Musa Chamane Waste Campaign Manager PUBLIC HEARINGS ON THE NATIONAL WASTE MANAGEMENT STRATEGY, 2011 1 June 2012 Musa Chamane Waste Campaign Manager

Cover five broad thematic areas Zero waste has the potential to create jobs Incineration is a false solution and a threat to green jobs Integrating waste pickers into formal/municipal waste management systems Fence line communities are still not protected by environmental laws Medical waste regs. must be rationalized

Mooi River & Msundisi case study Zero waste has the potential to create jobs in South Africa Benefits Sustainable dignified employment Challenges Source segregation, local bylaws Local infrastructure restructuring Funding (Youth Green Economy fund) Others

Waste Incineration Waste hierarchy is clear – we must favour options higher up the hierarchy Fly ash is concentrated toxic by-product of incineration – “there is no away” Fly ash contains very high concentrations of dioxins and heavy metals making it some of the most toxic material on the planet Incineration promotes resource intensive extraction = more energy use upstream, = more climate change, = more env. impact Burning waste does not reduce GHG’s = fallacy

Cement GHG fallacy…. Industry resp. for 3% of the world’s total GHG & 5% of CO2 emissions. 1.4 Gt (1 Gt = 1 gigatonne = 109 metric tonnes = 100 000 000 tonnes). Burning of fossil fuels in kilns (40%), transport of raw materials (5%), fossil fuels required for electricity (5%) and the conversion of limestone (CaCO3) to calcium oxide (CaO) (50%). CO2 savings AFR minor impact on the total.

Waste Incineration Tyre levy must be ring fenced to promote genuine recycling only (at least for a dedicated period to give the recycling sector a chance to establish itself) Cement Industry must be specifically excluded from benefitting from tax payers money We must protect ourselves from trans boundary imports of waste

HCRW Incineration Our primary concern with the draft HCRW Regulations is draft regulation 4(1)(k) which provides that: “no person may treat anatomical and isolation waste in a technology other than incineration”. Incineration of HCRW is harmful to human health and to the environment. groundWork is of the view that the DEA should not prescribe the technologies that must be used to treat HCRW – rather, the draft Regulations should only prescribe sterilisation or disinfection standards.

Integrating waste pickers to create jobs SAWPA Waste pickers statistics WP perfectly placed to add value to waste and benefit from dignified jobs Municipalities must be compelled to integrate WP’s in their waste management systems

Fence line communities still vulnerable Communities affected by waste incineration are not protected Thermopower Cement communities Political interference & intimidation

YOU NEED THREE THINGS TO PROTECT THE PUBLIC FROM TOXIC RELEASES/EMISSIONS. STRONG REGULATIONS

YOU NEED THREE THINGS TO PROTECT THE PUBLIC FROM TOXIC RELEASES/EMISSIONS. STRONG REGULATIONS ADEQUATE MONITORING

YOU NEED THREE THINGS TO PROTECT THE PUBLIC FROM TOXIC RELEASES/EMISSIONS. STRONG REGULATIONS ADEQUATE MONITORING TOUGH ENFORCEMENT

YOU NEED THREE THINGS TO PROTECT THE PUBLIC FROM TOXIC RELEASES/EMISSIONS. STRONG REGULATIONS ADEQUATE MONITORING TOUGH ENFORCEMENT IF ANY LINK IS WEAK THE PUBLIC IS NOT PROTECTED!

Thank you for your attention! Any questions? musa@groundwork.org.za +27 333 425662