Jhb wants recycling by-law

Tuesday, 2 August 2011

The city of Johannesburg has announced that it has drafted new waste management by-laws, which will make it mandatory for residents to separate their own waste or face a hefty fine.

The public will be able to comment on the new by-laws in about four months’ time.

According to the new by-laws, residents will have to sort their own waste into recyclable categories like glass, paper, metal, plastic, textiles, furniture, electronic equipment, building material and vehicles. Waste which isn’t recyclable should be put in separate bins.

A pilot project in 35 000 households was started in 2009 and the results would be made available soon revealed www.joburg.org.za.

The new by-laws will help city officials maintain a clean environment as well as help them to meet the requirements of the new national Waste Management Bill.

A Johannesburg city spokesperson said the national bill was aimed at regulating South Africa’s waste management problems. The new national bill sets strict targets for waste minimisation, which has serious implications for local management.

Residents or companies who don’t comply will be given big fines or face imprisonment for up to 10 years, or both.
Recycling is a common phenomenon worldwide and reduces the amount of waste disposed of in landfills. It also decreases pollution.

The Department of Environmental Affairs has said the Waste Management Bill is a move towards more sustainable waste management and shifts the focus to reducing, reusing and recycling.

Municipalities spend more than a billion rand on waste management annually, with Johannesburg estimated to spend around R150m a year on these services.

Environmental Affairs spokesperson Albi Modise was quoted in the media as saying that the department encouraged the adoption of new strategies aimed at producing less waste in cities across the country and which encouraged the implementation of recycling systems.