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Mandate
 Because
the most severe impacts from waste disposal sites usually manifests on
the water environment, particularly the groundwater environment, the responsibility
for regulating the final disposal of waste in a landfill site was assigned
in 1989 to the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry's water quality
management function, in terms of section 20 of the Environment Conservation
Act, 1989 (Act 73 of 1989)(ECA). No person may dispose of waste unless
under the authority of a permit issued in terms of section 20 of the ECA.
Progress
Since the promulgation of section 20 of the Environment Conservation Act,
1989 (Act 73 of 1989), a total number of 400 waste disposal site permits
have been issued. This figure represents approximately 52% of the general
domestic refuse sites in South Africa (and excludes the approximate 15
000 communal waste disposal sites in rural areas and the industrial sites).
All the commercial hazardous waste disposal sites in South Africa are
now being controlled via permits in terms of the above-mentioned legislation.
Nine cases of the remediation of contaminated land are currently underway
and are to be controlled or cleaned-up in terms of section 20 of the Environment
Conservation Act, 1989 (Act 73 of 1989) or section 19 of the National
Water Act, 1998 (Act 36 of 1998).
Waste Disposal sites
 Since
the promulgation of section 20 of the ECA, a total number of 400 waste
disposal site permits have been issued. This figure represents approximately
52% of the general domestic refuse sites in South Africa (and excludes
the approximate 15 000 communal waste disposal sites in rural areas and
the industrial sites). All the commercial hazardous waste disposal sites
in South Africa are now being controlled via permits in terms of the above-mentioned
legislation.
Nine cases of the remediation of contaminated land are currently underway
and are to be controlled or cleaned-up in terms of section 20 of the ECA
or section 19 of the National Water Act, 1998 (Act 36 of 1998)(NWA).
South Africa's waste stream generation
Based on the baseline studies undertaken by DWAF during 1997, South Africa's
total waste stream amounts to 539 million tonnes per annum of which industrial
and mining waste amounts to about 487 million tonnes per annum (90%).
Non-hazardous waste amounts to approximately 50 million tonnes. Only 1%
of the total waste stream (excluding the mining waste) is considered as
hazardous. Waste from urban areas, domestic and trade, varies considerably
from local authority to local authority depending on the socio-economic
level of the community. Per capita generation is much higher in communities
with a higher income.
Medical waste
The Department has taken the initiative to assist in controlling the medical
waste stream in South Africa. The current policy of the Department therefore
requires that all medical waste (as well as sanitary waste collected in
large quantities) must be incinerated. However, if an alternative technology
exist which has the same (or better) effect than incineration, the Department
will evaluate its acceptability as an alternative to incineration.
In this regard, several non-incineration technologies have been submitted
to the Department for evaluation as an alternative technology for the
treatment of medical waste. These include microwaving, electrothermal
deactivation and autoclaving. Two of these technologies have been accepted
by the Department as a suitable alternative to incineration. Two other
non-incineration technologies are still in the process of evaluation.
Sanitary waste collected in large quantities is mostly sterilised by chemical
treatment at the point of generation prior to disposal at landfill.
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