eWASA: Engaging & Cooperating With Municipalities
eWASA (EPR Waste Association of South Africa)
EPR PRO for EEE, Lighting & Packaging, Portable Batteries and Lubrican Oil Sectors.
by Dumisani Siziba
The EPR Regulations require that Producer Responsibility Organisations (PROs) such as the EPR Waste Association of South Africa (eWASA) work with Municipalities collaboratively to increase recycling rates. Such collaboration has good intentions. When PROs and Municipalities work together to create joint Integrated Waste Management Plans, the results are compelling, and the environmental impact is evident. When recycling rates are increased, more jobs are created, more families are uplifted, and less waste makes its way to landfills.?
The eWASA Municipality Plan
So how is eWASA working with Municipalities? Its starts with eWASA's 2023 EPR Plan, which commits the association to work with municipalities to bring real change in all waste sectors covered by the EPR Regulations. The eWASA Scheme will work with municipalities to help them fulfil their waste management mandate in terms of Electronic and Electrical Equipment Waste (EEE), aka e-waste, Lighting, paper and packaging and portable batteries recycling as set out in the NWMS and comply with the landfill regulations which prohibit the dumping of e-waste in landfills.
eWASA has a plan to work with all municipalities in the country and, to this end, has already submitted a draft Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to the South African Local Government Association (SALGA) for review and approval. eWASA is working with municipalities in developing effective take back schemes for all waste streams.?
The Approach?
eWASA's approach is simple. The municipality is the custodian of waste management services and is charged by the Act to process all waste effectively. eWASA's role is to work with the municipality to assess resources, expertise, and infrastructure requirements that impede the municipalities' ability to manage waste effectively.
eWASA also works with the municipalities to drive education and awareness campaigns in schools, businesses, and communities to manage waste as a resource that creates opportunities and jobs. The cooperation with municipalities is not a once-off event but a long-term commitment linked to projects and initiatives that bring lasting change in communities.
eWASA has adopted an integrated waste management approach in their engagement with municipalities looking at all four waste sectors: Batteries, Electrical and Electronic Equipment, Lighting, and Paper and Packaging. We strive to provide support and resources to these designated waste streams.
The initial assessment shows that there is often sufficient support and resources for paper and packaging, save for a few exceptions. However, more support and focus are needed in managing e-waste and providing the requisite infrastructure.
The plan has been anchored on resolving practical challenges that municipalities meet, setting up e-waste processing centres, creating, and capacitating SMMEs that will operate the recycling centres, and creating jobs, especially for youth, women, and people living with disabilities.
The first six months of 2023 have been a hive of activity for eWASA on the local government cooperation front. The next six months will be even busier. eWASA has signed MoUs with the following Municipalities, with more to follow:
Let's now zoom into the projects that eWASA is currently busy with municipalities and unpack their importance to the environment and recycling.?
Rustenburg
eWASA has partnered with Rustenburg Local Municipality (RLM) on two main projects. The first and more important is setting up an e-waste recycling centre at the Waterval Landfill site. This project, which accepts batteries, lighting and other e-waste, works with a local SMME, Sebakeng. They will manage collecting, sorting, dismantling, and selling waste fractions to downstream recycling.
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The recycling centre will receive e-waste from communities around the landfill and waste reclaimers working there. The second project is a waste education and awareness campaign. eWASA and the RLM host joint education campaigns in schools and communities around effective waste management and opportunities in waste recycling.
With these campaigns, eWASA identifies waste reclaimers and provides waste collection resources and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) – setting up members of the communities to do recycling – increasing recycling rates and creating jobs.?
Mogale City
In Mogale City Local Municipality (MCLM), eWASA is setting up two e-waste recycling facilities in Luipaardsvlei and Magalies Landfill sites. These two landfill sites will be managed as businesses by local SMMEs, creating local opportunities and jobs whilst increasing recycling rates. MCLM has identified some 100 Local Waste reclaimers, and eWASA is adopting them into their Adopt a Waste Picker project. Through this initiative, eWASA provides waste reclaimers basic training and resources; this support makes them more organised and effective – collecting more waste for recycling.
Kouga Municipality?
eWASA has agreed to cooperate and engage with KOUGA Municipality in the Eastern Cape Province. Kouga Local Municipality has partnered with eWASA to develop an integrated plan with various strategies to divert electronic waste from landfill disposal and manage it more effectively. The initiative's main goal is to promote recycling of Electrical and Electronic Equipment (EEE), Batteries, Lighting, and Paper and Packing and prescribe measures for collection, temporary storage, recovery, re-furbishing and recycling of e-waste.
The goal is to educate and involve municipal stakeholders, schools, and the community on e-waste and the opportunities available in the recycling sector. During the two-year partnership, eWASA will support the municipality with product classification, recycling, and connection to the market for e-waste products. To drive this initiative, Kouga and eWASA will host a few workshops and training to engage SMMEs and the community.
The e-waste recycling initiative seeks to create job opportunities and empower women and people living with disabilities. The goal is to create an ongoing recycling program that can sustain itself while growing and promoting a circular economy.
The following areas were identified for targeted e-waste drop-off and recycling.
These sites will drastically increase the amount of e-waste recycled in the Kouga Municipality.
Other Municipalities?
eWASA is also engaging with the Western Cape Government and has visited key districts in the province and identified opportunities to set up e-waste recycling centres to boost recycling rates as well as grow the EEE Repair and Refurbish sector in the Western Cape Municipalities, including Cape Town.
Working with Municipalities is increasing recycling rates. As more municipalities join the call to work with PROs, this picture will improve with resultant benefits to the waste economy and the environment.