Minister wants waste management strategy implemented
Water and environmental affairs minister Edna Molewa has gazetted the National Waste Management Strategy (NWMS) for immediate implementation as from 4 May 2012.
The strategy aims to achieve the objectives of the Waste Act, which are to minimise the consumption of natural resources, to prevent pollution and to promote and ensure the effective delivery of waste services and achieve integrated waste management reporting and planning.
The NWMS has specific goals which must be met by 2016, and includes:
- Promoting waste minimisation, re-using, recycling and recovery of waste
- Ensuring the effective and efficient delivery of waste services
- Growing the contribution of the waste sector to the green economy
- Ensuring that people are aware of the impact of waste on their health, well-being and the environment
- Ensuring sound budgeting and financial management for waste services
- Providing measures to remediate contaminated land
- Establishing effective compliance with and enforcement of the Waste Act
Other targets include the creation of 69 000 new jobs in the waste sector and that all metropolitan municipalities, secondary cities and large towns initiate separation-at-source programmes.
The strategy will further see 95 percent of urban households and 75 percent of rural households having access to adequate levels of waste collection services and having 80 percent of schools implementing waste awareness programmes.
