A new dawn for South Africa’s circular economy
The Department of Forestry, Fisheries & the Environment call for comment on an update to the National Waste Management Strategy
A new era is emerging for South Africa’s circular economy as industry engages on the draft National Waste Management Strategy (NWMS) 2026 released for public comment. The revision is a prescribed update of the NWMS 2020, (a statutory requirement of the waste act), responding to growing populations, shifting business behaviours and mounting pressure to better manage complex waste streams.
“The revision prioritises seven (7) waste streams, that not only signal meaningful progress but more so, acknowledges the practical implementation of waste management strategies in South Africa.” says CEO at Interwaste, Justin Bott.
Annually, an estimated 12.7million tonnes of waste is generated by households in South Africa and about 29% (3.67 million tonnes) of this waste is uncollected or untreated within formal waste systems (CSIR 2020), meaning it would either be illegally dumped or destroyed by open burning. Of the total household waste generated, available statistics indicate that approximately 10% is recycled and reused or recovered for its energy content. The remainder is disposed to landfill implying that its potential value is unrecoverable or lost.
“At Interwaste, we emphasise the need for updated and inclusive strategies that are innovative and sustainable. We believe that a circular economy is critical to challenge the status quo in waste management and by innovating and reevaluating the way we design, view and manage individual waste streams, we can extract the inherent value of the waste whilst unlocking the associated socio and economic benefits” stresses Justin Bott.
In the Governments’ official announcement, Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Willem Abraham Stephanus Aucamp, confirmed that the draft NWMS 2026 is aligned to the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and to our country’s National Development Plan: Vision 2030. Diversion of waste from landfill is a sustainability imperative exacerbated by the current constrained capacity and compliance of existing landfills, the prohibitive cost to local government to develop new landfills and resistance by neighbouring communities at potential sites. Collecting, treating or valorising diverted waste streams will further unlock opportunities for sustainable socio-economic development within vulnerable communities.
“If an increase in diversion is to be realised, then ‘at-source’ waste management needs to be far more effective,” adds Bott. “Innovative solutions, a working recycling system and the creation of a culture of responsible consumption remains key.”
The draft National Waste Management Strategy 2026 sets a clear and ambitious direction: to prevent waste, and where waste cannot be prevented to facilitate its phased diversion from landfill. With the initial target of diverting 40% of waste over the next five years, it signals a shift away from disposal-led waste management towards a more proactive, systems-based approach. Companies that generate products that contribute to the newly prioritised waste streams, will be required to take a closer look at their entire value chain to avoid creating waste and where waste is created, identify how it can be reduced, re-used, recycled or repurposed.
“For many businesses, this will mark the start of a shift towards circular economy principles. Rather than treating waste as an unavoidable consequence of doing business, companies will be expected to consider how materials can realise a post-use reincarnation within their operations or across industries,” adds Bott.
“Managing waste at source and increasing material recovery is also expected to lessen the need to extract and consume new raw materials. Typically, reusing or recycling is also less energy-intensive than manufacturing from scratch, as there is a reduction in impact and cost associated with virgin raw materials. As a result, less fuel is used and carbon emissions can be reduced at each stage of the supply chain, supporting the strategy’s aim to ensure that ‘all South Africans live in clean communities with waste services that are well managed and financially sustainable’,” continues Bott.
However, delivering on these ambitions will depend heavily on implementation. Capacity building is a cornerstone of this strategy and given the challenges municipalities are faced with, collaboration between Government and the private sector will be key not only to get ahead of waste management challenges, but to leverage infrastructure, knowledge and skills needed to ensure the success of this. Education and awareness will be required for industry, particularly for companies that have not previously engaged proactively with waste management challenges, to drive compliance and achieve our county’s diversion targets.
“This strategy has the potential to build on South Africa’s shift from a disposal led model, to a resource recovery one. While policies provide guidance, the proof will be in the action,” concludes Bott. “At Interwaste, we pride ourselves on developing solutions that have assisted our customers to achieve their sustainability goals and waste diversion including the 7 streams identified as priority within the 2026 draft. Through our bioremediation facility, effluent treatment plant and blending platforms for alternative liquid fuels produced from hazardous waste, we are well positioned to support these efforts through practical actions and partnerships.”
