Many businesses that produce organic waste are yet to submit their revised Integrated Waste Management Plans that detail how they will minimise and eventually eliminate organic waste that is sent to landfill. These businesses should please be made aware that continued failure to submit these plans leaves them at risk of a fine.
The City of Cape Town would like to remind businesses such as restaurants, hotels and retailers that their plans for reducing and eventually eliminating organic waste were due on 31 October 2022. This was an extension to the original deadline of 31 August. Planning is now under way for enforcement operations targeting businesses that are yet to comply.
This applies to all businesses, even small businesses. There has been a limited response from small businesses to date.
Since the adoption of the Integrated Waste Management By-law in 2009, every business in Cape Town has been required to develop Integrated Waste Management Plans (IWMP) to cover all aspects of waste management including:
∙ An assessment of the quantity and type of waste generated
∙ A description of the services required to store, collect, transport and dispose of the waste
∙ A plan to separate recyclable and non-recyclable material at the point of source
∙ A waste minimisation plan
∙ A pollution prevention plan
∙ Details of potential environmental impact of the waste
∙ The type or characteristics of environmentally sensitive waste
∙ The number of natural resources consumed in the manufacturing or production process that result in waste
∙ The targets for recovery of waste (minimisation, re-use, recycling)
∙ Programmes and targets to minimise the consumption of natural resources
Revised IWM plans that were due before October 31 2022 now also need to detail how a specific business intends to reduce their organic waste by 50% before the end of the year (2022), and eliminate organic waste that is sent to landfill by 2027.
The portal for submissions is still open and businesses can avoid a fine by submitting their revised plans as soon as possible. The fine for non-compliance if an updated waste management plan cannot be supplied at the request of Law Enforcement during compliance operations will be R2500.
‘The gas which is produced when food waste decomposes in a landfill is an extremely potent greenhouse gas. Some estimates say that this gas, made up primarily of methane has a global warming potential 25 times higher than carbon dioxide. In Cape Town, we have already felt the effects of climate change with the drought and the Day Zero scare, and as a society, we need to start being more conscious of how our lifestyles and businesses influence this.
‘Residents of Cape Town are showing through uptake of home composting containers that they see the importance of diverting organic waste from landfill, and I believe that in future as the effects of climate change become more intense, more and more people will start favouring spending their money with companies that can demonstrate eco-friendly waste management. Although I understand that implementing new systems can create a headache, the consequences of business as usual could be catastrophic, and for this reason the City needs to take a tougher stance against non-compliance going forward,’ said Mayoral Committee Member for Urban Waste Management, Alderman Grant Twigg.
There are many businesses in Cape Town that offer alternatives to landfilling. To find out more about the private services offered to the organic waste generating sector (including hospitality, food manufacturing and processing industries), the City recommends that people should contact the following non-profit organisations who have a list of all its members offering the different processing solutions:
∙ ORASA (Organic Recycling Association of South Africa)
∙ SAMIRO (South African Mass Insect Rearing Association)
∙ SABIA (Southern African Biogas Industry Association)
Green Cape’s Waste: Market Intelligence report 2021 (https://www.greencape.co.za/assets/2021_DIGITAL_WASTE-MIR.pdf) also gives great insight into the 2021 organic waste management status in Cape Town.
Online submission of Waste Management Plans
Go to the solid waste accreditation site to submit your waste management plan: http://web1.capetown.gov.za/web1/swma/
Application forms are available on the City’s website: https://www.capetown.gov.za/City-Connect/Register/Business-and-trade/Register-as-an-accredited-waste-services-provider
Submit written requests to: waste.accreditation@capetown.gov.za
