Waste
| Wessa’s vision: … to play a major role in supporting society to engage with waste issues through projects that promote reduction, reuse, recycling and composting of waste. |
Theme: Waste
‘A careful balance’
"Just as we cannot blame others for destroying the environment, so we cannot look to others to protect the environment. Responsibility for both begins at home."
-- Paul Griss, author of The Daily Planet
It's time we stopped turning up our noses at the nation's garbage dumps and started appreciating them for what they really are -- the municipal mines, forests, oil wells and energy sources of the future!
-- Max Spendlove, research director for the U.S. Bureau of Mines, quoted in National Civic Review, 1972
| What is waste? There are many waste types, including municipal solid waste, commercial waste and hazardous waste. What is waste management? … the control of the collection, treatment and disposal of various wastes in order to reduce their negative impact on the environment and society. |
Waste is a by-product of human development that most of us would rather ignore – at our peril. For anyone willing to face up to reality, South Africa’s straining landfills offer a shocking testament to the illogic of our consumption-oriented life-styles. Sustainability cannot be achieved without people taking individual responsibility for their waste and in so doing protect public health and the environment.
WESSA believes that waste-related issues and ensuring the responsible management of waste facilities present a prime opportunity to involve the South African public in the reduction, reuse, recycling and composting of waste.
Much of the waste that makes it to landfills is recyclable and yet it can remain in landfills for millions of years before it breaks down. Recyclable waste includes paper and cardboard, plastic, metal cans, appliances and building materials, glass and wood.
Domestic recycling programmes are gaining currency in South Africa, but there is still a long way to go, both in terms of getting ordinary consumers, manufacturers and producers to accept their responsibility to participate in waste reduction, and in terms of providing services or facilities which make recycling a viable and practical option.
Recycling services for their part call for both energy and resources, and profit margins in the recycling industry are tight, calling for efficient business practices and finely-tuned economies of scale. While it is widely recognised that waste materials are a valuable resource, there is still ongoing debate about how this value can be best realised. Governments need to define what waste is in order that the process of its recycling can be safely and legally managed.
But while reducing waste certainly helps to reduce pressure on waste facilities, it does not rule out entirely the need for landfills, waste treatment and the proper disposal of hazardous substances.
Sustainable waste management is like a three-legged stool: take away one of the legs -- reduction, treatment or disposal – and you create an imbalance that puts a strain on our land resources and quality of life.
WESSA is committed to achieving a balance that will result in proper waste management, a pollution-free environment and sustained public participation.
The future belongs to those who understand that doing more with less is compassionate, prosperous, and enduring, and thus more intelligent, even competitive."
- Paul Hawken
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Objectives: To reduce waste by:
To encourage reuse and recycling by:
To manage waste responsibly by:
Specific objectives:
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