

1998/46338/23 Johannesburg Cape TownTel: (011) 486 0062 Tel: (021) 671 7107 Fax: (086) 554 6573 Fax: (021) 671 7107 Contact: Charles Mills / Kirstin Otten Contact: Stephanie de Beer

Independent Environmental Consultants specialising in:

Environmental Impact Assessments Environmental Management Systems Environmental Audits

Contaminated Land Assessment Environmental Management Plans Waste and Air Emission License Application

[email protected]

Nigeria and Senegal, sorting at household

level is conducted by informal waste buyers

who collect valuable fractions directly from

households, small businesses, etc. The

rest is disposed of as mixed waste. The

formal collection theoretically is well organ-

ised and includes both door-to-door collec-

tion and communal collection from central

points. It is normally carried out by private

waste service providers contracted by local

authorities. In practice, however, the formal

collection reveals some difficulties due to

service providers that do not attend to their

duties, inefficiency of operations, bad road

and weather conditions, old vehicles, etc.

Sorting and recycling of MSW fractions in

significant quantities only exists in urban

areas. Most of the sorting activities take

place in the informal sector that is concen-

trated on the solid waste dumpsites or on

specialised scrapyards. Formal recycling

comprises metal scrap

recycling, plastic recy-

cling, paper and card-

board recycling, as well

as recycling of organic

waste. The formal recy-

clers often receive their

material from the infor-

mal sector. Although

sorting and recycling

activities are only driven

by economic interests,

they still contribute to

generating secondary

resources and therefore

conserve primary (natu-

ral) resources. However,

not much attention is

paid to negative envi-

ronmental impacts dur-

ing sorting and recycling

processes, and informa-

tion on recycling tech-

nologies, environmental

impacts, etc., is rather

scarce. MSW is finally

disposed of mainly in

official dumpsites, but

also in irregular or ille-

gal dumps. None of the

ABOVE Plastic waste sorting at dumpsite, SenegalSource: IAGU 2006

ABOVE RIGHT Plastic waste sorting, GhanaSource: www.trashybags.org 2012

RIGHT Infectious waste bin in a health-care facility in Lagos, NigeriaSource: Oketola et al., 2011

BOTTOM RIGHT A locally built incinerator at a health-care facility, Ibadan, NigeriaSource: Oketola et al., 2011


official dumpsites feature leakage water or

gas control; leakage water often reaches the

closest river or lake. In none of the target

countries does a sanitary landfill exist where

MSW could be disposed of appropriately,

although in some countries such landfills

are planned. Instead of dumping MSW, it is

a very common practice for households to

burn paper and plastic components of their

waste. Also, at irregular and official dump-

sites, waste is often burnt in order to reduce

the volumes. Burning of waste, especially

plastics, can lead to significant air pollution

with dioxins and furans.

Plastic waste, which accounts for around

15 to 20% of municipal waste in the four

countries, is rarely sorted at source but dis-

posed of together with the remaining waste

fractions. Separate collection is carried out

by informal collectors that sort, reuse and

recycle plastics themselves or work together

with a formal plastic recycler. Both formal

and informal plastic recycling exists that

include sorting, shredding, washing, drying

and extruding in order to produce pellets

or flakes. There is little documentation

on recycling processes and its resulting

environmental impacts. There are plans to

intensify sorting and recycling of plastics in

some cities.

Waste electric and electronic equipment

(WEEE) or e-waste originates mainly from

households, corporate businesses, public

institutions and repair businesses. There

is no formal collection of e-waste, but due

to its valuable content (iron, aluminum,

copper etc.), it is often bought or collected

by informal e-waste collectors who go from

door to door but also sift through waste

bins, visit landfills and other waste dumping

grounds to search for e-waste. The quantity

of e-waste is difficult to determine due to

different product scope of existing studies.

Ghana and Nigeria, which have received

large quantities of second-hand equipment

in the past years, have showed a signifi-

cantly higher e-waste generation than Ivory

Coast and Senegal.

Obsolete electric and electronic equipment

is often refurbished or repaired before it is

disposed of. These activities in general do

not lead to negative environmental impacts

but contribute to the extension of the lifetime

of equipment and

therefore a reduction

of WEEE generated.

Recycling of e-waste

mainly takes place at

informal scrapyards

where devices are

manually dismantled

and valuable sub-

stances are extract-

ed, sorted and then

sold to local smelters

or exporters. Copper

cables are often burnt

to remove the plastic

casings. ‘Non profit-

able’ fractions such

as plastic casings

are not recovered

and usually dumped and eventually burnt in

order to reduce the volumes of the dump-

sites. Besides valuable substances, e-waste

also contains many toxic substances (lead,

cadmium, mercury, plastics with brominated

flame retardants) that are released during

the dismantling and burning process and

lead to serious environmental impacts.

Final disposal of e-waste fractions often

takes place on irregular or illegal dump-

sites next to the scrapyards. There are no

ABOVE In Senegal, the average waste generation for municipal waste is 0.60 kg/day per inhabitant for cities with more than 100 000 inhabitantsBELOW The public administration and the private sector are challenged in developing adequate waste management policies

Solid waste


Solid waste

Integrated Waste Management PlansWaste Disposal StrategiesIdentification and permitting of landfill sitesDesign of General and Hazardous Waste sitesDesign of Solid Waste Transfer StationsDesign of Material Recovery FacilitiesOptimisation of Waste Collection SystemsAuditing of Waste Management FacilitiesDevelopment of Operational PlansClosure and Rehabilitation of LandfillsQuality Assurance on Synthetic LinersWaste Recycling Plans

Specialist Waste Management ConsultantsSustainable and appropriate engineering solutions with integrity and professionalism.

Jan Palm Consulting EngineersTel +27 21 982 6570 / Fax +27 21 981 0868 / E-mail [email protected] / www.jpce.co.za

Gansbaai Recycling Centre

Velddrif Transfer Station

Botrivier Drop-off

Hermanus Materials Recovery Facility

Vissershok Waste Management Facility

Stanford Drop-off

appropriate disposal options for hazardous

substances resulting from e-waste recycling

in the target countries.

Health care waste constitutes a problem

in all four target countries. Most often, no

proper segregation of health-care waste

takes place and it is often mixed with house-

hold waste. Very few facilities segregate

their waste, mostly large hospitals in major

cities. But most health-care facilities do not

have access to treatment facilities and, if

they exist, they are often dysfunctional or

out of operation. Besides the few treatment

options, most of the health care waste ends

up at official or informal dumpsites together

with the municipal waste.

In conclusion, solid waste management

practices in Western Africa are characterised

by a high participation of informal actors,

remarkably frequent reuse, sorting and recy-

cling practices (which is particularly remarka-

ble given the absence of support from public

bodies to these actors), but

also by persistent inappro-

priate practices such as

open-air dumping and burn-

ing of all types of waste

including hazardous waste. A

sustainable solution to these

challenges could consist in

measures for the social and

economic inclusion of the

informal sector (for collec-

tion, reuse, separation and

recycling) and for the industrialisation of dis-

posal practices, especially sanitary landfills

and treatment plants for hazardous waste.

This is an abridged version on the project of

Integrated Waste Management in Western

Africa. The duration of the project, funded

by the EU within the Seventh Framework

Programme, was two years and the results

of the research were submitted during May

2012. For information on the complete

paper, including references, please contact

the editor at [email protected]

ABOVE LEFT E-waste refurbishing, NigeriaSource: Empa 2009

ABOVE RIGHT E-waste recycling, GhanaSource: Green Advocacy Ghana 2010

Solid waste

This is in line with ongoing investigations

into waste minimisation as part of our

commitment to being a caring city,” says

Ernest Sonnenberg, mayoral committee mem-

ber for Utility Services.

The “caring city” represents one of the

five pillars of the Integrated Development

Plan (IDP). The IDP is a strategy that was

implemented in 2012 to provide the strategic

framework for building a city based on five

pillars: the opportunity city, the safe city, the

caring city, the inclusive city and the well-run

city. These five key focus areas inform gov-

ernment of all of the city’s plans and policies

over the next five years.

Critical impactIf residents in the City of Cape Town com-

post their organic waste, this will effectively

minimise garden and kitchen organic waste

directed to the city’s landfills for disposal,

subsequen t l y

reducing green-

house gases,

such as meth-

ane, which these waste streams currently

generate in the landfill, says Sonnenberg. He

adds that for the individual residents the use

of their organic compost in their gardens will

enrich the garden soils, thereby stimulating

plants grown.

The City of Cape Town has invested a lot of

time and effort into this project and similar

alternatives because, as Sonnenberg states,

the city currently has less than 10 years of

landfill airspace remaining, compared with

the international standard of 15 years, and

has been in the process of obtaining a

licence for a new regional landfill site for over

10 years.

Phase 1: pre-feasibilityPhase 1 of the project (the pre-feasibility

study) was undertaken during 2012, where

19 participants trialled the use of home com-

posting containers for their kitchen organic

and a portion of their garden waste, over a

period of nine months. The city then ana-

lysed the data submitted by participants

and, according to Sonnenberg, found that

participants diverted between 2.5 and 40 kg

of kitchen organic waste (originating from

fruit and vegetables) per container per month

into their home composting containers, with

the majority of them diverting between 11 to

22 kg per container per month.

“Participants also diverted an average of

1.8 kg of soft garden waste (such as grass

clippings and leaves) per container per month

into their home composting containers.”

“These results are promising, and Phase 2

of the research project (the feasibility study)

has been commissioned to test the results

of Phase 1 on a significantly larger scale,

with approximately 700 participants from four

different representative residential areas in

Cape Town. In addition, households in the

city are generally being encouraged to begin

composting their garden and kitchen organic

waste in an appropriate manner,” states

Sonnenberg, adding that the City of Cape

Town hopes to record similar diversion rates

to that of Phase 1, which could be reason to

motivate for further roll-out of home compost-

ing in the city in an appropriate manner.

The impact of Phase 1 has already deliv-

ered measurable results. “During the

Phase 1 reporting period, over 1 000 kg of

kitchen organic waste and 250 kg of garden

waste was recorded as being

composted by participants who

submitted comprehensive data,”

explains Sonnenberg.

Although additional partici-

pants did not record data for all

the months they participated,

all 19 participants used their

containers for composting, indicating that

this figure is an underestimate of the actual

kilogrammes composted to date.

Furthermore, the participants have contin-

ued to use their composting containers after

CAPE TOWN


“

The City of Cape Town has, as of the fi rst

quarter of this year, started rolling out Phase 2

of its home composting research project, fi nds

Chantelle van Schalkwyk.

Considering composting

These results are promising, and Phase 2 of the research project has been commissioned to test the results of Phase 1 on a significantly larger scale” Cllr Ernest Sonnenberg, City of Cape Town


Solid waste

the project reporting period, therefore con-

tinuing to divert organic waste from landfills.

Education essentialSonnenberg explains that in the city’s recruit-

ment process, consultants went door to

door in the project areas to invite willing par-

ticipants. This engagement process included

information sharing about the project and its

expectations. On receiving their composting

container, each participant received an infor-

mation leaflet that explained every aspect of

the composting project.

“Following this period, residents have been

e-mailing and SMSing questions specific

to their individual challenges to the project

team. Responding to these queries has given

the project manager an opportunity to share

additional knowledge with all participants,”

says Sonnenberg.

Practical priorities: containersWith regard to the system to be utilised by

the homeowners, Sonnenberg indicates that

the City of Cape Town advertised a request

for quotations for home composting contain-

ers for the purposes of this project, which

was won by the Green Genie 150 ℓ compost

container supplier.

“However, generally for home composting,

this is not the only technology which the city

supports, and it is essentially the residents’

choice in terms of the technology they wish

to use. For residents who generate higher

volumes of organic waste, building a com-

post heap or carrying out trench composting

is advised, and for those without gardens,

a worm composting system is suggested,”

says Sonnenberg.

He adds that the use of bokashi effective

microbes can also assist in the preservation

of organic waste prior to composting.

Challenging circumstancesPhase 2 of the project is currently being

undertaken to identify some of the potential

challenges and potential solutions. “In any

city, there would always be certain residents

who would either be disinterested or unable,

due to age or frailty, to participate in home

composting. For those unable to participate

in home composting, the city is hoping to

investigate alternatives, such as community-

based composting programmes, which could

receive organic waste from these residents,”

says Sonnenberg.

However, challenges such as some partici-

pants being unable to read the city’s commu-

nications and composting instructions have

already surfaced and the city is finding ways

of dealing with them. “The city encourages

such participants to get a family member to

assist and keep in telephone contact, where

possible,” advices Sonnenberg.

In addition, there were participants who

did not read the instructions sufficiently, and

sent the project team the information in the

incorrect format. This was resolved by further

e-mail, SMS or phone communication to rec-

tify and explain these mistakes.

“Some confusion was also caused by

the fact that the container was originally

sold with an insect repellent cap, which

was later found by the supplier to be coun-

ter-productive. As such, the participants

enquired about an insect repellent that

could kill insects in the containers, such as

fruit flies, and the project team needed to

explain that these insects are not harmful,

whereas an insect repellent could potentially

negatively impact on other living organisms

within the delicate composting process,”

explains Sonnenberg.

According to Sonnenberg, residents were

eager to participate in this project. “It must

be noted that certain participants underesti-

mated the effort and commitment required

by the project, so their enthusiasm waned

slightly after participating for a while, but

it is hoped that when they experience the

benefits of utilising the compost, their

enthusiasm will once again increase,” con-

cludes Sonnenberg.

Solid waste

EKURHULENI

Move towards strategic management of wasteThe provision of effi cient refuse removal services in Ekurhuleni is top priority for the

head of the Department for Waste Management Services at the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan

Municipality, Qaphile Gcwensa.

The metro has been criticised for incon-

sistent service standards, lack of exper-

tise to drive innovation, and a difficult

to understand and unreliable refuse collection

system. Gcwensa, who has been at the helm

of the department for a year now, has been

working hard at a business reengineering pro-

cess set to transform the department’s op-

erations, systems,

models and legisla-

tive compliance.

“One of the key

areas of this pro-

cess is our opera-

tions,” she high-

lights. “We are

looking into the way

in which we render

our services, the

balancing of our routes, the number of shifts,

the distribution and utilisation of equipment

and vehicles, and also considering the effec-

tiveness of our move-on system of refuse

collection versus the fixed system.”

Residents of Germiston and Bedfordview

have already begun to experience the

effects of this focus on streamlining

operations. In January, the Bedfordview

waste management depot started render-

ing comprehensive services to the areas

of Primrose, Elandsfontein, Klopperpark,

Malvern East and Wychwood instead of only

litter picking. These areas were previously

serviced by the Germiston depot, based on

an informal agreement, and this led to an

unreliable service.

The re-engineering process is putting a

spotlight into such matters, which were pre-

viously overlooked and in turn had a nega-

tive effect on service delivery.

Bins and trucks Another element is the phased roll-out of

240-litre bins to all households in the metro.

These bins are currently being used in the

Edenvale, Bedfordview, Alberton, Tembisa,

Nigel and Duduza customer care areas

and the metro aims to extend these ser-

vices. To complement this move, R69 mil-

lion is budgeted in this financial year for

the procurement of refuse removal vehicles

to ensure consistent and reliable waste

collection services.

“We are currently replacing our old trucks,

but from next year we will be buying to aug-

ment our fleet. We should, however, bear in

mind that although we have budgeted for the

procurement of new vehicles this financial

year, the business re-engineering process

will inform the distribution of said vehicles to

improve operational efficiencies.”

Waste removal calendarEkurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality cur-

rently operates on a “move-on” system for

refuse collection whereby a refuse removal

schedule is distributed to households annu-

ally. This colour-coded schedule indicates

which day refuse will be collected in a

given week. Consultation with residents has

shown that many people do not fully under-

stand the system, especially when collection

days change due to public holidays.

It can happen that some areas are not ser-

viced for up to two weeks in a month where

there are a lot of public holidays. The metro

is thus in the process of converting into a

fixed system to avoid such occurrences and

reduce the amount of illegal dumping caused

by the misinterpretation of the calendar.

Waste removal cooperativesIn September last year, executive mayor

Mondli Gungubele announced the introduction

of cooperatives to render removal services

in informal settlements that currently do not

receive these services. The department is at

the final stages of phase one of this process.

LEFT Qaphile Gcwensa, head of Department for Waste Management Services, is focusing on getting the wheels running right to improve service deliveryBELOW Waste collection in Ekurhuleni is set to be quicker and more efficient once 240 ℓ bins are rolled out throughout the metro



Solid waste

A cleaner EkurhuleniWaste minimisation and recycling are key

components of an integrated waste man-

agement system. The Waste Management

Services department is due to present this

plan, which will be a key part of a broader

Integrated Waste Management Plan, before

the end of this financial year. This plan

offers, among others things, the removal of

recyclables from the waste stream in order

to reduce waste volumes to landfill sites,

which are running out of airspace.

According to Gcwensa, the metro is

moving towards ensuring compliance with

all legislative requirements, including

OPPORTUNITIES FOR INFORMAL RECYCLERSThe Ekurhuleni Metropolitan

Municipality is forging ahead with

its mission to achieve a ‘Cleaner

and Greener Ekurhuleni’ by kick-

starting a recycling initiative in

the communities of Wattville and

Actonville in Benoni.

THE METRO RECENTLY commenced with a R4 million pilot project, which includes two recycling drop off/collection centres in those areas built by NETSAFRICA, an organisation formed from the twinning of Tuscan and South African local governments. The project involved capacitating 45 informal waste collectors who have now formed the Nkoza Environment and Cleaning Primary Cooperative. The organisation will be responsible for collecting waste in areas of Wattville and Actonville where the municipality is not already rendering this service. The waste will be sorted and sold for recycling purposes.

Over the past 18 months, partners have been setting the foundation for the pilot by conducting research and training, and constructing the necessary facilities. Now the project is to fully roll-out its operations to the community to test the effectiveness of the model that involves community-based organisations in waste collection and recycle efforts.

According to a member of the Mayoral Committee for Economic Development and City Planning, Bennett Nikani, the objectives of the project are twofold. The Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality has developed a comprehensive job creation programme that seeks to activate social entrepreneurship through the implementation of community-driven work programmes,” he said.

“Hence the partnership with NETSAFRICA, which has enabled us to spearhead and provide thought leadership in the area of waste management through the use of alternative service delivery methods. It is in this regard that the lessons that have been generated from the programme will be instrumental in shaping our thinking and approach towards community-based empowerment.”

The collection of recycling waste involves placing bins in areas where there is illegal dumping and door-to-door collection with refuse bags at households. This system seeks to allow for contact with individual residents in order to encourage them to enlist in the culture of recycling. The cooperative will make use of a truck and tricycles with a front mesh cage for the collection of recyclable waste, which they will deliver to the drop-off centres for sorting and storage until it is sold.

LANDFILL GAS WELLS EXTENSION TO IMPROVE AIR QUALITY“Due to its status as Africa’s industrial hub, the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality (EMM) is one of the country’s priority areas to improve its air quality. One of the measures that the metro is taking is the implementation of a gas extraction project at its landfi ll sites,” says acting media relations unit manager and EMM spokesperson, Sam Modiba.

THE METRO IS INSTALLING gas wells at selected waste landfill sites as an extension of its gas extraction Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) project, which aims to drastically reduce odour and improve air quality in areas surrounding these facilities.

The project commenced in 2006 and has to date implemented the system at four of its five landfills. Positive results reflecting a large drop in gas emissions from the landfills has prompted the municipality to continue with the project and extend its wellfield at the Rooikraal (Boksburg) and Weltevreden (Brakpan) sites.

Modiba has appealed to residents and business owners in close proximity to the two sites to be understanding for the next three months as the process of installation of the wells will result in odour release in the area. “This process involves digging and trenching into waste, which is already in place at the landfill and, as a result, the release of a stench. Odour control will, however, be used and will be applied directly to the waste as well as in the form of an ambient spray curtain,” he said.

The CDM project is expected to destroy approximately 1 Mt of carbon dioxide equivalent gases during a five-year period. Emission reduction is achieved by the

combustion of recovered methane contained in landfill gas that would be otherwise emitted to the atmosphere. To recover landfill gas, EMM is using vertical gas extraction wells and horizontal gas collection systems.

At this stage, the landfill gas collected through this system is being used for environmental purposes. The metro’s long-term goal is, however, to have it converted into electricity and has rekindled this process.

BELOW The gas flare station at the Simmer and Jack landfill site in Germisten into which the wells ultimately feed

measures and mechanisms aimed at mini-

mising waste. The revision of the Ekurhuleni

Metropolitan Municipality’s waste manage-

ment by-laws and introduction of norms and

standards have also been prioritised.

The picture of actual service delivery,

however, is promising as the department

reports that 91% of refuse removal rounds

were collected as per schedule in the

last quarter. Litter picking services are

rendered on a daily basis to ensure clean-

liness on main entrances, main routes,

central business districts, industrial areas,

around shopping malls and at other strate-

gic areas.


The construction of the 1 200 t/d Electron Road Waste Transfer Station by eThekwini

Municipality to serve the Durban area is almost 70% complete, Marc Wright of Durban

Solid Waste (DSW) tells Chantelle van Schalkwyk.

This new waste management facility is

set to provide the region with a modern

and mechanised means of transferring

municipal general solid wastes as efficiently

and cost-effectively as possible to the landfill

sites,” says Wright.

“Although currently the project is all about

the construction stages as it hasn’t been

commissioned yet,” he adds.

Wright states that the challenges faced

to date have therefore been construction

related, but adds that these have been few

and far between and easily remedied, such

as the use of tilt-up panel wall system.

Instead of conventional brickwork laid layer

by layer, the system is erected fully formed

on-site having been precast in proprietary

moulds. “However, it will still have the

same face brick finish,” he explains.

“Other construction frustrations causing

some delays have been early September

rains and high seasonal rainfall and mate-

rial supply delays, specifically steel for

“ the steel structure.” Construction on this

R140 million project started on 12 March

2012 and is set to continue for 78 weeks.

“Currently, the project is approximately

70% complete with commissioning pro-

jected to take place in September 2013,”

says Wright.

Distinct design Jeffares & Green, the firm of engineering

and environmental consultants responsible

for designing the facility, was appointed to

design a modern and mechanised waste

transfer station (WTS) at Electron Road in

Springfield Park, an industrial and commer-

cial area north of Durban.

The main structure, which includes a

refuse transfer station and compaction hall

among other facilities, will be built on a

site roughly 4 ha in size where waste will

be offloaded, compacted and containerised

for bulk transportation. The Electron Road

Waste Transfer Station (WTS) will comprise

a main four-storey DSW office building and

some 4 290 m² in plan, in which waste will

be offloaded into compaction units, com-

pacted into purpose-made containers for

bulk transportation and then transported to

the new Buffelsdraai landfill site.

As Wright explains, the aim of construct-

ing the facility in Springfield (Durban) is to

somewhat reduce the transport expenses

of transferring solid waste to landfills, as

landfills are increasingly sited further and

further from the point of waste generation

(households, business, commercial, indus-

trial, etc.).

At present, most of the waste in Durban

City is disposed of at the Bisasar Road

landfill site in Springfield Park, but this site

is reaching capacity. When this capacity

is reached, waste collection vehicles will

have to travel to the Buffelsdraai landfill

site approximately 33 km away – more

than double the 15 km distance that is

considered an economic travelling cost for

Solid waste

ETHEKWINI

Modern and mechanised waste transfer station


Solid waste

waste collection vehicles. These prohibitive

transport costs have made the provision of

a WTS financially prudent, particularly since

the Electron Road site is less than 1 km

from the Bisasar Road site. The reduced

transportation will also reduce fuel con-

sumption, congestion as well as wear and

tear on road systems, with an overall reduc-

tion of carbon emissions.

Upgrading of Electron Road roadway

will provide dedicated access to the site,

access roads to the various handling areas

within the site, a security building, weigh-

bridge kiosks for the monitoring and record-

ing of waste mass, wash bays for the

waste fleet and containers, a car park

and covered waiting

area at the entrance

to the facility.

The contract

involves the construc-

tion of the structures,

civil works and infra-

structure, and build-

ing-related mechani-

cal, electrical, elec-

tronic works, together with the mechanical

plant for the operation of the facility. The

works comprise, but is not limited to:

the refuse transfer station, a compaction

hall, container-handling operations, offic-

es, weighbridge infrastructure, mechanical

equipment and plant. It also contains wash

bays, security facilities, entrance building

and weighbridges.

Unique technologyThe design also includes the maximisation

of use of natural lighting and ventilation,

stormwater treatment, pollution control by

means of litter traps, silt traps and oil traps.

Specific stormwater treatment processes

were designed to control pollution and

allow discharge of an acceptable effluent

from the site. One item in the stormwater

treatment portfolio that has been carefully

designed is the bioswale, which is a careful-

ly landscaped and shaped open stormwater

system (channel) to enhance the removal of

solids, metals and the like. Another element

is the stormwater inlets designed to effec-

tively remove litter and sediment before

these reach other systems.

A unique waste management feature –

highlighted by both Jeffares & Green and

by Wright – is the compaction process

that will be used for

the first time in South

Africa. The system

– the Husmann com-

paction system – was

accepted as an alterna-

tive design proposed

by the successful bid-

der, Aveng-Grinaker LTA

Construction. Imported

from Germany, the system is patented to

use side rams, explains Wright. In this case,

dual side rams are utilised to compact

the waste and then move it into the hop-

per, therefore eliminating the sometimes

“messy” use of conveyors.

“This process is a lot cleaner, quicker,

simpler and hopefully more effective, and

is definitely new and innovative in the

landfill and waste management industry,”

says Wright.

ALL PHOTOGRAPHS Aerial photographs of the site progress as of 5 April 2013

A unique waste management feature is the compaction process that will be used for the first time in South Africa


Solid waste

Sustainable approachMariannhill Landfill

C o n s e r v a n c y

Site, just outside

Durban, is con-

sidered a best-

practice ecosystem

restoration project

and DSW will apply

the same award-

winning environ-

mental approach at

Electron Road. The

successful process

is driven by PRUNIT

(Plant Rescue and

Relocation Unit),

headed up by Richard Winn, a horticultural-

ist and rehabilitation specialist. This unit

applied the philosophy of moving plant

species once only and uses a rehabilitation

nursery as a backup when direct relocation

is not possible. The basic principles are:

• tr y and relocate species to their

original aspect

• import no foreign soils

• relocate grasslands with original topsoil

• relocate original watercourse species to

wetland nurseries for future utilisation

• create a similar habitat to what

originally occurred

• only relocate species within 50 km as per

international biodiversity protocol, prefer-

ably closer.

This ecosystem restoration project has cre-

ated a large holding nursery for storage of

indigenous vegetation that has been ‘hard-

ened-off’ to withstand rigorous conditions

with little or no maintenance. For example,

a nursery of wetland plants has been grown

for the future establishment of ‘leachate

through wetland’ processes of water back

into the environment and these plants have

been specifically hardened off for contami-

nants found in the waste industry.

Very little plant

material could be

salvaged from the

Electron Road site

and DSW, PRUNIT

and Jef fares &

Green worked closely

together to develop a

design of what could

be provided by the

holding nursery. The

engineered stormwa-

ter swales, rainwa-

ter harvesting and

stormwater ponds

have been designed

to interlink and are to

be planted with indig-

enous vegetation selected to help provide

functional solutions to issues identified

on-site.

Wait and seeWright is understandably excited about the

project as the construction stages near com-

pletion and commissioning draws closer. Cold

commissioning of the facility is scheduled to

take place in approximately June 2013.

“Everything is cleaner, simpler and hope-

fully a lot more effective; however, the proof

of this will really be evidenced when the facil-

ity is up and running,” concludes Wright.

Waste to energy


INCINERATION

A changing landscapeShould the focus rather be on waste to energy than incineration?

A lthough incineration is not synony-

mous with waste-to-energy, of late

it has become more appropriate to

replace the word

incineration with

waste-to-energy,

in par t because

of a prevalent negative connotation associ-

ated with the word, but also because waste-

to-energy is more progressive and more in

line with where the industry is heading, finds

Chantelle van Schalkwyk as she speaks

to Golder Associates Waste Management

consultant, Natalie Kohler. In essence, our

current legislation requires a waste manage-

ment and air emissions licence by an EIA in

order to undertake an incineration of waste

activity. “These are the main regulations

applying to a waste-to-energy facility; how-

ever, every facility is different depending on

the environmental landscape and, as such,

would be required to be assessed on

a specific basis in terms of what activ-

ities are triggered and authorisations

required” says Kohler.

In South Africa, medical waste

incinerators are the most common

type of incinerators, but there are

More support from funders and authorities to back such technologies for a greener future will also help us.” Natalie Kohler,

Waste Management consultant at Golder Associates

2. PC and tablets1. PRINT 3. Smartphones

Promoting integrated resources management

OilKolLook out for the frog!

Sustainability megaforces

A complex, unpredictable system

Waste streams

Population increases and high waste costs

Shale gasEnvironmental and economic

risks

AsbestosAsbestiform

and the

“There is a major paradigm shift towards providing a sustainable one-stop solution for e-waste recycling.”

Malcolm Whitehouse, sales manager at Desco Electronic Recyclers

ThuM

“Thsu

M

is printed on 100% recycled paper

PG 66PGPGG 6PG 6G 6

Email your details to [email protected] to receive a copy of

RêSource every quarter.

To receive your digital copy of RêSource every quarter go to

www.3smags.co.za

WAYS TO RECEIVE

To receive your digital copy of RêSource every quarter go to

www.3smags.co.za



TOWARDS FUTURE-PROOFING WASTE MANAGEMENT

Senior decision-makers in all government spheres, especially municipalities, in mining, oil and gas, energy, manufacturing and pharmaceutical industries, agriculture, forestry and alike.

SA waste legislationContaminated landBeneficial downstream use of waste residuesWaste-to-energy initiativesWaste management strategies in the mining, oil & gas industriesIntegrated waste management plans

SHOULD ATTEND?

FACILITATING CRITICAL THINKING

in South Africa

For more information, contact Lucinda Scholtz at +27 11 313 1151; [email protected] visit www.golder.com/waste-workshop

TWO INTERNATIONAL SPEAKERSfrom Canada and Europe

EXCITING OPPORTUNITY an

to

on latest trends in:CRIT ICAL THOUGHTSshare

who

CSIR International Convention CentreWASTE MANAGEMENT WORKSHOP 6 JUNE 2013 Pretoria

also some industrial waste incinerators

for hazardous wastes. There are currently

very few incinerators for household waste

in South Africa.

“However, the landscape for household

waste incinerators is changing in South

Africa due to the changes in how waste

is managed so as to provide more sus-

tainable solutions to dealing with waste,

par ticularly in terms of social (health, job

creation) and environmental (air quality,

greenhouse gas emissions, leachate con-

trol) advantages of incinerators compared

to landfills,” she explains.

The basicsAccording to Kohler, incineration is one

of many tools in waste management.

Established waste treatment technologies

include composting, landfill, recycling,

windrow composting and incineration,

while alternative waste treatment tech-

nologies include anaerobic digestion (AD),

gasification, pyrolysis, gasplasma, plas-

ma-arc, in-vessel

composting, tun-

nel composing,

mechanical bio-

logical treatment,

mechanical heat

treatment, sew-

age treatment

and autoclaving.

Currently, the

biggest challeng-

es for waste-to-

energy mass burn

incineration in South Africa lie in the

high capital and operat-

ing costs, and air emis-

sion control requirements,

warns Kohler. The lack

of general environmental

and waste education of

the public to dispel myths

and the negative connota-

tions of incineration also

serve as a challenge for

us to overcome. However,

public awareness about

the advantages of waste-

to-energy technologies

and the benefits of more

sustainable alternative

waste treatment technolo-

gies over the traditional

waste treatment methods

like landfilling is an easier

challenge to overcome.

According to Kohler, this

can be achieved through

education about sustain-

able and alterna-

tive waste treatment

methods. “More sup-

por t from funders and

authorities to back

such technologies for

a greener future will

also help us overcome

these challenges,”

adds Kohler.

Putting in to practiceGolder Associates

has an international team of experts in

alternative waste treatment technologies,

having worked on mixed solid waste pro-

cess technologies for the City of Toronto,

Canada; waste studies for a waste-to-ener-

gy plant for the Ministry for the Environment,

Roads and Utilities in Gibraltar; bio-digest-

er studies for Energy Allied Egypt and the

US Trade Development Agency in Egypt,

and many others. Kohler’s most recent

waste-to-energy projects in South Africa

A current challenge for waste-to-energy mass burn incineration in South Africa is air emission control requirement

Waste to energy

The biggest challenges for waste-to-energy

mass burn incineration in South Africa lie in the high capital

and operating costs, and air emission

control requirements

ORDINARYFURNACESCANBETRANSFORMED INTOENVIRONMENTALLYFRIENDLY, FUEL-EFFICIENTASSETS...HOWDEN KNOW-HOW

©Howden Africa Ltd. All rights reserved. 2009

Howden Africa1A Booysens Road, Booysens 2091 Johannesburg, South AfricaTel: +27 11 240 - 4090 Fax: +27 11 493 - 3861Email: [email protected]

Howden’s track record includes: Incineratorswith emission controlto international standards•Calcining ovens for automotive catalysts• Industrial furnaces• Process air heaters •Heavy duty ovens formould drying•Retrofits of furnaces and ovens.

Our customer-focused approach provides a comprehensive servicefrom initial proposal to long-term support. Howdenmakes furnaceand incinerator ownership and operation a viable investment.

Howden can convert furnaces and driers to give decades ofenvironmentally-friendly, efficient operation. Drawing on a vastreservoir of engineering experience, and considerable expertisein flue gas conditioning technology, EC&I and SCADA, we offerseamless design and development of turnkey systems.

Find out more:

howden.co.za


Waste to energy

include: a cellulosic ethanol bio-refinery

prefeasibility and feasibility study funded

by the National Empowerment Fund; a

study for assessing the municipal wastes

in of Gauteng and the potential for recy-

cling and waste-to-energy conversion for

the Gauteng Growth Development Agency;

and a due diligence study for landfill

gas resource assessments, environmental

authorisations and technical commission

and per formance testing of nine landfills

in South Africa for landfill gas to energy

conversion for EnerG Systems.

According to Kohler, the studies on

waste-to-energy projects in South Africa to

date focus on the principles of sustainable

development. From a social perspective,

the advantages of waste-to-energy projects

are as follows:

• direct and indirect employment

opportunities, as well as benefit for

local residents

• human health benefits in terms of controlled

emissions from waste-to-energy facilities

• health and safety risks, and health haz-

ards at waste-to-energy facilities are far

more controlled and manageable and

hence safer for humans than uncon-

trolled pickers that frequent landfills.

“From an environmental perspective, a

waste-to-energy facility has a positive

environmental impact saving when com-

pared to a landfill, which is a burden on

the environment in terms of water pol-

lution and methane gas emissions. The

impact of polluted water entering the envi-

ronment from landfills is diverse, including

human health issues such as cholera

and gastro enteritis, and environmental

impacts, relating to the reduced avail-

ability of oxygen in the water for aquatic

species as a result of the natural oxidation

of the polluted water entering the environ-

ment,” she says.

Golder’s waste and resource assess-

ment tool for the environment (WRATE

model), which is a leading life cycle

analysis specifically designed to evalu-

ate impacts of waste management sys-

tems, demonstrates the six environmental

benefits of waste-to-energy facilities over

landfills. WRATE can calculate the emis-

sion savings of carbon dioxide equivalents

for a waste-to-energy facility compared

to the same sized landfill, which emits

methane gas, agreenhouse gas (GHG). The

carbon dioxide equivalents from WRATE

can be used to calculate the carbon emis-

sion reduction credits under the Cean

Development Mechanism.

As a result of these substantial advantag-

es, the waste-to-energy landscape of tomor-

row looks optimistic, according to Kohler.

“It looks very positive if we can only over-

come our hurdles through financial support

and public awareness for a greener, more

sustainable waste management future in

South Africa,” she concludes.

INCINERATION DEFINED

ACCORDING TO THE NEMWA (Waste Act of 2008): “Incineration means any method, technique or process to convert waste to flue gases and residues by means of oxidation.” There are different names for different types of incinerators such as: plasma arc, waste-to-energy, cement kilns, and rotary kilns.


INTRODUCTION

This is in part because of a greater focus

on “green” or “sustainability” in light

of recent initiatives like COP17 and a

general greater awareness of the possible

negative impact continuing to stock pile all

waste in landfills could have on the environ-

ment. The benefits of recycling on the other

hand are well documented; for example less

energy is used when recycled materials are

included in the manufacturing process and

less waste creates more landfill space. In ad-

dition, it benefits the South African economy

as it decreases the necessity to import raw

materials and provides a number of opportu-

nities for income generation and alleviation

of poverty through job creation, as well as

simply preventing litter and contributing to a

cleaner, greener and healthier South Africa.

Cardboard and paper are excellent materi-

als for recycling. For every tonne of paper

recycled, 17 trees are saved, 40% less

energy and 30% less water is needed to

make paper. A number of other products can

also be recycled, including plastics, tins and

metals. Much has been said about the envi-

ronmental benefits of advocating reduce,

reuse, recycle and rethink – but who would

you turn to if you were considering recycling

and are there best practice examples in the

South African waste management sector?

The panel in this edition of RéSource

serves to highlight the organisations that

are getting it right in the local context, to

great gain for not only themselves, but

also the environment and the population

at large.

Panel discussion

Johannes Schuback & Sons(S.A.) PTY Limited, Johannesburg / RSAPhone: +27 11 7062270, Fax: +27 11 7069236

[email protected]

AMANDUS KAHL GmbH & Co. KGDieselstrasse 5, D-21465 Reinbek / Hamburg, GermanyPhone: +49 (0)40 727 71-0, Fax: +49 (0)40 727 71-100

[email protected] www.akahl.de

Pelleting of Municipal and Industrial Sewage SludgePelleting of Municipal and Industrial Sewage Sludge

Prebin

Possible design of a plant for pelleting of sewage sludge

Water

Mixer

Pelleting press

Countercurrent cooler

Screen

The final products are pellets which are appropriate for a variety of applications.

Reviewing recyclingThe process of collecting and processing materials that would otherwise be thrown

away as waste – landing up on space constrained landfi lls – and turning them into new

products is not a new concept, but more now than ever the drive to recycle is gaining

momentum both in the personal and public spheres.

BEYOND RECYCLING

Let’s not waste our earth’s scarce resources. When you recycle with Mpact Recycling, your waste paper is used to make paper and other products, saving many of these resources and contributing to a sustainable future not only for you but for the next generation. Not only is Mpact Recycling the largest collector of paper for recycling in South Africa, Mpact is the largest producer of paper made from recycled materials in the country. Mpact is involved in the entire process from collecting discarded paper all the way through to making the paper from it and converting it into boxes. What’s more, by recycling, you are helping to employ over 30,000 people involved in the industry. Having empow-ered over 170 small businesses to facilitate their own recycling collections, Mpact is also actively leading change in the industry through smarter, sustainable thinking.

Blac

kAfr

ica

Gro

up _

254

1

2541_MPACT recycling final advert.ai 1 2013/03/18 5:02 PM


Why is recycling key to sustainable, green working environments? Recycling plays

a vital role in ensuring offices

throughout South Africa are able

to contribute to sustainable

development in South Africa.

What role does Mpact play in the recycling arena? Mpact

Recycling, formerly Mondi

Recycling, is South Africa’s

largest paper recycler, with seven

of its own operations in major

centres around the country and

42 buy-back centres. It also

supports 90 independent dealers

throughout the country.

Mpact Recycling is by far

the biggest paper recycler in

South Africa and we recover

approximately 457 000 t of

paper each year nationally.

While largest of the portion of

the paper we collect is from

industrial and commercial

operations, recycling that comes

directly from office buildings is

important and a growing source

of raw material for paper mills.

Why is recycling a necessity for corporate South Africa?Recycling paper is a simple

process that everyone can

help with by collecting unused

items such as cardboard, old

newspapers, magazines or used

printer paper.

I would encourage companies

to get involved in a recycling

programme and employees

to support such initiatives as

a way to prevent recyclable

materials – particularly paper –

ending up in landfill sites.

How can recycling in offices most easily be implemented? Here are some useful “dos

John Hunt, MD

and don’ts” to remember when

separating office recycling

products, to facilitate Mpact

Recycling’s processes and

to contribute effectively to a

sustainable office environment:

DO separate the following to

be collected for paper recycling

in your office:

• old memos/letters

• computer paper

• used photocopy paper

• windowless envelopes

• old books

• pale coloured paper

(invoices, etc.)

• newspapers

• magazines

• cardboard (flattened).

DON’T include these items in

your recycling bins at work:

• polystyrene or paper cups

and plates

• yoghurt cartons

• sweet/chip wrappers

• blueprint paper

• organic material (such as old

food and vegetables)

• cigarette ends

• tissues and paper towels

• plastic wrapping

• carbon paper

• post-it notes (these are not recyclable because of the

glues used to make them)

• staples, plastic or

steel paperclips

• waxed cartons (such as

frozen fish boxes).

Office collection points are

per fect sources of recycled

paper for our business because

large groups of employees can

contribute to the process and

we are able to recover a lot of

paper from central collection

points, which is ideal.

Where to from here for recycling in general and Mpact specifically? Mpact,

which Mpact Recycling is par t

of, demerged from the Mondi

Group and listed separately

on the Johannesburg Stock

Exchange in July last year.

We have a long heritage of

recycling, having been in the

business since 1975. Recycling

is integral to our business model

because the raw materials

for Mpact’s paper packaging

business originate from the

nation’s recycled paper.

Not only does recycling have

long-term implications for the

environment by reducing the

impact on landfill sites as well

as decreasing the need to

import raw materials, it also

creates jobs in the industry.

Sustainability is key to

our business; this includes

contributing to the economy

of the country through job

creation. Through a social

entrepreneurship empowerment

model, we partner with local

entrepreneurs to help collect

recycled paper for us.

Mpact Recycling is by far the biggest paper

recycler in South Africa and we recover

approximately 457 000 t of paper each

year nationally

Panel discussion

BELOW LEFT Recovered paper is shredded before being baled for use as raw material at paper mills BELOW RIGHT Recovered paper is sorted into grades before use

MPACT RECYCLING (MPACT GROUP)


Panel discussion

How important do you think recycling initiatives are?Recycling is key to the goals

of minimising the waste going

to landfills and extracting

maximum value from the waste

stream. Separating recyclable

materials – glass, paper, metals

and certain plastics – out of

the waste stream reduces

the bulk of waste going to

landfills, eases the strain on

our natural resources and

helps to create employment in

informal and formalised waste

reclamation sectors.

In the City of Johannesburg,

however, recycling has not

historically been a routine

followed by residents. Both

because of a lack of supporting

and accessible infrastructure

that enables residents to

separate waste, and due to a

lack of knowledge of how to

recycle. Acknowledging this and

responding with the Separation

at Source programme has been

the critical first step for the

city in establishing a recycling

economy for Johannesburg.

Our goals are as follows:

• establishing a recycling

economy in the City

of Johannesburg

– behavioural change

• separation of recyclable waste

at source

• focus on domestic

customers (households)

• use of new receptacle systems

Amanda Nair, MD

• no one-size-fits-all

• enforcing separation at source

(Waste Management By-laws)

• involve reclaimers and/or

waste pickers in solutions.

What recycling initiatives is Pikitup involved in? We are

currently involved in a project

called Separation at Source.

This initiative is operational in

the Waterval, Zondi, Diepsloot

and Orange Farm areas. The

idea is to get residents to

start turning trash to treasure,

thereby evoking a change in

mindset where value can still

be extracted from what was

previously viewed as useless.

Essentially, it requires residents

to use separate receptacles to

collect their waste – a black bin

for non-recyclable household

waste, a clear durable plastic

bag for glass, cans, plastics,

etc., and a reusable white bag

for all paper materials. The

recyclables that are collected are

taken to local buy-back centres

for further sorting and sale to

the end buyers, e.g. Nampak.

These buy-back centres operate

as cooperatives, with

community members

as stakeholders. The

programme piloted in

the Waterval area in

September 2012, with

a roll-out to the Zondi,

Diepsloot and Orange

Farm areas in October

2012, November

2012 and February

2013, respectively.

The change in

waste management

behaviour and an

uptake of related small business

development has seen the

Mayor of Johannesburg prioritise

Separation at Source as a key

city programme. The initiative

has been well received by the

communities and we continue

to see an increase monthly on

tonnages at the various buy-back

centres. Over a 160 jobs have

been created since the beginning

of the campaign.

What lessons have been learnt to date? It has started the ball

rolling in the establishment of

a recycling economy for the city

through setting up Separation

at Source points within these

communities and, critically,

it has taught residents how

to reduce, reuse, recycle and

rethink when it comes to waste

management.

The city’s commitment to

transforming Johannesburg

into a recycling economy is a

viable goal.

How much of a role does communication and education play? It plays a very integral role

in ensuring that proper training

is facilitated and residents are

taught to recycle the correct way.

The success of this initiative was

through impactful communication

and education awareness, which

got the community interested in

partaking in this project.

Pikitup embarked on a door-to-

door education drive. In Soweto,

81 community education field

workers made up the door-to-

door education team, with 30

being recruited from Wards 95,

96 and 113 in the Diepsloot

area. These teams engaged

with residents, explaining what

Separation at Source is and

the benefits that this way of

living could have for them.

To support the door-to-door

campaign, mall activations were

held at Maponya Mall, Jabulani

Mall, Diepsloot Mall as well as

at Cresta.

Pikitup works closely with its

depots across the city to identify

new areas and communities to

include in the four-year roll-out

programme. Our education team

gathers valuable information

on the recycling climate

in each area, to ensure a

targeted approach.

What is the organisation’s recycling focus for the future?Pikitup has massive targets

to reach that can only be

attained if residents lead the

change. It aims to reduce

waste to landfill 20% by 2016

through waste minimisation and

recycling. Its four-year target

is for 950 000 households

to separate at source the

160 000 t of recyclable waste

that is generated in the city

per annum.

[The programme] has started the ball rolling

in the establishment of a recycling

economy for the city

ABOVE Pikitup provides recycling bags to the residents in the targeted areas

PIKITUP


Recycling

We provide a comprehensive materi-

als recycling facility or trash room

odour solution that combines ad-

vanced technologies and proven all-natural

odour neutralisers, making it possible to

eliminate odours at their source,” says De

Bruyn, adding that the two-step system uses

a combined approach, neutralising airborne

odours from accumulated waste using Odor-

Cure’s Advanced Misting Systems with power-

ful all-natural reactants, and eliminating odour

sources in, around and under trash bins using

“ BioStreme Micronutrients to promote benefi-

cial bacterial processes.

OdorCure has been providing effective

odour elimination solutions in Gauteng and

the Eastern Cape since 1999 and is repre-

sentative of HLS Ecolo in Southern Africa.

What sets Ecolo apart is its unique odour

eliminating formulations of essential oils

called AirSolution. Ecolo AirSolutions are

formulated from custom-blended essential

oils and plant extracts to neutralise specific

odours. “Each installation is customised

to meet the unique needs of each space

– requiring no modifications to base-build-

ing structures or mechanical equipment,”

says De Bruyn, adding that a self-suffi-

cient pump/controller unit and stand-alone

Misting Odour Neutraliser reservoir delivers

years of trouble-free operation.

“We make it simple to maintain odour-free

conditions. We not only install your system,

but we design a complete, easy-to-live-with

odour control programme, requiring minimal

maintenance for maximum results.”

“There is a defi nite need for odour and emission control systems, especially to

improve sorters’ working conditions,” says OdorCure’s Johan de Bruyn.

Recycling triggers demand

ODOUR/EMISSION CONTROL SYSTEMS

Odour Control Specialists for Today’s EnvironmentWelcome to the most extensive array of odour control systems and solutions for Commercial, Municipal and Industrial applications. At OdorCure we strive to provide products and quality services that meet the individual needs of our customers.

• Systems• Misting/Fogging Systems• Automated Dosing Systems• Bio- ltration Systems• BioGas Scrubbers• Photo Ionisation• Dry Scrubbers

• Solutions• Odour Neutralizers• Hydrogen Sulphide Removal• Complete VOC Removal• Microbial Treatments - Water and Wastewater• Aeration Systems - Water and Wastewater• Various other specialised solutions

• Garbage/Recycling Rooms• Restaurants, Hotels & Shopping Centers• Public Washrooms• Hospitals• Compactor Sites• Manufacturing Facilities• Wastewater Treatment Works• Land ll Sites• Waste Transfer Stations

Tel: +27 (0)860 666 367 | Fax: +27 (0)860 367 287

www.odorcure.co.za


Recycling

The one-day conference, entitled ‘Plas-

tics: The Future for Growth’, was hosted

by Plastics|SA, the umbrella body for

the local plastics industry, and attracted more

than 300 delegates.

Audience representationAccording to Plastics|SA’s executive director,

Anton Hanekom, the event drew participants

from various sectors of the local plastics

industry (see Figure 1). “Although the major-

ity of the audience were involved in the supply

of raw materials (36%), we had good repre-

sentation from plastics converters (22%),

recyclers (10%), machine suppliers (2%) and

other interested sectors such as government,

the media and the general public who were

eager to learn more and participate in the

discussions,” Hanekom said.

Learning from international best practice Dr Wilfried Haensel, executive director of

Plastics Europe, delivered the keynote

address. His speech, ‘Plastics and the world

we live in: lessons learnt’, focused on the

plastics industry from a European perspec-

tive, although he pointed out that “plastics

is a global affair and there are sure to be

similarities in the different regions”.

CONFERENCE

Plastics industry has its sayRole players and decision-makers in the South African plastics industry made use of

the opportunity to air their views on matters relating to the growth of the industry,

sustainability and recycling during the fi rst ever industry-specifi c conference, which was

held at the Nasrec Expo Centre in Johannesburg on 22 March 2013.

Debating the issues at handThe rest of the day’s discussions were

focused around three topical debates, which

were moderated by celebrity investigative jour-

nalists Freek Robinson, Jeremy Maggs and

Ruda Landman. “These journalists excelled

in guiding the discussions and ensuring that

everybody’s point of view was heard.”

According to Hanekom, the panellists who

were invited to participate in the debates

were considered experts in their respec-

tive fields and didn’t necessarily share the

same point of view on topics relating to

exports and imports, marketing the indus-

try, sustainability and recycling, training and

skills development.

Hanekom stated: “We tried to take a brutal

look at the issues that mostly affect our

industry and the direction we are heading in

by encouraging audience members to com-

ment and vote in real time on the issues that

were being debated by the panel members

on stage.

Debate 1: Growing the South African plastics industryThe audience was quick to rise to the occasion

and did not hold back when asked to send in

their views or suggestions. When asked what

they felt would most grow the local plastics

industry, 38% felt that innovation, developing

1. Raw Material Suppliers

2. Converters

3. Importers

4. Machine Suppliers

5. Recyclers

6. Other

36%

22%

2%

2%

10%

28%

45%1. Packaging

2. Engineering, Building and Construction

3. Agriculture

4. Transport and Automotive

5. Houseware, Toys, Leisure and Sport

6. Clothing and Footwear

7. Furniture

8. Medical and Health

24%

2%

2%

11%

5%

11%

0%

ABOVE Annabe Pretorius (SAPRO), Suzanne Dittke (Envirosense); Prof Walter Focke (University of Pretoria); Casper Durandt (Coca Cola), Chandru Wadhani (Extrupet)FIGURE 1 BELOW Plastics sectors represented at the Plastics: The Future for Growth ConferenceFIGURE 2 BELOW RIGHT Response to: In which sector do you see the highest potential for growth?

Recognising industry starsThe day’s discussions ended with a cocktail

function during which Plastics|SA awarded

three awards for local players for their excep-

tional contribution to the industry.

The Chairman’s Award was given to Bernard

Mahl, commercial director of Safripol, for the

critical role he has and continues to play at

Plastics|SA. He has been on the Plastics|SA

board and the executive committee for many

years serving as chairperson and deputy

chairperson. Mahl played a momentous role

in the new vision and direction of Plastics|SA.

The Sustainability Award was given to

Jeremy Mackintosh, managing director of the

Polyoak Packaging Group. Mackintosh has

played a crucial role in the promotion and

expansion of the recycling initiatives of the

then Plastics Federation since 2000. He was

also instrumental in the establishment of

the Sustainability Council and redirecting the

strategy from being more recycling focused to

a more inclusive sustainability drive.

The Training Award was given to REHAU

Polymers. REHAU identified the need for train-

ing and development of its

staff and also recognised

the eagerness and enthu-

siasm of the learners to be

part of the learnerships. It

has shown commitment,

dedication and enthusiasm

throughout the programme

and made it possible for its staff members

to develop.

Conclusion“We feel that the first industry conference

was a success,” Hanekom stated. “The del-

egates and panellists attending made it clear

that it was a timely and much-needed event.

They appreciated being given the opportunity

to participate in the discussions and voting

on topics that directly affect them.”


Recycling

new products and technology would offer the

most opportunities. Natural gas utilisation

and becoming competitive followed closely,

along with the local industry and government

supporting a culture of exports.

The areas that the audience felt offered

the most growth potential in the local plas-

tics industry (see figures 2 and 3) was

packaging (45%), followed by engineering,

building and construction

(24%) and transport and

automotive (11%).

“The audience members

agreed that the South

African plastics industry as

a whole needs to become

more original and innova-

tive. There are a host of small companies

making the same product. Industry should be

thinking about how it can diversify and enter

a more niche market with an original product.

This will decrease competition and increase

innovation,” Hanekom stated.

Debate 2: What impacts plastics packaging?The second debate of the day took a closer

look at the issue of food packaging and what

impacts it in the South African context.

Hanekom explained: “Packaging has come

to symbolise the issue of waste in our

modern day society. Looking at the issue of

plastic packaging specifically, we know that

it ensures hygiene and reduces the risk of

product wastage due to contamination, pro-

viding a physical barrier between a product

and the external environment. Unfortunately,

such convenience has come at an environ-

mental price and the rise in environmen-

tal consciousness in recent decades has

brought the issue of packaging firmly under

the spotlight.

When asked what role brand owners

should play in plastic packaging, 51% of the

FIGURE 5 BELOW Response to: Do you think bio-plastics are an option?FIGURE 6 BOTTOM Response to: Where should we look for an answer to better plastic disposal?

1. Yes

2. No22%

78%

1. Better waste management

2. More recycling

3. Replace with other products like paper

4. Bio-plastics

61%

36%

1%

2%

audience members felt they had a responsi-

bility to design the packaging with effective

recycling in mind, 32% felt the brand owner

also had a responsibility to educate consum-

ers about the recyclability and recycled con-

tent of its products (see Figure 4). “It is clear

that there is a great need to raise the profile

of the plastics industry and the work that is

being done by brand owners and converters

to ensure that plastics are manufactured in a

way that is sustainable and environmentally

responsible,” Hanekom said.

Another hot topic that was discussed by

the panel was the issue of bioplastics and

whether or not it had a real role to play as an

alternative in the plastics packaging indus-

try (see Figure 5). The vast majority of the

audience members felt that bioplastics are

not an option due to the high costs and the

negative impact that bioplastics have on the

recycling stream.

Debate 3: Are plastics sustainable?The third and final debate of the day took

an in-depth look at the issue of plastics

and sustainability (see Figure 6). “Meeting

the needs of tomorrow is the foundation of

the concept of sustainable development,”

Hanekom explained.

“Plastics represent one of the fastest

growing categories of materials used and

disposed of in our society. They play a major

role in delivering and sustaining the quality,

comfort and safety of modern lifestyles. The

impressive ratio of cost to performance also

means that people of all income groups can

enjoy these benefits. However, meeting the

needs of society is not just about ‘‘today’.

Future generations also have the right to

material and other benefits.”

Discussing the problems surrounding the

issue of plastic waste disposal, 61% of the

audience members responded that they felt

the answer should lie with improved waste

m a n a g e m e n t

and 36% felt

that there should

be more recy-

cling initiatives

by local munici-

palities.

Douw Steyn (Plastics|SA) handing Sustainability Award

to Jeremy Mackintosh (Polyoak) acknowledging

his contribution to the Sustainability Division of

Plastics|SA

We tried to take a brutal look at the issues that mostly affect our industry and the direction we are heading in”


PLASTICS

2012 marked a period of continued achievement for the PET Plastic Recycling Company

(PETCO) and its 28 signatories, contributing to the increased recovery and recycling of

PET plastic beverage bottles and the diversion of material from landfi ll.

The organisation recently announced that

post-consumer plastic beverage bottle

recycling volumes in South Africa grew

by 18% year on year in 2012. The recycling

rate rose from 42% in 2011 to 45% in 2012,

while the local market consumption of PET

grew from 145 000 to 166 000 t.

“By recycling 45% of post-consumer bever-

age PET, we achieved a full 1% more than

what was targeted for 2012,” says Cheri

Scholtz, CEO of PETCO. Recycling volumes

increased from 42 562 t in 2011 to 50 280 t

of post-consumer PET bottles in 2012 – a

7 718 t increase.

Simply speakingWith approximately 39 bottles in a kilo-

gramme, this means that PETCO facilitated

the recycling of over 1.9 billion PET plastic

beverage bottles in 2012 – that’s 5.3 mil-

lion bottles every day. Additionally, close to

R193 million was paid for sorted baled bot-

tles delivered to recyclers and approximately

R422 million was injected into the local

economy through the sale of recycled PET for

downstream products.

According to a statement released by

PETCO, from an environmental perspective,

recycling 50 280 t of PET plastic beverage

bottles, saves 75 420 t of carbon was

saved. “This is the equivalent of the amount

of carbon sequestered in a year by cultivating

17 957 ha of spekboom. By recycling this

amount and reducing the volume of post-

consumer PET plastic in the waste stream,

311 736 m3 of landfill space was saved – the

same volume of just under 125 Olympic-

sized swimming pools.”

According to Scholtz, the 2012 results

serve as an affirma-

tion of the efforts

of the PETCO

members and as

a benchmark for

improvement in

2013. “There is

still much work to

do to capture the

remaining percentage of bottles that were

not collected and with the post-consumer

PET recycling targets set to rise to 58% in

2017 and a growing market size, increasing

the volume of bottles collected for recycling

is thought to be the best method of achieving

this,” says Scholtz.

PETCO sets recycling targets for five-year

window periods, knowing what they are

looking to achieve, growing the industry by

an additional 5 000 to 6 000 t per annum.

With PET recycling targets set at 50%, which

is half of all post-consumer beverage PET in

the market, 2015 will be a milestone year.

“A step change is required to meet our tar-

gets in years to come,” continues Scholtz.

“As the Bottle 2 Fibre market is reaching

saturation, additional investment is required

in Bottle 2 Bottle capacity, which involves

the specialised recycling of clean bottles to

produce recycled PET

pellets that can be

used in the manufac-

ture of new bottles.

We would need to up

collection rates to get

feedstock for this new

end use and that’s

where the challenge

lies for PETCO; this would involve seeking

opportunities to improve collaboration across

the supply chain as well as with municipali-

ties, collectors, industry and consumers.”

Sustainable solutionsAccording to the statement, PETCO is of the

opinion that creative South African solutions

are required and opportunities lie in various

arenas and growth needs to be economically

Recycling

Beverage bottle recycling grows 18%

By recycling 45% of post-consumer beverage PET, we achieved a full 1% more than what was targeted for 2012”


Recycling

COOKED FOOD COMPOSTING

SA retailer first to adoptFood Lovers Market in Noordhoek, Cape Town, is the fi rst retailer in South Africa to invest in a zero-waste solution composting method that breaks down cooked food waste, helping to minimise the strain on landfi lls.

Husband and wife team Christo and

Suzette Viljoen have set high waste

management standards at their Food

Lovers Market by aiming for zero waste out-

put. As cooked and raw food forms 50% of

waste in landfills, the Viljoens were eager to

adopt a composting method that would re-

duce the store’s contribution to landfill waste,

making it the first retailer in South Africa to

install the Green Genie JK 5100 industrial

composting machine.

Green Genie’s JK 5100 is the first indus-

trial composter of its kind in South Africa

that allows cooked food (as well as raw food)

to be processed into compost, eliminating

strong odours left by traditional composting

methods. Organic pellets are added to the

food waste to break it down and the pro-

cess is aerobic, so no harmful gases are

released, making the system far more envi-

ronmentally friendly. During composting, food

waste heats up to 70°C, killing harmful

bacteria including E. coli and salmonella. The

two-chamber system works on a four-week

cycle and can hold up to 2.5 t of waste,

producing up to 400 kg of compost every

two weeks.

Viljoen comments: “A great company starts

at the back door, and we intend to maintain

the high standards of cleanliness in a waste-

free environment. We are training our staff to

be more environmentally conscious and have

implemented waste management techniques

to reduce our carbon footprint. The Green

Genie industrial composter was a must-have

to achieve our environmental objectives and

we are thrilled with the results.”

TOP Joraform industrial composterABOVE (from left) Stuart Lindley, Green Genie’s MD, and Christo and Suzette Viljoen from Food Lovers Market, Noordhoek, admiring the first compost produce from their new Joraform industrial composter from Green Genie

feasible and at an affordable cost to con-

sumers. “There is a need for more visible,

accessible infrastructure in the form of drop-

off facilities, buy-back centres and materials

recovery facilities. This enabled increased

investment in the recycling sector, making

it a bankable sector. Modern thinking is

needed around efficient, integrated collection

systems that work. Overseas studies have

shown that providing a smaller container for

general waste, a larger container for recycla-

bles, decreased frequency of collection (i.e.

fortnightly instead of weekly), door-to-door

collection, kerbside collection and separation

at source, promotion of higher quality ser-

vice and incentives such as charging for the

quantity of residual waste left out, improves

participation.” Additionally, the organisation

emphasises that increased awareness and

education of consumers around reduction,

reuse and recycling is also key, as well as

a number of other critical issues such as

training and mentorship, and partnership with

industry stakeholders.

Lastly, there is a need for constant inno-

vation in the field of design (for recycling),

ensuring that bottles produced are, in fact,

recyclable; for an improvement in labelling,

enhancing consumer awareness, resulting

in recyclable bottles being recycled; as well

a pioneering in the identification of new end

use markets for recycled PET, which ultimate-

ly will draw material through the system – as

plastic bottles are not trash but a valuable

technical nutrient in many new products. “We

look forward to innovation in this arena, the

establishment of new markets and products

that translate to new Category A project appli-

cations for PETCO,” concludes Scholtz.


Landfills

INTRODUCING KNOT’S DUMP

Swaziland’s solid waste management faceliftSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSoooooooooooollllllllliiiiiiiiddddddddddddd wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaasssssssssssstttttttttttteeeeeee ddddddddddddiiiiiiiisssssssssspppppppppppppppppooooooooooooosssssssssssssssssssssaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaalllllllllllllllllll iiiiiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn ccccccccccccccccccccoooooooooooooouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuunnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnttttttttttttttttttrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrriiiiiiiiiiiiiiieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeessssssssssssssssss aaaaaaaaaaaacccccccccccrrrrrrrrrrrooooooooooooossssssssssssssssssss AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAffffffffffffffffffffrrrrrrrrrrrriiiiiiiiiiccccccccccccccccccccaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa ppppppppoooooooooooosssssssssssseeeeeeeeeeessssss aaaaaaaaaaaa hhhhhhhhhhuuuuuggggggggggggeeeeeeeeeeeeeee prrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrooooooooooooooobbbbbbbbbbbbbbllllleeeeeeeeeeeeeeemmmmmmmmmmmm....UUUUUUUUUUUUUUnnnnnnnnnffffffffffooooooooooooooorrrrrrrrrrttttttttttttttuuuuuuuuuuuuuunnnnnnnnnnnnaaaaaaaaaaaaaattttttttttteeeeeeeeeeeeelllllllllyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy,,,,,, eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeennnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvviiiiiiiiiiiiiiiirrrrrrrrrrrrrrroooooooooooooooooooooooonnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnmmmmmmmmmmmmmmeeeeeeeeeeeennnnnnnnnntttttttaaaaaaaaaalllllllllllll dddddddddddddddaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaammmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmaaaaaaaaaaaaagggggggggggggggggeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee fffffffffrrrrrrrrrrrrrroooooooooommmmmmmmmmmmmmm ssssssssssssssooooooooooooooooolllllllllllliiiiiiiiiiiiiiidddddddddddddddddddddddddddd wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaassssstttteeee iiiiisssssssss iiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnncccccccccrrrreaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaasssssssssssssiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnngggggggggggggg aaaaaaaatttttttttttt aaaaaaaaaaannnnnnnnaaaaaaaaaaaaalllllllaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrmmmmmmmmmmmiiiiiinnnnnnnnggggggggggggggggggg rrrrrrrrrrrraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaattttttttttttttteeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee....

To address this issue in its own small

landlocked country, Swaziland created

The National Solid Waste Manage-

ment Strategy, which has developed a long-

term plan up to 2015. Swaziland, a distinctly

tropical area in Southern Africa, is character-

ised by long hot summers with low, but vari-

able rainfall. It is precisely these conditions

that caused the inhabitants of larger cities

like Manzini and Mangwaneni to complain

about the malodorous dumpsites in their

surrounding areas.

A proposal was made to relocate these

landfill sites to the outskirts of remote rural

towns, like Bhunya, whose closest border

post to South Africa is Sandlane via the

town of Amsterdam. It was at Bhunya that

Kaytech’s geosynthetic clay liners and bidim

geotextiles played important roles. Golder

Associates, which provides comprehensive

civil, geotechnical and environmental con-

sulting services worldwide, was asked to

advise on this project, which commenced

in July 2012. When natural clay in the area

was found to be substandard, Stefanutti

and Bressan, the main contractor on the

project, proposed the use of Kaytech’s

EnviroFix Thermal Lock Geosynthetic Clay

Liners (GCLs) to line the base of the new

landfill site, which was to be known as

Knot’s Dump.

Technology unpackedEnviroFix is produced by distributing a uni-

form core of natural sodium bentonite clay

between two durable geotextile outer layers

to form a hydraulic barrier when hydrated.

Fibres from the upper nonwoven geotextile

are then needle

punched through

the layer of ben-

tonite and incor-

porated into the

lower woven or

nonwoven/woven

composite carrier

geotextile, thereby

forming a strong mechanical bond between

the fabrics.

The thermal lock heat-treating process,

used to more permanently lock the needle-

punched fibres into place, results in the

product’s unique properties, which include

increased internal shear resistance and

long-term creep resistance. The sodium

bentonite swells as water enters its clay

platelets and, when hydrated under confine-

ment, forms a low permeability clay liner

with the equivalent hydraulic protection of

approximately one metre of compacted clay.

The intensive EnviroFix quality control pro-

gramme, which ensures consistent hydraulic

and physical properties through the latest

EN-ISO and ASTM procedures, minimises

the expensive and time-consuming on-

site testing that is required for compacted

clay liners.

EnviroFix can

completely replace

– as in this project

– or significantly

reduce the required

thickness of the

compacted clay

layer. This results

in less excavation and compaction and,

importantly, increases containment volume,

which in a landfill means increased rev-

enues. Used alone or in conjunction with a

geomembrane, EnviroFix is resistant to the

deleterious effects of differential settlement

and with adequate soil cover, desiccation

and seasonal temperature fluctuations are

minimised. This outstanding product can

EnviroFix can completely replace or significantly reduce the required thickness of the compacted clay layer


Landfills

also be used for liquid containment and

canals as well as secondary containment.

With its extensive experience in instal-

lation of geomembranes and dam linings,

Aquatan was awarded the contract to install

Kaytech’s EnviroFix and bidim layers. The

company was advised on Kaytech’s bidim

A0 as the drainage separator between

the filtration system and bidim A8 for the

protection layer.

Since 1978, Kaytech has been manufac-

turing its range of nonwoven, 100% polyes-

ter, continuous filament bidim geotextiles

that provide significant advantages including

better modulus of deformation, better creep

stability, higher breaking strength, better

resistance to high temperatures and less

sensitivity to UV degradation – important

factors in this particular application. Heavy

grade bidim not only provides excellent

protection to liner systems, but also signifi-

cantly extends the life of the lining system.

Its resistance to abrasion and piercing while

still retaining a high tensile strength makes

bidim the ideal cushioning protection wheth-

er installed above or below the liner system.

Ease and speed of installation compared to

sand protection layers is a great advantage

and the in-plane drainage characteristic

dissipates pore water pressure build-up

beneath the liner.

Project outlineIn total, 5 000 m2 of EnviroFix X800, the

only suitable product for this region, and

73 000 m2 each of bidim A0 and bidim A8

were installed. The bidim A0 and A8 quanti-

ties equate to 155 462 and1 013 888

recycled PET cold drink bottles, respectively.

“Kaytech continues to provide innovative,

engineering solutions using recycled PET

(rPET) in its products. By doing so it sup-

ports the recycling sector through the col-

lection and recycling of PET bottles, and

assuring an end use market for rPET in

South Africa,” says Cheri Scholtz, CEO of

PETCO, the industry body for recycling of PET

plastic in South Africa.

Stefanutti and Bressan’s expertise in con-

structing new landfill cells as well as the

closure of existing landfill sites makes it

a leader in Swaziland. The company also

operates in line with international environ-

mental policies by establishing landfills that

allow effective waste disposal while pre-

venting the ingress of waste contaminants

into subterranean water systems. To date,

Stefanutti and Bressan has been involved

in the installation of thousands of square

metres of Kaytech’s EnviroFix and has com-

plete trust in the efficacy of this product.

The combination of contractors’ expertise

and the cost-effective, top performance of

Kaytech’s products resulted in Swaziland’s

Knot’s Dump being another highly success-

ful project.

ALL IMAGES Kaytech’s EnviroFix Thermal Lock Geosynthetic Clay Liners (GCLS) being used to line the base of the new landfill site, known as Knot’s Dump


Air pollution

BUDGET UNPACKED

Carbon tax from 2015

Addressing the National Assembly, he

said the impact of the planned car-

bon tax would be lessened by a tax-

free exemption threshold of 60%, “with ad-

ditional allowances for emissions intensive

and trade-exposed industries”. An updated

carbon tax policy paper is to be published at

the end of April 2013.

According to the 2013 Budget Review, the

basic tax-free threshold of 60% will apply

during the first phase of the implementa-

tion of carbon tax – from 2015 to 2020.

The review also highlighted that a gradual

phasing out of the electricity levy is under

consideration, to occur as the carbon tax is

phased in.

Further environmental taxes highlighted in

the 2013 Budget include fuel levies, which are

set to increase by 23 cents a litre from 3 April

2013. The date will also see the general fuel

levy rise by 15 cents a litre to R2.13, while the

Road Accident Fund levy – not strictly an envi-

ronmental tax – will increase by eight cents a

litre to 96 cents a litre of petrol.

Additionally, the levy on plastic shopping

bags will rise from four cents to six cents a

bag from 1 April and the levy on incandescent

light bulbs, which was introduced in 2009, will

increase from R3.00 to R4.00 a bulb from the

same date.

The tax on motor vehicle carbon dioxide

emissions – aimed at encouraging the pur-

chase of vehicles with lower emissions

standards – is also set to rise from 1 April

with the emissions tax on passenger cars

rising from R75 to R90 for every gramme of

emissions per kilometre above 120 g CO2/

km. Double-cab vehicles will experience an

increase from R100 to R125.

Gordhan further noted that rules on tax in-

centives that encourage biodiversity manage-

ment are to be modified.

Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan announced in Parliament during the tabling

of his Budget Speech: “Government proposed to price carbon by way of a

carbon tax, at the rate of R120 per tonne of carbon dioxide equivalent, from

1 January 2015.”

Medical waste


COMPLIANCE

A challenging contextCompliance and enforcement are the biggest challenges facing the medical waste/

health-care risk waste industry, Stan Jewaskiewitz, past president of IWMSA, tells

Chantelle van Schalkwyk.

Fundamentally, the medical waste

(health-care risk waste – HCRW) mar-

ket can be split into two sectors: public

(provincial hospitals, clinics, etc.) and private

(private hospitals and clinics, including doc-

tors’ surgeries, etc.). “The removal, transport

and treatment including disposal of HCRW

is normally carried out by private sector ser-

vice providers (contractors). All HCRW in the

government sector is normally removed or

handled via tenders that are put out by the

relevant institutions or provincial health de-

partments. The private sector HCRW is also

handled via tenders or quotes requested by

the relevant institution (hospital, clinic, etc.),”

explains Jewaskiewitz.

Additionally, there are a number of laws

and by-laws that apply, such as the provin-

cial legislation and regulations that govern

the handling of HCRW and the industry

standard – SANS 10248. The Department

of Environment Affairs (DEA) has been and

still is in the process of developing norms

and standards in accordance with the

National Environment Management: Waste

Act No.59 of 2008. Draft Health Care Risk

Waste Management Regulations, in terms

of the Waste Act, were also gazetted by

DEA in June 2012.

“It is estimated that there is about

45 000 t of HCRW generated annually

in South Africa. There is a perception

that there is insufficient capacity to treat

the amount of HCRW produced and this

results in illegal storage and dumping,”

states Jewaskiewitz, adding that a number

of cases of illegal dumping have been

reported in the media over the past five

years or so.

“There are still some major cases of

illegal dumping being prosecuted by the

authorities going back some four to five

years. Tender irregularities and fraud are

also regularly being cited as the cause for

many of the problems and challenges fac-

ing the HCRW industry.”

Current challengesAccording to Jewaskiewitz, there are a

number of challenges facing the industry,

with the biggest including training, segre-

gation of wastes, transport, disposal and

treatment and storage. When referring to

training, Jewaskiewitz indicates that this

is specifically for

waste generators

(hospitals, clin-

ics and doctors),

t r a n s p o r t e r s

and disposal/

treatment. “This

includes train-

ing on the lack

of proper proce-

dures, compliance issues, as well as

verification of qualified and experienced

service providers.”

When it comes to segregation of waste,

Jewaskiewitz says approximately 5 to 10%

is actually hazardous or infectious – approxi-

mately 45 000 tpa is generated of which

only 2 500 to 4 500 t is hazardous. The

separation at source of general waste and

HCRW is therefore critical as the mixing of

wastes in hospitals and clinics give rise to

larger volumes of waste requiring treatment.

“Once mixed, all the waste is treated as

hazardous, including general waste.” This

has a knock-on effect when dealing with

ABOVE Stan Jewaskiewitz, past president, IWMSA

Tel: +27 (0) 11 866-2316

Fax: +27(0)11 866-2316

Email: [email protected]

www.buhlewaste.co.za

Services:Health Care Risk Waste

HCRW Training

General/Domestic Waste

Hazardous Waste

Industrial/Commercial waste

Disposal/Treatment Facilities

Industrial Cleaning

Hygiene & SanitationEmergency Spill Response

Buhle Waste (Pty) Ltd. is a 100% Black owned company that was established in 1997, by Dr P. D. Sekete, to focus on integrated waste management. Combining the medical expertise of the founding Doctor, with his passion for public and environmental cleanliness and safety, Buhle Waste has come to specialise in the management of Health Care Risk Waste (HCRW). Since its inception Buhle Waste has become an industry leader in the management of HCRW.

Vision

Buhle Waste is striving to become the leading waste management company in Africa offering excellent and efficient services to its clients.

Mission Statement

Buhle Waste’s mission is to provide high qual-ity and reliable waste management services in a flexible and cost effective manner to its clients.

People and the Environment

Our strategy is to educate our people about the importance of a healthier and cleaner environment. Through education people will come to understand the role they play in the environment, and in par-ticular their role within the context of waste management. Buhle Waste has also set out to research and developof more innovative ways to treat and dispose of waste through investing in non-burn

technology that contributes to the reduction in carbon emissions. By reduc-ing the carbon emissions when treating and disposing of waste, Buhle Waste (Pty) Ltd. will take a step towards a greener and cleaner South Africa.


that this has not been

resolved would indi-

cate to some that the

authorities are not

capable of success-

fully prosecuting cases

such as these, indicat-

ing that it is perhaps

easier to hit the small-

er private companies,”

states Jewaskiewitz.

He believes cases

such as these allow individuals to continue

operating with impunity and in some cases,

as directors of companies who have licences

to operate waste management facilities.

Changing the face of HCRWThere is, however, much being done to com-

bat this. Some private health-care facilities

are trying to improve on their HCRW han-

dling practices as they realise that proper

management of HCRW leads to lower cost

of disposal, says Jewaskiewitz, adding that

they also tend to take more care in selecting

suitable service providers.

Additionally, he adds that some of the ser-

vice providers are endeavouring to improve the

training of their staff and to implement quality

management systems in order to achieve ISO

accreditation (9001 or 14001). “This should

stand them in good stead once the legislation

and various regulations are enforced.”

This is also in light of a rapidly changing

environment. “In terms of practices, there

has been a significant move away from incin-

eration to non-burn technologies for the treat-

ment of HCRW,” continues Jewaskiewitz.

Fundamentally, HCRW can be separated

into two fractions, i.e. infectious wastes

(swabs, bandages, needles, etc.) and path-

ological wastes (limbs, placentas, etc.).

Infectious wastes can be treated using non-

burn technologies rendering the wastes as

sterile, which can then be disposed

of in a landfill. Pathological wastes

are better suited to treatment by

thermal means and here the technol-

ogy must be capable of meeting strict

emission standards.

Jewaskiewitz explains that in terms of

legislation, the Waste Act and various

regulations and standards have already

been put in place. “However, there is still

a lot of legislation evolving and it may still

take some time to put it all in place.” Some

of the legislation in place are:

• National Environmental Management:

Waste Act No.59 of 2008

• Norms and Standards for Storage of

Wastes (draft)

• Western Cape – draft regulations 2011

(Health Care Waste Management

Act, 2007)

• Gauteng (GDARD) regulations

• KwaZulu-Natal HCRW Policy

• Department of Environment Affairs (DEA) –

draft regulations 1/06/2012

• SANS 10248-1: 2008 Management of

HCW Ed.1

• SANS 10248-2: 2009 Management of

HCW Ed.1 (rural and remote settings).

Facing forwardThe changes in treatment technology, espe-

cially as regards improved emission stand-

ards, can only be beneficial to the environ-

ment, says Jewaskiewitz, adding that once

legislation, regulations and standards are

put in place and enforced, a level playing

field will be created and much of the frustra-

tions experienced by service providers will be

eliminated. “So, one can safely assume that

proper training, adequate treatment capacity

and enforcement will lead to a better con-

trolled industry and a minimised impact on

the environment.”

The IWMSA is playing a pivotal role in this

as it endeavours to promote the science and

practice of good waste management. In order

to achieve this, the IWMSA has set education

and training as one of its main objectives. “In

this regard, we have an ongoing development

programme of developing appropriate train-

ing courses and facilitating the presentation

of these courses, both non-accredited and

accredited,” says Jewaskiewitz.

In addition, the IWMSA originally set up

an interest group, under its auspices, to

identify the needs of the industry and

to look at ways of improving standards,

including having input in the development

of legislation and standards. “This interest

group ultimately evolved into the Health

Care Waste Forum as we now know it,” con-

cludes Jewaskiewitz.

the disposal and/or treatment of HCRW.

“There is still significant overloading of

existing facilities due to the “mixing” of

wastes,” warns Jewaskiewitz. In addition,

when investigating the storage of HCRW,

challenges include the use of inadequate

facilities that are not compliant with current

regulations. “Storage periods are also a

problem, especially for small quantities and

rural locations.”

The challenge with regards to transport

is quite simple: appropriate, purpose-

built vehicles with the necessary licences

are required.

According to Jewaskiewitz, this has result-

ed in the industry being fuelled with specula-

tion and allegations of impropriety relating

to, among others:

• tender abuse –

• “tenderpreneurs” manipulating tenders

• tender adjudication irregularities

• fraud and corruption

• compliance issues – license/

permit conditions

• court cases – between service providers

and with government departments.

Compliance takes centre stageJewaskiewitz says the Green Scorpions

are currently dealing with many reported

cases of directives/prosecutions. “There

are very few reports, if any, on the out-

comes of these actions. These need to be

published as a deterrent to others, also

to ‘name and shame’ the transgressors,”

says Jewaskiewitz.

In addition, he highlights the Welkom medi-

cal waste case that came to light towards

the end of 2009, which, according to him,

still appears

to be in

l i m b o .

“The fact

Medical waste


Hazardous waste

REGULATORY ENVIRONMENT

Keeping ahead of SA’s wave of hazardous wasteBringing South Africa in line with global standards to manage hazardous waste from

industry, mining and other sources will require signifi cant training and capacity building,

not to mention substantial fi nancial commitment.

Hazardous waste has, by definition, the

potential to damage the environment

and undermine human health – even

at low concentrations – due to its inherent tox-

icological, chemical and physical characteris-

tics. Managing hazardous waste is a growing

priority as South Africa’s economy consumes

and discards at an ever-increasing rate, ac-

cording to the senior environmental scientist

in the KwaZulu-Natal office of SRK Consulting,

Philippa Emanuel.

The good news, though, is that laws and

regulations are starting to kick in to meet

the challenge, and the country is gathering

more data on its hazardous waste while roll-

ing out plans to reduce the amount headed

for landfill sites.

In line with the requirement of the National

Environmental Management: Waste Act 59

of 2008, the National Waste Management

Strategy has been developed. This strat-

egy sets out goals, targets and actions

to address a number of the gaps in both

general and hazardous waste management.

Weighing up the problemPart of addressing the prob-

lem of hazardous waste

is the need to fully under-

stand its extent.

“One of the main chal-

lenges in planning for

hazardous waste man-

agement is the lack of

quantifiable data on how

much of this waste the coun-

try is generating,” says Emanuel.

“This information is currently captured in

terms of the South African Waste Information

System (SAWIS). Submission of information

to SAWIS is currently voluntary, but the

National Waste Information Regulations,

promulgated in August last year became

effective on 1 January 2013 and requires

all waste treatment and disposal facilities

to supply quantitative information. This is a

really big step.”

Within 90 days from 1 January, any person

conducting an activity listed in Annexure 1

of these regulations is required to regis-

ter on the SAWIS. Subject to the thresh-

old amounts listed in the annexure, this

will cover:

• generators of hazardous waste

• anyone recycling or recovering waste

• anyone treating waste

• anyone disposing of waste.

“In addition, all registered waste facili-

ties (excluding generators)

are required, in terms

of the regulations, to

report information as required in

Annexure 2 within 90 days of reg-

istration,” she continues. “This

includes categories and quanti-

ties of waste and the source of

the waste.

“This is a great stride as it makes

it a legal requirement to provide information.

This information will help government to

police illegal disposal, monitor compliance

and make more informed decisions.”

Regulating for better controlThere are other important elements of the

national framework that are being final-

ised, which together will help government

to better regulate both the generation and

disposal phases of this sector.

The Draft National Standard for Disposal

of Waste to Landfill (GN 615 of 2012) will

change the way landfills are classified,

and the Draft Standard for Assessment

of Waste for Landfill Disposal (GN 613

of 2012) will align the type of waste to a

suitable disposal facility, depending on its

environmental risk.

Also in the pipeline is the Draft Waste

Classification and Management Regulations

(GN 614 of 2012), which

will change how

waste streams

are classified.

“Some wastes pre-

viously classified as

hazardous may no

longer fall into this

category but, at the

same time, wastes

previously classified as

general waste may now

be classified as hazard-

ous,” she explains. “The

regulations are based on

the SANS 10234 Globally

One of the main challenges in planning for hazardous waste management is the lack of quantifiable data on how much of this waste the country is generating.” Philippa Emanuel, Senior

environmental scientist in KwaZulu-Natal at SRK Consulting


Hazardous waste

Oveer the last 50 years, 3S MEDIA has evolved into a modern-day print and digital media commpany that offers businesses and professionals in vaarious spheres the leading edge to grow and devvelop their vocations, disciplines and/or companies.

MEDIAwww.3smedia.co.za tel: +27 (0)11 233 2600 fax: +27(0) 11 234 7275 [email protected] No 4, 5th Avenue, Rivonia, 2191 PO Box 92026, Norwood, 2117

3SMEDIA publishes: IMIESA IMESA Yearbook Inside Mining Infrastructure Intelligence Meetings SA miningne.ws Occupational Risk Online ReSource SA Conference Directory Transport World Africa Water&Sanitation Africa

LET YOUR BRAND STAND OUT WITH 3S MEDIA

Harmonised System for the classification

and labelling of hazardous substances and

mixtures, including waste.”

The approval process for hazardous waste

management facilities is time consuming,

but necessarily so. “The monitoring and

approval requirements are in place to pro-

tect the environment and the South African

public, especially as the risks associated

with the storage, transport, disposal and

treatment of hazardous waste are so high,”

says Emanuel.

“The costs of establishing hazardous

waste management facilities are equally

high, not just in the establishment and

operating costs but also in the ongo-

ing monitoring – even beyond the life of

the facility. Again, however, this expendi-

ture is necessary to protect the South

African public.”

Pulling togetherWhile the new framework is moving in the

right direction, the regulations also need

to be dynamic – as technology and waste

management processes evolve so quickly

that policy and legislation sometimes strug-

gle to keep up. “For instance, the legal

environment is being modified to allow for

the utilisation of hazardous waste as a raw

material,” she points out.

The regulations are applicable nationally,

but various spheres of government are

actively involved in hazardous waste man-

agement at different levels.

“While not specifically the mandate of

provincial government, we see provinces

taking the initiative in

this field,” Emanuel con-

tinues. “The KwaZulu-

Natal Depar tment

of Agriculture and

Environmental Affairs,

for instance, identified

hazardous waste man-

agement as a critical

issue that the province

needs to address.

“The depar tment

appointed SRK

Consulting to prepare

a Hazardous Waste

Management Plan for the province, to con-

solidate information and develop an integrat-

ed plan that included hazardous waste mini-

misation and reduction, recycling, reuse,

treatment and disposal capacity.”

Local authorities are also key players

in this sector and in cities like eThek-

wini, the municipality actively encourages

industry to become more efficient and

to look for opportunities for reuse within

their processes.


Wastewater management

WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANTS IN SOUTH AFRICA

A realistic perspective of energy optimisation considerations: Part II

This study seeks to contextualise and illustrate current application and trends in the

South African municipal wastewater industry as pertaining to treatment technologies,

plant capacity, electricity consumption trends and good practices applied in electricity

supply and demand management.

The paper also intends to raise discus-

sion and awareness among the sector

players regarding the following:

• viewing and planning for wastewater treat-

ment plants (WWTPs) as energy produc-

ers and cost conservers as opposed to

a facility to ‘treat sewage’ without any

further benefit

• initiating opportunities to have the first

full-scale self-sufficient WWTP in Africa in

the near future

• municipal wastewater practitioners, pro-

cess controllers and scientists are scarce

professions and critical enablers in realis-

ing any opportunity associated with ener-

gy optimisation, cost recovery and sus-

tainable management and compliance.

MethodologyThe methodology followed in the study

is presented via specific subject areas

as follows:

Situation analysis of existing technology types The Green Drop 2009 and 2011 assess-

ments were used to evaluate the various

technologies (treatment processes) applied

by municipalities across the nine provinces

in South Africa (DWA 2009, DWA 2011).

A framework was developed to categorise

the various technologies, consisting of 16

technology types. Further simplification of

the technology types was

done by reducing the

various types into three

generic groups:

i) activated sludge

processes and

variations thereof

ii) trickling biofilters

iii) pond and lagoon

systems.

The approach was fol-

lowed to use updated

(2010/11) information

where available and only

revert to 2009 informa-

tion where data was

lacking. Where a plant comprises of two

or more technology types, each type would

count for one technology. Only munici-

pal plants with a verification track record

were processed.

Trend analysis in technology applicationsA total of 18 plants was selected (DWA

licensing database, 2010) to determine

the best spread of plants across the nine

provinces for technology trends assessment

against the assessment framework shown

in Table 1. The data results were processed

to determine the movement in technol-

ogy trends from recent/current process-

es employed to current/future processes

planned or employed, in terms of the three

broad technology types investigated. This

study was conducted in cooperation with

the Water Research Commission and SALGA

(Bhagwan et al., 2011).

Energy consumption per technology type and capacityThe data in the Green Drop report (DWA

2011) was used to confirm the plant capac-

ity and actual flow received at plants. These

design capacities were used to determine

the number of plants in micro, small, medi-

um, large and macro size categories. The

energy usage per unit process was derived

from work done by the US’s Electric Power

Research Institute (EPRI) energy audits

TABLE 1 Trend analysis in technology applicationsAssessment criteria Reference framework

Legislative requirements Water use licence, general authorisation, previous exemptions (general/special standards)

Environment landscape Present ecological state and condition (PESC)

Technology levels employed (existing and new)

Low-, medium- and high-end technologies as available in market place

Municipal environment and technology impact

CoGTA spatial analysis framework (municipal size, social-economic vulnerability, National Treasury classification, audit outcomes and the extent to which the municipality is undertaking all of its possible local government functions (as a precentage))

by Rudi Scheepers*, Marlene vd Merwe-Botha**


The above questions are raised as par t of a full length submission, which will be featured over subsequent editions as par t of a series. In the next edition are the results and discussions raised from the study. For more information regarding the paper, please contact [email protected].

Wastewater management

(1994) and used to evaluate the energy

consumption (kWh/d) on two levels:

• plant capacity (size) category

• activated sludge and biofilters technology

groupings as per Table 1.

The energy consumption (kWh) per volume

was evaluated according to the treatment

processes of the plant. Only medium-size

plants (2 to 10 Mℓ/d) to macro-size plants

were evaluated from published energy

consumption data.

Energy as a running cost in municipalitiesFinancial ring-fencing of water services

provision is a legal requirement (Water

Services Act of 1997) where it is stated

that: “When performing the functions of a

water services provider, a water services

authority must manage and account for

those functions separately” (Sect 20.(1)).

The above, however, leads to two problem

statements; which are:

• Definitive information as to the extent

of ring fencing is not readily available,

although the Green Drop initiative is

focusing more attention on this compli-

ance parameter. Energy is a real and

comprehensive element of the cost of the

wastewater treatment service and should

be recovered via responsible tariff set-

ting, offsetting, etc.

• Section 10 of same Act need to be

complied with when formulating tariffs.

This would require financial sustainability

(adequate budget for O&M), recovery of

cost reasonable associated with provid-

ing the service, the need for return on

capital investment for the provision of the

service, etc (Moshidi et al., 2011)

As a first step to ensure cost reflective

recovery of services cost as part of munici-

pal financial sustainability, it is necessary

to establish broad comparative and costing

comparisons as pertaining to different treat-

ment technologies in the municipal sector.

To present such first order material as part

of this study, linkage is made to studies

undertaken with the Department of Water

Affairs’ Water Services Regulation in extract-

ing actual figures from treatment plants that

reported ring-fenced costs for the respective

treatment plants during the 2011 Green

Drop assessments.

The baseline costing reported in Municipal

Wastewater Treatment: First Order Costing

of Capital and Additional Operations and

Maintenance Funding Requirements Based

on Risk-Based Indices (DWA, 2009) were

used to expand and escalate on the cost

configurations, which were based on actual

tender prices in 2008 to provide for a 2011

baseline estimate.

Improved application: Energy efficiency Opportunities for improved efficiency are

various, and an attempt was made to

comment on practical ways of optimising

energy efficiencies as applicable to the

technology types under discussion, in the

following context:

• Improved energy efficiency through

demand side management: Integrate first

order analysis data from the energy utilisa-

tion by typical types of WWTPs in the country.

• Improved energy efficiency through sup-

ply side management and energy gen-

eration: Projections of first order analysis

to various energy generation potentials

mainly to large (10 to 25 Mℓ/d) and macro

WWTPs (>25 Mℓ/d).

* Arcus GIBB, PO Box 3965, Cape Town,

8000, South Africa

E-mail: [email protected]

**WaterGroup, South Africa


Plant & equipment

WASTE DISPOSAL

Ready to rollInternationally recognised truck manufacturer Autocar is confi dent of expanding its

geographical footprint after offi cially launching its range of Xpeditor waste disposal and

refuse collection vehicles to the South African market in October 2012.

US-based Autocar designed its first Af-

rican product at its design centre and

South African headquarters in Cape

Town after identifying a gap in the local mar-

ket, notes Autocar's vice president for inter-

national business development, Ryan Billet.

“We have employed more than 40 South

African engineers in order to ensure that

we are able to custom build the Xpeditor to

handle unique local operating conditions,

without compromising on the tradi-

tional strength and reliability of the

range,” he explains.

The Autocar Xpeditor range of

severe duty trucks for South Africa

is exclusively powered by ISM model

diesel engines that are manufactured by

Cummins – a global leader in the manufac-

ture, sales and servicing of diesel engines

and related technology.

“The Cummins ISM has one of the high-

est power-to-weight ratios of any engine of

comparable displacement. This, combined

with an advanced fuel-injection system and

the patented variable geometry turbo (VGT),

results in superior performance over South

Africa’s unique terrain and weather condi-

tions,” says Janean Davies, Cummins SA

Heavy-Duty OEM relationship manager.

Davies highlights the fact that the VGT con-

stantly adjusts air flow based on engine load,

fuel quality, ambient pressure and tempera-

ture conditions, thereby ensuring reduced

turbo lag, improved transient response and

increased vehicle performance.

“The ISM also offers several engine fea-

tures to help improve fuel efficiency, includ-

ing load-based speed control, gear-down

protection and idle management that deliver

up to 100 lb-ft of extra torque in the top two

gears,” she adds.

According to Billet, the vast amount of

‘sticky dust’ is a challenge that is unique to

South Africa. “This was noted and addressed

during the design phase, as the dust has the

potential to cause engine damage, which

ultimately results in more vehicle downtime

and related costs. To overcome this chal-

lenge, we installed the highest quality air

filtration systems and moved the air intake

up to the top of the vehicle, where the dust

is less dense.”

Billet points out that manual labour is

another factor that Autocar SA has to take

into consideration when modifying the

Xpeditor for the local waste collection vehi-

cle market. “In some countries, only one

person mans the truck, while all other func-

tions are carried out via automated arms. In

South Africa, however, there are as many as

six people on the truck at any given time,

which results in the centre of gravity being

shifted back to allow for the crew cabs that

are prevalent on many South African waste

collection vehicles. As a result, we have

unique configurations for each application

and truck body to ensure that each truck has

the correct weight distribution.”

In order to cater to the unique local

demands, the Xpeditor range is available

with vertical and horizontal exhaust posi-

tions, flexible component placement and siz-

ing, medium- or heavy-duty Allison automatic

transmissions, rear axle ratings from 10.4

to 32.7 t and a variety of options to ensure

that the vehicle is custom-suited to

its application.

Davies points out that all Autocar

Xpeditor trucks come standard with

a 2-year/402 338 km (whichever

comes first) warranty from Cummins

SA. Billet notes that the Autocar Xpeditor

range has been well received by the local

market to date. “A number of orders have

already been placed, particularly in the

Gauteng region, and currently we are in the

process of working with municipalities and

private contractors to develop purpose-built

solutions, based upon their unique needs, to

improve the performance of their fleets.”

A number of orders have already been placed, particularly in the

Gauteng region

Follow us on Twitter@Barloworldequip

Follow us on Facebook Barloworld Equipment Southern Africa

LANDFILL COMPACTORS. MORE WASTE IN LESS TIME.

Let’s Talk.

Spread, compact and cover large volume of incoming waste. The 862H Cat compactor is a fast working, tough machine that produces exceptional compaction from all types of material. Specifically designed wheels, tips and their layouts, combined with optimised working parameters (layer thickness, number of passes), make it possible for you to achieve an optimum compaction and machine productivity every time.

For more information contact our call centre on 0800 21 22 48 or visit www.barloworld-equipment.com

1

2 3 4

Tel: 0861 999 984 Cell: 082 747 1920

19 Sixth Street, Wynberg, Jhbsales @mfangano.co.za

www.mfangano.co.za

• Cleaning and Sweeping Equipment

• Horizontal grinders • Wood Chippers – big & small

• Wood shaver • Compost turners

• Forestry Mulchers • Stump Grinders

• Waste Tyre Recycling Solutions

Horizontal Grinder Chipper

Chipper Tire Shredder

Sweeper Scrubber Tire Cutter

Sweeper

NEED SOLUTIONS?

RAYCO RANGE

Maximising composting capacity

Landfi ll Consulting has carved a profi table niche for itself

in the benefi ciation of green waste into compost for the

City of Cape Town.

James Kamau of Mfangano, dedicated dis-

tributors of the Rayco range of products,

discusses how just one initial machine

has been instrumental in turning Landfill Con-

sulting’s fate around.

According to Kamau, the biggest challenge

facing contractors of green waste is to max-

imise profit and streamline operations while

reducing costs. He says: “Landfill Consulting

initially ran

a 500 hp

machine, which

resulted in very

high fuel costs

and a stag-

nant output of

approximately

80 m3/h. We

knew that we

could supply a

240 hp Rayco

grinder that

would halve the

fuel cost and

still process the

same amount

of material.”

Since the first machine was commissioned

in October last year, Mfangano has deliv-

ered a second, which means that Landfill

Consultants has now doubled its capacity

at the same running cost. Kamau contin-

ues: “Another aspect that we took into

consideration is the very wet working condi-

tions of not only the material but Cape Town

itself. To offset this problem, we modified

the grinding teeth. This is another key ser-

vice: we can modify a machine to clients’

particular needs.

“The Rayco RH1754-240 boasts a power-

ful 240 hp Cummins 6.7-litre diesel engine,

a longer discharge conveyor and other

enhancements

to maximise

throughput while

keeping operat-

ing costs at a

minimum. The

discharge con-

veyer is over

12-feet high,

which facilitates

loading onto

open-top trailers

or chip piles,

while screens

can be changed

in minutes,

allowing the

operator to size

product to exact specifications. Variable

speed control on both in-feed and discharge

conveyors can be tailored to virtually any

grinding applications and the machine is

competitively priced and ideal for South

African conditions,” concludes Kamau.

We knew that we could supply a 240 hp Rayco grinder that would halve the fuel cost”


Plant & equipment


Plant & equipment

Manitou South Africa, a subsidiary of

the Manitou Group in France, has

recently introduced the new Waste

Handler as an innovative alternative to the TLB,

especially on the smaller sites that make up

around 70% of the approximately 1 000 landfills

in South Africa. Its introduction follows intensive

product development in cooperation with Inter-

waste, a leading South African waste manage-

ment and environmental services company.

The Manitou Waste Handler is a versatile,

holistic waste management system that can

efficiently tow, push, load, compact and effect

on-site dust control measures. Only one man

is needed to operate the machine, making it

an economically attractive option.

It can load its own cover material from the

site stockpile, can be used to collect waste

materials and is ideally suited to handle the

problem of illegal dumping.

During recent site trials, the Manitou Waste

Handler exceeded minimum requirements as

it processed and compacted over 50 t of

waste per hour averaged over a nine-hour shift.

Compaction densities of 450 kg/m3 (without

cover) and 550 kg/m3 (including cover mate-

rial) were achieved. This represents an impres-

sive 3:1 compaction ratio (loose general waste

has an average density of 150 kg/m3.

The Waste Handler is based on a standard

Manitou Telescopic, adapted with protective

guards and Belly plates to suit harsh landfill

MANITOU WASTE HANDLER

New waste management market player

site conditions. It also features solid tyres,

which remove the threat of punctures that

standard TLBs are particularly prone to.

The Manitou Waste Handler is supported

nationwide by an expert technical team that

can offer operational training on the machine

as well as guidance on the implementation

of its landfill applications and general waste

management training

Along with the Waste Handler, the Manitou

Group also supplies the waste management

industry with the Gehl skid-steer loader, which,

when fitted with the Turbo Saw attachment,

can be used to clear, remove and process

large green waste materials for composting.

The companyManitou South Africa distributes and sup-

ports a wide range of material handling

equipment to the construction, agricultural,

mining, defence and environmental sec-

tors. High-performance levels and safe-

ty standards as well as lower operating

costs enable Manitou to deliver improved

operational profitability.

The company operates an advanced nation-

wide aftermarket and support service offering

95% parts availability 24 hours a day through-

out the year on all Manitou equipment.

The company offers specially tailored

service and finance packages structured

to meet individual business requirements,

whether operating a single machine or a

large fleet.

Warranties and maintenance contracts

are also among a comprehensive range of

personalised services available with the

purchase of every Manitou machine.

Manitou South Africa is based in Spartan,

Johannesburg, and is represented by deal-

ers throughout South Africa as well as in the

Southern African region.

ALL IMAGES During recent site trials the Manitou Waste Handler processed and compacted over 50 t of waste per hour averaged over a nine-hour shift

Until now, the only machine that was able to execute the full range of daily workface

operations required on a small modern landfi ll site was a tractor loader backhoe (TLB).


Industry news

S outh Africa has the

distinction of being

one of only 12 coun-

tries in the world where it is

safe to drink tap water. As of

2012, the good news is that

the quality of South African

tap water was ranked as third

best overall.

South African municipali-

ties have wholehear tedly

embraced the internation-

al Blue Drop cer tification

programme, which is an

incentive-based initiative

that is used to regulate

water services bodies world-

wide in order to improve

and maintain the quality

of tap drinking water. Blue

Drop cer tification covers

a multitude of aspects of

water management.

Deidré Nxumalo-Freeman, presi-

dent of the IWMSA, says: “In South Africa,

our constitution dictates that access to

safe drinking water is a basic human right.

The Department of Water Affairs instituted

the Blue Drop programme in 2008 and

INDEX TO ADVERTISERS

AfriSam IBC

Amandus Kahl 25

Barloworld Equipment 52

Buhle Waste 42

Collect-A-Can IFC

Duncanmec 50

Envitech Solutions 19

Ethekwini Municipality: Durban

Solid Waste 21

Golder Associates 23

Howden 24

Interwaste OBC

Jan Palm Consulting Engineers 13

Manitou SA 54

Mercedes-Benz OFC

Mfangano Solutions 53

Mills & Otten 11

Mpact 26

Odorcure 30

Oilkol 4, 31 & 38

Otto Waste Systems 40

Pikitup 28

Pilot Crushtec 49

Plastics|SA 47

Rose Foundation 2

University of Johannesburg/PEETS 8 & 9

Watertec Africa/Pumps Vales & Pipes

Africa 2013 39 & LI

IWMSA

SA’s drinking water world classWater is essential to all life on earth and, in solidarity with the focus on World Water this

past month, the Institute of Waste Management of Southern Africa (IWMSA) applauds

South Africa’s municipalities for their continued monitoring of, and attention to, the

quality of our drinking water.

since then, we have largely

seen continuous improve-

ment in the rankings of our

municipalities in respect of

drinking water quality.

“One source of our water

is groundwater, water that

collects underground from

runoff; we consider it essen-

tial that people are aware of

how easily our water tables

can become contaminated

through bad waste manage-

ment practices. We also

need to be vigilant when it

comes to maintaining and

upgrading the infrastructure

that allows us to have a high

quality of drinking water.

“The IWMSA is strongly

focused on education and

training, and has worked

effectively with a number of

municipal bodies in order to better

equip them with an understanding of the

importance of effective waste manage-

ment from the ground up. As such, we

believe in the efficacy of getting a mes-

sage across, particularly to those working

at grass-roots level, in order to engender a

greater appreciation of the importance of

their various functions.

Nxumalo-Freeman concludes: “While our

local and district municipalities are respon-

sible for ensuring that we have access to

safe drinking water, the quality of which

must be regularly monitored and measured

to see whether it matches up to national

drinking water standards; we must all

assist in the process and we believe that

the IWMSA has an important role to play

in creating awareness along with empower-

ment through information.”

The IWMSA is a non-profit organisation

comprising a body of dedicated profession-

als in their respective fields who give freely

and voluntarily of their time and expertise

in order to effectively educate, promote and

further the science and practice of waste

management. For more information, visit:

www.iwmsa.co.za

Noteworthy

The Department of Water Affairs pro-

vides detailed information about the

quality of area-specific drinking water as

well as a comprehensive overview of the

Blue Drop programme.

SOLID AND LIQUIDWASTE

TREATMENT

RESOURCERECOVERY

Recycling

MetalsRecovery

ON-SITESERVICES

Waste Minimisation

COMMODITYTRADING

TECHNICALSERVICES

Waste Classification

Research andDevelopment

WASTELOGISTICS

LEGALCOMPLIANCE

Reporting

WASTEDISPOSAL AND

FACILITIES MANAGEMENT

Development, Operation and

Closure

The Leader in Sustainability

We’re using our grey matter to go green

Concern for an increasingly fragile planet is everyone’s business. We took the lead in the move towards a sustainable future when we became

the fi rst company in the world to measure the carbon footprint at each and every one of our operations. We continue to lead, reducing our

emissions, improving our energy effi ciency and developing advanced composite cements with low carbon footprints.

For us, however, sustainability extends beyond practices and products. Social upliftment is a big part of the future too...

which is why we invest so deeply in developing the communities in which we operate.

So when it comes to specifying cement, insist on AfriSam.

A MEMBER OF THE

5487

/leftr

ight

ReSource+May2013+LowRes

Documents

Transcript of ReSource+May2013+LowRes