NATIONAL WASTE MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES AND ACTION PLANS SOUTH AFRICA

Action Plan Development PHASE

Executive summary *
Table of content *
List of terms, abbreviations and definitions *

1. BACKGROUND *

2. ANALYSIS *

3. LOGICAL FRAMEWORK ANALYSIS *

4. Implementation *

Annexures *

For historical reasons, more than 50% of the South African communities, especially those in the townships, rural areas and informal settlements, do not have access to waste collection systems.

Often, where services do exist, the standards are very poor, characterised by erratic collection systems and poor service delivery. General waste, which is not collected regularly, accumulates in residential settlements and residents and collection workers are exposed to pathogens, insects, rodents and decomposition products. In some areas, separation at source of medical waste arising from hospitals, clinics and doctors’ consulting rooms does not take place, and the waste is disposed of with the general waste with the result that residents and collection workers are also exposed to sharps and infectious micro-organisms.

In unserviced and poorly serviced areas, the waste is typically dumped directly on the ground, thus having to be shovelled by hand, or front end loader for removal. A more structured and standardised collection system is therefore required for South Africa, which will address the poorly serviced and unserviced areas.

Section 24 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa (Act 108 of 1996) states that the people of South Africa have the right to an environment that is not detrimental to human health, and imposes a duty on the state to promulgate legislation and to implement policies to ensure that this right is upheld. To date, a number of steps have been taken, to ensure this environmental right: including the publication of the Environmental Management Policy for South Africa, the publication of the Draft White Paper on Integrated Pollution and Waste Management (IP&WM), the promulgation of the National Water Act and National Environmental Management Act, and the development of a National Waste Management Strategy.

The project for the development of a National Waste Management Strategy (NWMS) for South Africa was initiated during 1997 by the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry (DWAF) and the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (DEAT), with financial support from the Danish Co-operation for Environment and Development (Danced). The overall objective of the NWMS is to reduce the generation and environmental impact of all forms of waste, so that the health of the people and the quality of the environmental resources are no longer affected by uncontrolled and uncoordinated waste management. In line with the IP&WM approach, the NWMS addresses all elements in the waste management hierarchy.

The NWMS project comprises four phases:

Phase I, the Inception Phase, during which, in consultation with stakeholders, detailed planning for the project was undertaken was completed in December 1997.

Phase II, the Situation/Baseline Analysis Phase was completed in May 1998. During this phase, waste issues, problems and needs were identified, and the findings synthesised into an integrated situation/baseline analysis, which was workshopped with stakeholders to identify the waste management needs and issues to be addressed in the strategy formulation phase.

Phase III, the Strategy Formulation Phase, commenced immediately after completion of the Situation/Baseline Analysis Phase, with debate of the key issues identified during that phase, and development of a broad range of strategic options and scenarios. The Draft NWMS, Version ‘a’ document was compiled based on these inputs and direction from the Project Steering Committee (PSC), and workshopped with stakeholders in November 1998. At the request of workshop attendees and the PSC, the Draft NWMS, Version ‘b’ document was compiled, and issued for stakeholder comment over the period mid-December 1998 to mid-February 1999. Input received has been compiled in a Stakeholder Analysis Report, and will be incorporated in the final draft NWMS that will be considered and ratified by government.

Phase IV, Action Plan Development Phase. The process of developing Action Plans to implement the priority strategic initiatives identified in the draft NWMS commenced in early 1999. In order to develop a practically implementable strategy the priority initiatives have been categorised into short-term (by the year 2004), medium-term (by the year 2008) and long-term (by the year 2012) priorities. Stakeholders have for the most part accepted a number of initiatives that require urgent attention. Of these implementation of integrated waste management planning, provision of general waste collection services to previously unserviced areas and the development and implementation of the Waste Information System were identified as high priority. Draft Action Plans have therefore been developed for Integrated Waste Management Planning, General Waste Collection, and Waste Information System, as well as a project plan for the implementing instruments. During the development of each draft Action Plan, due cognisance was taken of all stakeholder comments compiled in the Analysis Report.

Action Plans, Set I, which were developed between February and April 1999, are for the implementation of the short-term high priority strategic initiatives for Integrated Waste Management Planning, the Waste Information System, General Waste Collection, and Implementing Instruments. Action Plans, Set II, which will be developed over the period May to September 1999, are for the remaining elements of integrated waste management, namely Waste Minimisation, Recycling, Hazardous Waste Collection, Treatment, Waste Disposal and Capacity Building.

The long-term objective of the general waste collection component of the National Waste Management Strategy is to provide sustainable, affordable and environmentally acceptable general waste collection services to all the people of South Africa. The immediate short-term objective is to initiate appropriate, affordable and sustainable collection services for at least 300 000 households in high density unserviced areas by 2004.

The Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism will develop guidelines, and set national standards for general waste collection services. The provincial environmental departments will develop regulations and set provincial standards for general waste collection services that will be implemented at the local government level. Local government will be responsible for implementation of the general waste collection systems. Partnerships between all stakeholders will be encouraged and promoted.

As general domestic waste may contain small quantities of hazardous waste, the long-term strategy is to separate at source the hazardous components in domestic waste from the general household waste, and to promote recycling, wherever possible.

Development of this Action Plan commenced with a review of the status quo of general waste collection in South Africa, and of environmental policy and strategy. The NWMS, and specifically the short-term priority initiatives for general waste collection, formed the basis for development of this Action Plan. The Logical Framework Analysis approach was used to develop the Action Plan, which entailed an analysis of problems, stakeholders and risks to successful implementation of the Action Plan. This analysis was followed by a Logical Framework Analysis, in which project objectives, outputs, activities required to achieve the outputs, inputs, assumptions (external factors) and the means of verification were determined and described. Finally, the functions, roles and responsibilities of implementers and procedures for evaluating, reviewing and reporting on the implementation of this Action Plan were described.

This Action Plan represents a first generation plan aimed at addressing the key issues, needs and problems currently experienced with general waste collection in South Africa. However, this document represents the optimum approach to the implementation of general waste collection services in terms of resource allocation, time schedule and responsibilities. Resource constraints may limit the full implementation of the Action Plan according to the proposed time schedule, thus continual monitoring and adaptation to meet the practical realities will be required. As increased resources become available, additional initiatives can be implemented.

The most essential background information for further development and implementation of the Action Plan for General Waste Collection is contained in the following documents:

• Stakeholder Analysis Report, 10 March 1999, draft report PMG 112.
• National Waste Management Strategy, Vol. 1 and 2, 17 December 1998, draft report Version B, PMG 98 and 99.
• Strategic Options Discussion Document, Synthesis Report, 3 August 1998, PMG 69, including Annexure A – Non Hazardous Waste, PMG 70 and Annexure B – Hazardous and Related Waste, PMG 71.
• Situation/Baseline Analysis Report, Synthesis Report, 30 March 1998, PMG 26.
• Situation/Baseline Analysis Report, Annexure A – Non Hazardous Waste, 27 March 1998, PMG 27 and Annexure B – Hazardous and Related Waste, 27 March 1998, PMG 28.
  

The current level of general waste collection service varies for different areas and ranges from non-serviced to fully serviced areas. Although waste collection is an integral part of waste management, attention has in the past mainly focused on disposal. The variation in levels of service for different areas is shown in Table 1.1.

The proportion of waste which remains uncollected is increasing and in South Africa it is estimated that in excess of 20 million people, mostly in rural and informal peri-urban and urban communities, do not receive acceptable waste management services.

In South Africa, the average rural settlement consists of 2 500 people, with a density of about 3 dwelling units per hectare. In urban areas, the average size of a local authority is about 50 000 people, and densities in the high density areas are generally above 15 dwelling units per hectare.

Collection systems, such as kerbside collection, are feasible and practicable in established urban townships with infrastructure, but are not appropriate in rural settlements. In low-density rural settlements, waste is traditionally buried in pits situated on each property, so that waste collection systems are not required. Historically, waste collection systems were imposed on communities without consultation. This lack of transparency and undemocratic practice resulted in the services being discredited by the recipient communities. Since attention was focused on issues such as housing, health and unemployment, there was a limited awareness of waste management, which contributed to the practice of non-payment of services. There are also limited human resources, infrastructure and financial capacity in the authorities responsible for providing the waste collection services. In some areas, the rates levied for waste collection are not sufficient to cover the cost of the collection service.

Where centrally placed skips are provided in rural areas and urban townships, the distances between waste generation and collection points are often long. This results in littering, illegal dumping and burning of waste. Litter and illegal dumping are some of the symptoms of the non-collection of waste or poor waste collection services in residential, industrial and commercial situations. This dumping has negative environmental impacts and poses health hazards.

The Constitution assigns responsibility for refuse removal, refuse dumps and solid waste disposal to local government. Provincial government has the exclusive responsibility to ensure that local governments carry out these functions effectively.

The DEAT has the overall responsibility for the co-ordination of waste management and will ensure that a regulatory framework is in place in which the provincial and local government can operate.

In Section 152 (1) of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa (Act 108 of 1996), one of the responsibilities of local government is to ensure the provisions of services to communities in a sustainable manner. Most cities and towns have by-laws on waste collection. However, due to limited human and financial resources, collection services are not provided to all communities. Furthermore, current legislation is not effectively enforced by all provinces due to limited staff and capacity in provincial departments.

Since the absence of waste collection services can give rise to health hazards, certain provisions of the Health Act (Act 63 of 1977) are important. The objective of the Health Act is, "to provide for measures for promotion of the health of the inhabitants of the Republic". To enable the Act to meet this objective, the Minister of Health can:

• In terms of Section 34, make regulations relating to "any condition, which is likely to constitute a danger to health, or to remedying or removing any such condition".
• In terms of Section 38, the Minister may make regulations relating to rubbish, night soil, sewage or other waste and reclaimed products.
• In terms of Section 20, "every local authority shall take lawful, necessary and reasonable practicable measures to maintain its district at all times in a hygienic and clean condition".

The Environmental Conservation Act (Act 73 of 1989) is the only Act that deals specifically with waste management. Sections 19, 24, 24A, and 31 of the Act have an impact on waste collection.

• Section 19 deals primarily with the prohibition of littering – (1) No person shall discard, dump or leave any litter on land or water surface, street, road or site in or on any place to which the public has access, except in a container or at a place which has been specially indicated, provided or set apart for such purpose. (2) The authority in control should provide the containers.
• Section 24 makes provision for the Minister to make regulations with regard to waste management, concerning a wide range of topics and in Section 24(k) makes provision for "any other matter which he may deem necessary or expedient in connection with the effective disposal of waste for the protection of the environment".
• Section 24A deals with regulations regarding littering – "The Administrator may make regulations with regard to the control of the dumping of litter".
• Section 31 describes the powers of the Minister and Administrator in case of default by local authority.

While the National Water Act (Act 36 of 1998) deals primarily with the utilisation of water, it does contain important provisions in Section 21(g) with regard to the disposal of waste in a manner that may detrimentally impact on the quality of water resources.

The Consultative National Environmental Policy Process (CONNEPP) resulted in the development of the Environmental Management Policy for South Africa and the promulgation of the National Environmental Management Act (NEMA) (Act 107 of 1998). This Act provides for co-operative environmental governance by establishing principles for decision-making on matters affecting the environment. An important function of NEMA is to serve as an enabling Act for the promulgation of legislation to effectively address integrated environmental (including waste) management.

Whereas the Environmental Management Policy delineates government’s broad policy on environmental management, the Draft White Paper on Integrated Pollution and Waste Management (IP&WM) for South Africa, details government's policy on pollution and waste management. This policy formed the point of departure and framework for the NWMS.

The over-arching goal of the IP&WM policy is to move from a previously fragmented situation of uncoordinated waste management to that of integrated waste management. The Draft White Paper on Integrated Pollution and Waste Management defines the government’s approach to the management of waste, i.e. an holistic and integrated management approach extending over the entire waste cycle from cradle to grave including the generation, storage, collection, transportation, treatment and final disposal of waste.

The IP&WM policy represents a paradigm shift in South Africa’s approach to waste management. Historically, pollution control generally focused on impact management and remediation of pollution. However, to ensure sustainable development, the focus has moved to pollution prevention. The National Waste Management Strategy (NWMS) process was undertaken to ensure that the IP&WM policy is translated into practice. Central to the development of the strategy for integrated waste management has been:

• The pollution avoidance/prevention and waste minimisation approach that focuses on the source of waste and moves away from the "end-of-pipe" solutions.
• The need to extend waste collection, waste transportation, waste treatment and disposal services to an acceptable level to all communities and provide waste management services for the country as a whole.

The NWMS establishes a framework for the collection of waste in South Africa. It aims to clarify government policy and presents government’s approach to establishing waste collection services in the country. In particular, its purpose is to clarify roles, to define functions and to provide the basic framework within which waste collection regulatory functions can be allocated to the three tiers of government.

This Action Plan was developed to implement the short-term priority initiative for general waste collection, namely:

The DEAT will develop guidelines, standards and regulations for general waste collection. Local government will initiate the phased implementation of waste collection services for high-density, unserviced areas. Waste collection services are to be established throughout South Africa, starting in 1999 and collected by the year 2012. Priority has been given to establishing general waste collection services in unserviced and poorly serviced residential areas with the target of securing basic services for at least 300 000 households in high density unserviced areas by the end of 2004.

In draft the NWMS, Version ‘b’, short-term was defined as the period 1999 to2002, medium-term as 2003 to 2006 and long-term as 2007 to 2010. However, during this phase of Action Plan development, it became clear that implementation of the Action Plans Set I would not begin before July 1999, and there was also uncertainty as to whether sufficient budgetary provision has been made for implementation of the Action Plans in the 1999/2000 budget. It was therefore agreed that these short-term Action Plans would cover the period July 1999 to December 2004.

To meet the long-term objective of general waste collection, various options for waste collection systems that provide appropriate, affordable and sustainable waste collection services will be investigated and the results of this study, including conclusions and recommendations will be published by the DEAT. Based on this report, guidelines for general waste collection will be developed and national standards set by the DEAT in consultation with the provincial environmental departments. Promulgation of regulations and setting of provincial standards will then be undertaken by the provincial environmental departments in consultation with local government. Factors such as the environmental and health risks to the community will be considered in the selection of the first 300 000 households to receive waste collection services. The existing standards of waste collection services will be maintained, and improved where necessary, in currently serviced areas. In future, any planned settlements will be provided with waste collection services from inception. Selection and implementation of waste collection systems will be decided in consultation with the community. Public-private and other appropriate partnerships for general waste collection will be encouraged.

Services will be established in the following order of priority:

• Unserviced residential areas with more than 5 000 people and more than
  10 dwellings per hectare.
• Partly or poorly serviced residential areas.
• Unserviced low-density residential areas.

The historical problems of non-payment for services will be addressed through education and awareness programmes, for example through the Masakhane campaign, and through community consultation and involvement, and joint decision-making. Awareness programmes will be used to promote an understanding of the need for waste management, including the importance of waste collection and how the service fees are used to fund this waste collection.

The enforcement of regulations for waste collection, that make provision for appropriate recycling, are an important part of the NWMS.

To redress past imbalances in service provision, it is imperative that access to acceptable, affordable and sustainable waste management services be provided to all South Africans. Waste collection is a service that improves the quality of life of communities. Issues that should be considered include:

• The absence of waste collection standards often results in poor quality waste collection services.
• Uncollected waste causes a number of environmental and health problems:

• It is unsightly.
• Accumulations of waste attract vermin such as rats and flies that act as vectors for the transmission of diseases.
• Decomposition of the accumulated waste gives rise to unpleasant odours and the formation of leachate that may be harmful to health and impact negatively on both surface and ground water.
• Uncontrolled burning of waste causes air pollution.

• Waste collection improves the quality of life of residents and makes the area cleaner and more acceptable as places to live and work but is dependent on people being willing to pay for the service.
• Waste collection activities create jobs and provide opportunities for the creation of small businesses.
• A cleaner environment encourages investment in the community.

In the Situation Baseline Analysis (PMG 26) it was determined that approximately 35% to 40% of households are serviced by means of kerbside waste collection, 40% to 50% of households have no collection and the remaining are serviced by skip collection. Waste in unserviced areas, that can not be recycled, is usually either burnt causing air pollution or dumped causing litter, or is buried.

An analysis of current general waste collection identified the following problems:

• The legislation and enforcement of legislation, is inadequate. There are no national waste collection standards.
• The current legislation (local by-laws) has not been fully implemented.
• In some instances, the service providers do not have the support of the stakeholders and do not provide acceptable services.
• There are limited human resources, poor infrastructure and limited financial capacity in the authorities responsible for providing the waste collection services.
• Financial resources are crucial to quality service delivery. Insufficient funding and unsustainable financial resources result in projects/initiatives losing momentum.
• Some contractors have limited waste management expertise.

• Although waste collection is an integral part of waste management, sufficient emphasis has not been given to appropriate waste collection services in the past.
• Inappropriate services, in the form of skips and by using front-end loaders to remove accumulated waste, were provided in the past.
• Illegal dumping and waste accumulation in residential areas.
• Existing waste collection services are often inefficient.

• There is a limited awareness of the need for effective waste management in the high density, low-income communities.
• It is difficult for contractors (particularly small contractors) to obtain finance for capital investment in machinery and equipment.
• Non-payment for services because of insufficient transparency, credibility and undemocratic practices and inappropriate and inadequate service delivery.
• In some cases, the services provided were not appropriate, adequate nor affordable for the recipient community.
• Service charges levied by most local authorities are not a true reflection of the actual cost of the service and this directly affects the quality of service delivery and/or its sustainability.

The involvement of stakeholders in the provision of waste collection services is crucial to the success of this Action Plan. Poor waste collection services impacts on the waste generator and the immediate environment. The community will be empowered to take ownership of the waste collection system by involving them throughout the waste management process.

The waste collection services envisaged cannot be sustained without co-operation between the community, the local authority and the service provider.

The following stakeholders are critical to the sustainability of waste collection:

• Local residents to participate in, and support, the waste collection system.
• Community Based Organisations (CBOs), including ratepayers associations, to mobilise community assistance and support to ensure that collection takes place effectively and efficiently.
• Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs) to assist in the community education, for example at workshops to promote a positive attitude and active participation by the community in the collection services.
• Service providers e.g. waste contractors (both large, established waste removal contractors and small, emerging contractors). To ensure transparency and stakeholder support, it is important that the recipient community and CBOs, as well as the local authority, are involved in the selection and appointment of the service providers.
• The local authorities (waste management department, health department and planning department), including associations such as the South African Local Governments Association (SALGA) are central to the implementation of this initiative.
• All local governments will take responsibility for the establishment and maintenance of collection services and will implement awareness campaign and capacity building programmes. SALGA will assist with the implementation of capacity building programmes for local government.
• National and provincial environmental departments directly and indirectly have an influence on waste collection e.g. DEAT, DWAF, and Constitutional Development, Health, Labour, etc., by co-ordination and support of the process, including the development of guidelines and regulations, establishment of funding mechanisms and development of awareness campaigns and capacity building programmes.

The above mentioned stakeholders are expected to support the implementation of the general waste collection Action Plan, thus ensuring the provision of waste collection services for 300 000 households initially (by 2004).

The following risks have been identified as critical to the implementation of the Waste Collection Action Plan:

• Government and other decision-makers may not regard waste as a priority issue.
• All stakeholders may not accept the IP&WM policy.

• The existing enabling legislation may not be sufficient.
• The legislation component of the implementing instruments is not in place.
• Enforcement of the legislation may be inadequate.

• Clear responsibilities and duties are not assigned, or not accepted by all involved parties.
• Sufficient human resources are not available, especially in government departments.
• The identified implementers may not accept assigned responsibility for the implementation of the Action Plan.

• Full commitment to the public participation processes from all tiers of government and stakeholders may not be available.
• If public consultation does not reach the correct target group, or if the service provider does not have the support of the community, the proposed collection systems may not be acceptable to the community.

• Limited financial resources result in poor compliance with waste collection standards and the lowering of the current standards.
• Non payment for services due to poor service delivery or because of a culture of non-payment.
• Financial resources are not available.
• Funding mechanisms for the initial capital investment costs of collection entrepreneurs are not available.

• Inadequate awareness and education for waste management issues.
• Capacity building programmes, necessary to develop personnel, are not completed timeously.
• Public awareness campaigns are not implemented in parallel with the implementation of waste collection services.

The Action Plan development took place between February and April 1999.

A Task Team was established for the development of the short-term priority Action Plan for general waste collection. A Departmental Task Leader (DTL), who will be responsible for the implementation of the Action Plan after September 1999, was identified for the Task Team. The DTL, together with the Task Team consultant, was the driving force for the drafting activities. The DTL also participates in Action Plan Implementation Group (APIG) meetings and will ensure the lateral and vertical co-ordination within the implementing organisation.

The Action Plans were developed using the Logical Framework Analysis Approach, which is a structured methodology for project identification, planning and monitoring that is commonly used by international development agencies. The Logical Framework Analysis Approach consists of a logical sequence of steps leading the task team through analyses of the stakeholders, objectives and alternative strategies to development of a Logical Framework Analysis (LFA) Matrix, which describes the project objectives, outputs, activities required to achieve the outputs, inputs, assumptions (external factors) and verification.

Following analysis of the problems, stakeholders and risks, a Logical Framework Analysis (LFA) matrix was prepared. The LFA matrix contains an outline of the logical steps, which, if the assumptions are realised, are necessary to achieve the Action Plan objectives. The LFA matrix for this Action Plan is attached as Annexure A. The elements of the matrix are described in greater detail below.

The development objective of the NWMS is the reduced generation and environmental impact of all forms of waste, so that the socio-economic development of South Africa, the health of its people and the quality of its environmental resources are no longer adversely affected by uncontrolled and uncoordinated waste management.

The long-term objective of the general waste collection component of the strategy is to provide an appropriate, affordable and sustainable waste collection service to all the people of South Africa by 2012.

The key to this initiative will be to empower communities to manage their own waste through their local authorities, which are responsible for the provision of collection services, and to facilitate the implementation of acceptable and affordable waste collection systems.

The immediate objective is to initiate and implement appropriate, sustainable and environmentally acceptable waste collection services by local government, for at least 300 000 households in high-density, unserviced areas in South Africa by local government, within the period 1999 to 2004 covered by this Action Plan.

The following outputs will be produced:

1. A report compiled by DEAT documenting the investigation of affordable and sustainable waste collection service models, with appropriate conclusions and recommendations, will be prepared by December 2000.
2. Guidelines for appropriate waste collection services, which cater for appropriate recycling and set national standards, will be developed by DEAT in consultation with the provinces by December 2001.
3. The provincial environmental departments will draft regulations in consultation with local government that may set stricter provincial standards for waste collection services, by June 2002.
4. Waste collection services for the identified 300 000 previously unserviced households will be implemented by local government, in close consultation with communities, from 2002 onwards. (These collection services will be implemented in addition to any expansion of waste collection services to unserviced areas that is currently being planned and executed by certain local governments with adequate capacity and resources. It is not the intention of this Action Plan that such expansion of waste collection services be delayed until 2002.)
5. Sufficient suitably capacitated staff will be required at the local level in the public and private sectors to implement waste collection services (job creation) from 2002 onwards. This initiative will also create jobs and provide opportunities for small contractors.

The DEAT will constitute an investigation team and draw up Terms of Reference for this team. With the help of a Network group, comprising those persons who have the relevant expertise in the field of waste collection, and other relevant stakeholders, the investigation team will identify relevant case studies and experience of appropriate waste collection service models. The experience from existing relevant collection systems will also be analysed, to determine what has succeeded and what has failed, including the experience of both the service providers and the receiving community. An investigation report will be compiled, with conclusions and recommendations, to facilitate the preparation of waste collection Guidelines and implementation of sustainable collection systems. The CEC, Mintech Workgroup 3, NEAF and Stakeholders will review and comment on the report before finalisation.

The DEAT will constitute a Guideline drafting team and draw up Terms of Reference for this team. The guidelines drafting team will review the existing guidelines for waste collection and use the investigation report (Section 3.5.1) to compile draft National Guidelines for General Waste Collection, in consultation with other government departments and stakeholders, by December 2001. The draft guidelines will be issued for comment before finalisation and distribution to all provincial and local governments and relevant stakeholders. Consultation with other government departments and stakeholders will take place through the CEC, Mintech Workgroup 3 and NEAF, and other appropriate stakeholder consultative forums.

The National Guidelines will cover a range of issues related to waste collection services, and will also set affordable, sustainable national standards for waste collection in South Africa (which apply to both public and private sector service providers). The guidelines will be flexible and adaptable to site-specific circumstances and will be reviewed to take account of changing knowledge, expertise, and political, social and economic circumstances in South Africa.

Issues that will be addressed in the National Guidelines for waste collection include:

• The role of local government and other stakeholders.
• Establishment of partnerships for service delivery. Providing guidance on contracting work out, e.g. how to initiate this, how to deal with contractors, the nature of public-private partnerships, etc.
• Tender procedures, including terms of reference, contract documentation, tender adjudication and contract administration.
• How to calculate the cost of collection and set the fees.
• The range of collection service models available with an indication of those models that are appropriate in different areas.
• Implementation and integration of the waste management hierarchy.
• The most appropriate vehicles for use in different areas.
• The size and number of receptacles required to collect the volumes of waste generated.
• Guidelines to meet the occupational health and safety legislative requirements and hygiene issues.
• Appropriate recycling to reduce the waste stream.
• The availability of disposal sites for the collected waste. Regional landfills in co-operation with neighbouring local governments will be considered.
• The handling and transportation of the different types of waste.
• Public participation and community involvement.
• The different approaches to raise public awareness of waste management issues will be outlined.
• Suggested penalties for non-compliance with national standards and provincial regulations.

Each provincial environmental department will review existing waste collection regulations, by-laws, the National Guidelines and the investigation report and will compile draft regulations and/or amend existing regulations for Waste Collection in consultation with local government. The draft regulations will be published for comment by national and local governments and other stakeholders, and then be finalised and gazetted. The final regulations will be distributed to all local governments and relevant stakeholders in the province.

Local government may establish by-laws, which augment national and provincial regulations that will be enforced by the local or regional authorities.

Provincial regulations will be focused on the waste collection needs of the specific province, and will apply to all service providers, whether public or private sector. These regulations may be stricter than the standards set in the national guidelines, which will be the minimum requirement. Whenever possible, provincial regulations will be objective-based and will allow for continuous improvement and learning from experience, especially in the short-term. The provincial environmental departments will enforce the regulations by regular monitoring of collection services provided by the local government in the province. Co-operation between provinces will be encouraged through the Mintech Workgroup 3.

A DEAT Task Team will be established , to identify suitable households in high density unserviced areas. A map will be developed specifying areas of waste collection servicing and classifying areas into unserviced, partly or poorly serviced, or fully serviced. In addition, the map/text will clearly define those areas under development that should implement a waste collection system. Using the map of identified high density, unserviced areas the team will initially select approximately 500 000 households. Following evaluation and consultation with the relevant provincial and local governments and affected communities, the selection of 300 000 households in high density unserviced areas will be finalised. Consultation with other government departments and stakeholders will take place through the CEC, Mintech Workgroup 3 and NEAF and through other appropriate stakeholder consultative forums at local level.

The following selection criteria for the households will be used:

• The households should be distributed over all nine provinces.
• The number of project areas should not exceed eighteen.
• Areas selected should involve an entire community.
• The local authority is willing to co-operate, is committed and has an appropriate level of resources (both human and financial) to support the initiative.
• The recipient communities should be willing to co-operate and make a commitment to the project.
• The areas selected should be accessible by road.
• A landfill site should be available for disposal of the collected waste.
• Success criteria (quality of services provided and quantity of waste collected) should be measurable.
• Sustainability of the collection services should be achievable.
• A wide range of residential areas, i.e. rural, peri-urban, urban, formal, informal, new residential areas under development and established residential areas, should be represented.

To ensure the sustainability of the waste collection services, provided to the 300 000 previously unserviced households in high-density areas, an implementing team and a Waste Management Task Team (WMTT) will be established in each affected local government. The WMTT will be responsible for ensuring participation of all relevant stakeholders. Local government, together with the key stakeholders, will agree on the goals before implementation of the waste collection services.

The DEAT will develop an awareness campaign for implementation by the local government, in collaboration with provincial environmental departments and local government.

The local government will develop a detailed implementation plan, including a budget. The requisite resources e.g. manpower, money, equipment and time will be identified and accessed. Responsibilities will be assigned and the projects will be planned in accordance with the documented experience and guidelines. Partnerships, particularly public-private, and other appropriate partnerships between local government, the community and service providers will be promoted.

Waste collection for the initial 300 000 households will be established in parallel with the implementation of a system for payment for services. Once the waste collection services are operating, monitoring of the effectiveness should identify a reduction in illegal dumping, waste accumulation and littering in the project area and an associated reduction in health problems and environmental impacts resulting from waste, as well as an increase in the quantity of waste arriving at landfills and/or recycling centres.

The implementing team in local government will review the performance of the waste collection service and the level of payment, and prepare evaluation reports, including recommendations. These reports will be submitted to the WMTT, provincial environmental departments (responsible for enforcement of regulations) and DEAT for review and comment. DEAT will evaluate all implemented collection systems as a basis for the future Action Plans on general waste collection.

The total financial and human resource requirements within the three tiers of government identified as necessary for implementing this Action Plan are detailed below. The personnel requirements indicated below are estimates of the total human resources needed to implement the Action Plan, and do not necessarily represent additional staff. No distinction has, however, been drawn between existing and additional staff; if existing staff members do not have the capacity to undertake the activities, additional staff will have to be appointed.

The costs indicated below are estimated totals in 1999 South African Rands, and should not be interpreted as precise budget figures. Cost reductions that may result from the undertaking of certain activities by existing staff, will be determined in actual budgeting procedures when the Action Plan is implemented. Following consideration of suggestions from Workshop participants that the total cost figures presented be changed, it was decided that the arguments presented do not justify making the suggested changes.

An Action Plan for a Capacity Building programme is currently being developed. This Plan will take into account and further refine the estimated financial and personnel requirements and skills needed to undertake the Capacity Building and Education and Public Awareness activities identified in this Action Plan for General Waste Collection.

In the event that the total financial resources indicated below are not available timeously, implementation of this Action Plan will take place, within defensible constraints.

As a developing country, South Africa is faced with increasing unemployment. Therefore, waste collection should be labour intensive in order to create jobs. The number of labourers and officials per collection service will be dependant on the collection system employed, the economic development of the local authority and the collection standard required, as well as the number of households that pay for the service.

Estimated staff requirements within the three tiers of government are as follows (See Table 3.1):

1. One staff member at the DEAT, dedicating on average 50% of his/her time (corresponding to 0.5 person years) to implementation of this Action Plan for each year for 5.5 years (a total of 2.75 person-years).
2. One person in each provincial environmental department, dedicating 30% of his/her time (corresponding to 0.3 person years per province) for 1.5 years (a total of 4.05 person-years).
3. A total of 15 to 18 persons nationally in the affected local authorities, each dedicating 100% of his/her time each year for 4 years (a total of 60-72 person-years). It is anticipated that contractors will provide waste collection services, and that additional staff will not be required at local level for this purpose.

Within the DEAT and the provincial environmental departments, staff should have at least 3 years practical experience in waste management. At local government level, staff should have at least 2 years experience of operational waste management and, where necessary, capacity building should be implemented. Capacity building for implementing general waste collection services should be focused at national, provincial and local government level as well as service providers and communities.

3.6.2  Financial

• Personnel costs from July 1999 to December 2004
  2.75 person years spread over 5.5 years
  2.75 person years x R150 000/year = 0.41 million Rand.
• Cost of investigation from July 1999 to December 2000 = 0.5 million Rand.
• Capacity building of national staff from July 1999 to June 2000 = 0.05 million Rand.
• Awareness campaign development in 2000 = 0.5 million Rand.

Funding of staff, investigation and campaigns is assumed to be financed from the fiscus.

• Personnel costs from January 2001 to June 2002
  0.3 person years per province for 1.5 years
  0.3 person years x 1.5 years x R150 000/year. = 0.068 million Rand per province.

Funding of staff is assumed to come from the fiscus allocated to the provincial environmental departments.

• Personnel costs from January 2001 to December 2004
• 15 staff members (1 for every 20 000 households) for 4 years
  15 staff members x 4 years x R150 000/year = 9 million Rand.
• Implementation of awareness campaigns from July 2001 to December 2003
  = 2.5 million Rand.
• Capacity building of local government staff in 2000 = 0.75 million Rand
• Collection cost from January 2002 to December 2004: at R8 per month per household over 3 years = R8 per household x 12months x 3 years x 300 000 households = 86.4 million Rand.

Funding of staff is presumed to be financed from the budget allocated to local governments from the fiscus.

Collection service costs will be funded by service payment by residents.

Loans or subsidies for initial capital investment costs of private or public sector collection service contractors may be required. Alternative sources of funding for the initial capital investment costs, where necessary will be investigated e.g. loans from the Development Bank of South Africa, foreign donations and the Municipal Infrastructure Investment Fund.

Interaction with other components of the National Waste Management Strategy is important, particularly with the Waste Information System (WIS) component. Data from WIS will be used to estimate the quantities of general waste that require collection, although initially waste collection initiatives will be based on information available from the local authorities.

The assumptions that are critical to the successful implementation of waste collection include:

• Commitment, support and input from stakeholders, including national, provincial and local government and the communities.
• Sufficient human resources are available and retained within all tiers of government.
• Suitably qualified staff within DEAT, the provinces and local governments.
• DEAT, provinces and local governments allocate the necessary resources to implement the Action Plan.
• Capacity building and human resource development programmes are conducted in national, provincial and local government and civil society;
• Collection systems to be implemented are affordable, appropriate, sustainable and supported by the local community.
• Education and public awareness campaigns succeed in raising the awareness in civil society of waste management, in particular waste collection, in civil society, and in promoting payment for services by the recipient communities.

Other factors that will play a role in the successful implementation of the collection system include:

• All tiers of government and other decision-makers regard waste as a priority issue.
• Stakeholders accept the IP&WM policy and the NWMS.
• The existing enabling legislation (NEMA) is adequate.
• The Law Reform Process should ensure that future legislation will provide for provincial regulations and set national guidelines and standards on general waste collection.
• Responsibilities should be clearly specified and all involved parties should accept duties.
• Full commitment to the public participation process from all tiers of government and stakeholders.
• Improved public awareness and waste management education.
• Implementing instruments and requisite resources are in place to support this, such as, institutional, legislative, public participation and partnerships, public education and awareness and integrated waste management planning.
• Payment for waste collection services is ensured, with provision for cases of genuine hardship.
• The relevant case studies and experience in waste collection are available, and the investigation team is able to identify them, to determine what has succeeded, what has failed, and to use the experience of both the implementers and the receiving community.
• The implementers accept assigned responsibility for the planned projects.
• The high-density unserviced areas are identified before the initial recipient communities are selected and the criteria for the selection of the initial 300 000 households are agreed upon.
• Financial resources, including loans or subsidies, are available.
• Suitable entrepreneurs are identified and motivated.
• Mechanisms for financing of initial capital investment costs for waste collection entrepreneurs are available.

In order to address problems that may arise, it is important that the progress of implementation of the Action Plan is effectively monitored.

The following activities will be indicators of progress:

• Reduced generation of waste in the future will be verified through the Waste Information System.
• A decrease in negative press reports about waste management will be monitored.
• The acceptability of waste collection services and payment for services will be verified through a survey, which will monitor records of payment received for waste collection services versus the actual cost for provision of the service.
• Reduction in illegal dumping and in waste accumulation and littering in the project areas.
• The implementation of waste collection for 300 000 households by local government and the reduction in illegal dumping and littering in collection areas will be verified through the half-yearly evaluation reports to the provincial environmental departments and the DEAT from local governments.

• The investigation of existing waste collection systems will be documented in a report with conclusions and recommendations.
• Guidelines for appropriate waste collection services, including national standards, will be published and distributed to all provinces and local governments.
• Regulations for waste collection services will be promulgated and distributed to all local governments.
• The list of identified communities covering 300 000 households is accepted by the respective provincial and local governments and agreed upon by stakeholders.
• Appropriate waste collection takes place and is reported in the half-yearly evaluation reports to provincial environmental departments and DEAT from local governments.
• A survey on acceptability of waste collection services undertaken, which also monitors whether living conditions have improved and litter has been reduced.

• The public awareness campaign material is available and the awareness campaigns are implemented.
• Approval of assigned responsibility and detailed implementation plans.
• A system for payment for services is in place.
• Communities show commitment by making required service payments.

The period from January to September 1999 is a transitional phase during which the NWMS project responsibilities move from the Danish and South African consulting teams to the DEAT and DWAF.

The DEAT will be the environmental lead agent for waste and will assume responsibility for the integrated waste management process.

This transfer of responsibilities requires that specific departmental personnel, referred to as departmental task leaders (DTL), are tasked with overseeing the implementation of the various Action Plans. The DTLs and project management group representatives constitute the Action Plan Implementation Group (APIG) that will assist with the implementation of the NWMS and the Action Plans. The APIG will review, guide and advise on the management of the implementation activities, the process, outputs, time frames, budgets and monitoring. The APIG will also assist with the lateral and vertical integration and co-ordination of the Action Plans, not only between participating DEAT and DWAF staff but also within all levels of government. When the functions of those personnel identified as Departmental Task Leaders change due to reallocation of responsibilities, other appropriate staff will substitute them.

Organisational and financial sustainability is dependent upon the commitment by national government in the allocation of the necessary financial resources as well as the development of capacity and public awareness through projects driven by DEAT.

Organisational sustainability for local government depends mainly on the availability of resources, including financial resources, the meeting of staffing requirements are met, and the implementing of capacity building programmes. Critical to the success of the Action Plan for general waste collection is the ability to establish affordable and sustainable services, thereby ensuring payment for services.

Waste collection fees should include not only direct costs, but also management costs associated with waste collection, and costs related to the prevention and remediation of further pollution problems. Where the domestic waste generator cannot meet the total waste management cost, the economic capacity of the generator and the community as a whole will be carefully considered, and cases of genuine hardship accommodated.

Additional waste collection initiatives will be implemented as and when funding becomes available. Initially, government will fund priority initiatives from the fiscus through the normal budgetary channels. Donor funding will also be investigated for specific initiatives. There will be full transparency and accountability of funds used for implementing the priority initiatives.

To ensure the successful and sustainable implementation of the Action Plan for General Waste Collection, full commitment and dedication from the relevant governmental personnel will be required, as well as support from management, both politically and in the allocation of staff members.

The Project Management Group (PMG), comprising DEAT/DWAF and Danced, are currently managing the development of the Strategy and Action Plans. The Action Plan Implementation Group (APIG) has the overall responsibility for finalising implementation of the Action Plans with advice from CEC, Mintech Workgroup 3 and NEAF. The implementation of the General Waste Collection Action Plan will form part of the Departmental Implementer’s daily functions and future responsibilities.

The development of the implementing instruments by DEAT and DWAF will take place during the period January to September 1999, and ongoing thereafter as and when required. These instruments consist of an Institutional Framework, Legislation, Funding Mechanisms, Partnerships and Public Participation, and Waste Management Education and Public Awareness Campaigns.

Local government will be responsible for:

• The initiation and implementation of appropriate, affordable, sustainable and environmentally acceptable waste collection services for at least 300 000 households in high density unserviced areas.
• The implementation of awareness campaigns to raise awareness regarding waste management issues,
• The implementation of a system for payment for collection services,
• Monitoring the implementation and operation of the waste collection services and reporting progress in the half-yearly and reports submitted to provincial and national government. The evaluation reports based on monitoring will be submitted to the Waste Management Task Team for comment before the report is finalised and submitted to provincial and national government.

The provincial environmental departments will be responsible for:

• Compiling waste collection regulations that are focused on the local authorities in the specific province.
• Supporting local government in the implementation of the waste collection services.
• Enforcement of regulations.
• Auditing the performance of collection systems implemented by local government.

The DEAT will be responsible for:

• Undertaking investigations to analyse and document the experience of existing appropriate waste collection services.
• Compiling national guidelines and standards for appropriate waste collection services, in consultation with all stakeholders, for distribution to the provincial and local governments.
• An investigation into appropriate public/private partnerships and the potential assistance from external organisations, for example the Institute of Waste Management.
• The development of the awareness campaign material, in co-ordination with provincial and local government.

A factor that will play a critical role in the successful implementation of the general waste collection Action Plan is acquiring the commitment, support and input from all the stakeholders, including the receiving communities.

After completion of the implementation of this Action Plan in 2004, the Plan will be evaluated by DEAT in consultation with the provinces, local governments and other stakeholders. An evaluation report on the fulfilment of the immediate objective and all outputs within the specified time frames, and conclusions and recommendations for the future Action Plan, will be prepared by DEAT and discussed with stakeholders in the CEC and stakeholder consultative forums.

Based on the results of the short-term action plans, the medium and long-term plans of the NWMS will be reviewed and revised if necessary. DEAT will prepare a new generation of Action Plans in order to achieve the long-term objectives of the National Waste Management Strategy for collection and transportation of general waste.

The NWMS covers a period of fourteen years until full implementation in the year 2012, and proposes a phased approach to the implementation of general waste collection services. The NWMS therefore consists of short, medium and long-term priority waste collection initiatives. Short-term objectives should be achieved by the year 2004; and longer-term objectives should be achieved by the year 2012.

The main activities of the short-term implementation plan for waste collection services are detailed in Annexure B.

Annexures