Deputy Minister Bernice Swarts: Launch of e-waste recycling programme

Programme director
Honourable Deputy Minister of Police, Ms Cassel Mathale
Honourable for MEC for Agriculture, Rural Development, Land and Environmental Affairs, Ms. Nompumelelo Hlophe,
President of CONTRALESA, Kgosi L Mokoena
The Executive Mayor of Ehlanzeni District Municipality, Cllr Terrence Shabangu,
The Mayor of Bushbuckridge Local Municipality, Cllr Matlanatso Lydia Moroane,
Municipal Manager and Senior officials of Bushbuckridge Local Municipality
Amakhosi that are present here today and the ones I met earlier,
Industry, Business leaders and Partners in the sector,
Government officials present,
Community members,
Members of the Media,
Avuxeni!  

I am delighted to receive the warm reception from Amakhosi and the community of Bushbuckridge.

Earlier on during my meeting with Amakhosi, I handed over 1000 trees to the ten traditional authorities represented here today as a symbol of the initiation of the Revamped National Greening Programme. 

Through the Revamped National Greening Programme we aim to plant atleast one million trees in a single day during the month of September 2025, as we celebrate Arbor Month. We request our Traditional Leaders to assist us to mobilise communities in this regard. The Department will outline the details at a later stage through officials based in the province.

Ladies and gentleman, South African cities face a dire crisis with landfill space in the country whereby some are expected to run out in six years if drastic steps are not taken to significantly reduce the amount of waste generated and to accelerate recycling efforts. 

According to the State of Waste report 2018, South Africa generated Fifty-five million tonnages of waste going to landfill in 2017, Municipal waste accounts for 8,7% of the volume while general organic waste is 34,6%. Census 2022 results indicate that only 20,6% of the households in the Bushbuckridge Local Municipality (BLM) had their refuse removed at least once a week with most households (72,1%) illegally dumping in open areas.

The General Household Survey 2023 showed that only 10% of the country’s waste was recycled, while uncollected and mishandled waste contributes to flooding, land contamination, air, and water pollution leading to serious public health impacts.

The Absorbent Hygiene Product (AHP) waste represents one of the problematic waste streams in South Africa. AHP products include baby nappies, adult diapers, and feminine care products. The AHP products have increasingly become part of our lives. Over the past few years, there has been a sharp increase on the use of AHP products. However, the challenge is to find effective solutions to manage the waste that gets generated after the use of AHP products, especially at the post consumption stage of the product life cycle.

As such, the Department has taken a position to lead in the development of the strategy for designing, management and disposal of Absorbent Hygienic Products (AHPs) waste with an intention to enhance the diversion of these materials away from the landfill sites and protect the receiving environment, including new technologies and existing best practices

Extensive consultation was conducted with various stakeholders such as manufactures of AHP, private organisations, governments departments and municipalities throughout the countries. The consultations aim to obtain credible and grass-root information from key stakeholders directly responsible for AHPs and AHP waste and will be used to share ideas and thoughts on how to address AHP waste in the country. The draft strategy will be published soon to allow opportunities for public to scrutinise and provide inputs. The Department is seeking partnership with Absorbent Hygiene Product producers and brand owners to improve post-consumer management and community awareness on proper disposal of this products.

To address such challenges experienced in the waste sector, the DFFE gazetted the amended National Waste Management Strategy 2020 on 28th January 2021 in line with the National Environmental Management: Waste Act (Act 59 of 2008). The National Waste Management Strategy 2020 lays a comprehensive background that drives our goals and actions across the country. The strategy highlights the importance of sustainable waste management practices and promotes a circular economy, aiming to reduce, reuse, and recycle waste to protect our environment.

Furthermore, DFFE promulgated the Extended Producer Regulations (EPR) that intends to ensure the effective and efficient management of the identified end-of-life products, placing the responsibility with the producers. EPR also aims to provide the framework for the development, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of EPR schemes and to encourage & enable the implementation of the circular economy initiatives. Through the establishment of Producer Responsibility Organisations (PROs), the Department has initiated a collaborative effort that encourages industry engagement in the reduction of waste. These organizations play an important role in ensuring that producers take responsibility for their products’ end-of-life phases, facilitating recycling and fostering a circular economy. 

With the above-mentioned regulations in mind, the DFFE allocated funds to support Bushbuckridge Local Municipality (BLM) with Waste Separation at Source in the community of Mkhuhlu. The Department is collaborating with PROs for this project to ensure that the project remains ongoing and is duplicated in other areas in BLM. For the project to be a success, the households of Mkhuhlu must participate! The project success will drive more investments to come to the municipality therefore creating more jobs in our disadvantaged communities. This initiative marks a significant step forward in our collective efforts to creating a sustainable and waste-conscious society while creating jobs in the process.

Achieving our collective environmental goals needs us to work together. Let us ensure that the waste separation at source project in Mkhuhlu is a success, setting an example for other municipalities to follow. Together, we can build a sustainable future and protect our environment—for ourselves, for our children, and for the generations that will come after us.

It is an honour and a privilege to stand before you today to launch the E- Waste Recycling Project here in Bushbuckridge Local Municipality, Mpumalanga. This marks a significant milestone in our journey towards creating a cleaner, more sustainable environment. This initiative, which is a key part of our national efforts to manage waste more effectively, demonstrates our commitment to tackling one of the world’s most pressing environmental challenges: electronic waste (known as e-waste).

As many of us are aware, e-waste is growing at an alarming rate. E-waste is now considered the fastest-growing waste stream worldwide. The proliferation of technology and the consumer-driven nature of our society have led to millions of tons of electronic devices being discarded each year. These devices, from old cell phones and laptops to televisions and household appliances, contain harmful materials such as lead, mercury, and cadmium, which can have devastating effects on our environment and public health if not properly managed. 

In South Africa, we generate over 360,000 tons of e-waste annually, and unfortunately, only a small fraction of 10% of this is properly recycled. The rest ends up in landfills, or worse, is illegally dumped, posing serious risks to our ecosystems. Our waste laws do not allow the disposal of e-waste to landfill. This is done with the intention of diverting this waste stream from landfill for recycling purposes. As part of our efforts to address this growing E-waste problem, South Africa has implemented the Extended Producer Responsibility legislation for the Electrical and Electronic Equipment sector since November 2021 which compels the producers of electronic products to take-back and ensure proper recycling thereof.

In Bushbuckridge Local Municipality, like many other parts of our country, improper disposal of e-waste has become a growing concern. As we all know, the municipality faces challenges with waste management, and electronic waste is one of the most problematic. The increasing number of electronic devices being used without a proper system for disposal has led to the accumulation of waste that harms our environment and contaminates water and soil. Today’s launch of the E-Waste Recycling Project is our response to this growing crisis.

The goal of this project is to test and implement a sustainable system for recycling e-waste in BLM. This initiative is being launched in partnership with the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE), Mpumalanga Department of Agriculture, Rural Development, Land and Environmental Affairs, Ehlanzeni District Municipality, Bushbuckridge Local Municipality (BLM), Industry and the Producer Responsibility Organisations (PROs). Through this collaboration, we aim to not only manage and dispose of e-waste responsibly but also raise awareness among communities about the importance of recycling and the dangers of improper e-waste disposal.

The Department has put in place Extended Producer Responsibility Regulations that reduce the burden on waste management linked to specific waste streams in e-Waste. This legislation has enabled the Producer Responsibility Organisations for Electrical and Electronic Equipment including lighting equipment to collect fees from producers of electrical and electronic equipment to collect fees. These fees amounted to a total revenue of R158million based on externally audited reports received by the Department for 2023. These EPR fees enable PROs to develop and implement programmes for e-Waste Management.

E-waste collection and recycling is a key Programme that the Department is overseeing that is implemented through the various e-Waste PROs. PROs in the E-waste sector: EWASA, ERA, Circular Energy and R2E2 are all required to work with municipalities to ensure that e-waste is collected in various parts of the country. We have today on-site two of the PROs: ERA and R2E2. 

One of the key aspects of the Extended Producer Responsibility Regulations is the legal requirement for Producer Responsibility Organisations to provide a service fee for waste collection by the informal waste sector, waste pickers. This service fee is over and above the money that waste pickers get for “selling” the waste. Today, ERA and R2E2 will provide incentives in a form of vouchers for the e-waste that they will collect from members of the community. The incentives differ in price depending on the weight and type of e-waste. In addition, R2E2 is also able to collect any big appliances or e-waste from your home that could not be brought here, this will be done after the Imbizo.

The success of this project relies heavily on your participation as communities. By providing households with easy access to recycling facilities and offering guidance on how to properly separate and dispose of their old electronic devices, we aim to change the way residents think about their waste. The PROs will work with local enterprises and the municipality to set up collection points and provide infrastructure (such as collection bins) for separate collection of e-waste to ensure ongoing sustainability of the project. The local enterprise will be responsible for servicing the collection points. This process will prevent toxic substances from leaching into the soil and water, protecting both our environment and our health.

Furthermore, this project is about more than just waste management, it is about creating jobs and stimulating local economic development. Through this initiative, we are engaging more Producer Responsibility Organisations (PROs) to facilitate the increase of e-Waste recycling. These organisations play a crucial role in managing the end-of-life phase of electronic products and are an important part of the national effort to promote a circular economy, where materials are reused and recycled rather than discarded. Through collaboration with these organisations, we can ensure that this project is sustainable and scalable, with the potential to expand across other regions in the future.

The importance of this project cannot be overstated. Not only will it help BLM manage its e-waste problem more effectively, but it will also contribute to our country’s broader environmental goals. As part of the National Waste Management Strategy 2020, South Africa has committed to reducing waste sent to landfills, increasing recycling rates, and promoting a circular economy. The Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) regulations, which place responsibility for end-of-life products on producers, are key to this vision. By encouraging industry involvement in waste management, we are ensuring that those who create waste are also part of the solution.

In the coming months, we will monitor the progress of this project to ensure that it meets its objectives. This includes tracking the volume of e-waste collected, the effectiveness of the community awareness campaigns, and the number of local jobs created through the project. Our goal is to ensure that this project becomes a success story and a model that can be replicated across other municipalities in Mpumalanga and beyond.

As we move forward with this project, I urge all the residents of BLM to take part. This initiative offers a chance to make a real difference in the way we manage waste in our communities. By working together, we can help ensure that e-waste is recycled responsibly, that valuable materials are recovered, and that our environment is protected for future generations.

In conclusion, the E-Waste Recycling Project in BLM is a step in the right direction, but it is only the beginning. Achieving long-term success in managing e-waste requires continued efforts from all stakeholders: government, industry, and communities. Let us work together to make this project a success, and let it serve as a model for other municipalities to follow. I am confident that, with the commitment of all those involved, we can achieve our collective goal of a cleaner, more sustainable future.

I will now invite the e-waste recycling PROs present here to join me on stage to conduct a demonstration on the e-waste recycling process.

I thank you!

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