National Waste Management Strategy 2020.

The National Waste Management Strategy (NWMS) is a strategic instrument which provides government policy and interventions for the waste sector and an enabling environment for implementing the 2017 Chemicals and Waste Phakisa projects. It is a statutory requirement of the Waste Act. The NWMS adopted in 2020 revises and updates the NWMS of 2011. It is aligned and responsive to the Sustainable Development Goals of Agenda 2030 adopted by all United Nations Member States (among others, Goal 1 on "Zero Hunger", Goal 3 on "Good Health and Well-Being", Goal 6 on "Clean Water and Sanitation", and Goal 12 on “Responsible Consumption and Production”). It is also aligned and responsive to South Africa’s National Development Plan (NDP)- Vision for 2030.
The Strategy is based upon the following five key principles: 1) Waste Minimisation; 2) Waste Prevention; 3) Waste as a Resource; 4) Sustainable Strategic Partnerships; 5) Environmentally sound socioeconomic growth and development. These are the expected outcomes: prevent waste, and where waste cannot be prevented ensure the progressive reduction of diversion of waste to landfill; all South Africans live in clean communities with waste services that are well managed and financially sustainable; mainstreaming of waste awareness and a culture of compliance resulting in zero tolerance of pollution, litter and illegal dumping. The 2020 Strategy has the concept of the “circular economy” at its centre. The circular economy is an approach to reduce the environmental impact of economic activity by reusing and recycling processed materials to minimise: (a) the need to extract raw materials from the environment; and (b) the need to dispose of waste.
The NWMS 2020 is structured upon three Pillars: 1) Waste Minimisation; 2) Effective and Sustainable Waste Services and Compliance; 3) Enforcement and Awareness. These Pillars are in line with the above-mentioned expected outcomes. Each Pillar has a strategic thrust, specific focus areas and key actions which will be monitored in terms of performance indicators. Firstly, the strategic thrust of Pillar 1 is : (a) minimising the impact of waste and especially plastic packaging in national coasts, rivers, wetlands and human settlement environments, by amongst others, diverting waste away from landfill; (b) increasing re-use, recycling, recovery and alternative waste treatment; (c) maximising the role of the waste sector in the circular economy. Within Pillar 1, food waste prevention is amongst the focus areas. The actions to be undertaken in this regard include (i) developing and implementing a strategy for reducing food losses and waste prior to retail and that is associated with harvesting, processing and transport of food with food producers and retailers; (ii) improving consumer awareness and standards for labelling and marketing of perishable foodstuffs and “ugly” fruit and vegetables; (iii) developing guidelines, norms and standards for redistributing surplus foods and composting of spoilt foods.
The strategic thrust of Pillar 2 (Effective and Sustainable Waste Services and Compliance) encompasses: (a) recognising and addressing the different circumstances and waste management challenges that exist between local government authorities; (b) developing and implementing flexible approaches to service delivery that incorporates the informal sector while addressing local needs; (c) guiding public investment and partnerships with the private sector in waste management infrastructure and projects; (d) ensuring that the delivery of waste services contributes to sustainable development.
Last, the strategic thrust of Pillar 3 (Enforcement and Awareness) includes: (a) mitigating and preventing the environmental and social damage caused by waste due to non-compliance; (b) increasing compliance to local, provincial, national and international legislation and standards; (c) mitigating and preventing pollution, littering and illegal dumping of waste; (d) improving the visibility and awareness of the socio-economic and environmental benefits of compliance, effective waste management and environmentally compliant infrastructure.
The NWMS 2020 sets out a monitoring and evaluation framework, which includes measures such as annual reporting systems to review progress; annual progress reports to be submitted by the Provinces and regarding implementation of provincial Integrated Waste Management Plans; and databases that record compliance and enforcement activities. In the field of governance, the Strategy defines the roles and responsibilities of the institutions and the civil society. It recognizes that waste is generated by all social and economic sectors and therefore the implementation of the NWMS requires a high degree of cooperation and understanding between government departments, spheres of government, the private sector, academia, research institutions and civil society.