New National Waste Management Bill

The long-awaited Bill establishes legal mechanisms to give effect to national waste policies as set out in the White Paper on Integrated Pollution and Waste Management for South Africa of 2000, and the subsequent National Waste Management Strategy for South Africa. The Bill will rationalise the legal regime for waste and put in place important new measures to reduce waste disposal to landfill sites. However commentators have already identified a number of shortcomings of the Bill that should be rectified, including: the definition of waste; insufficient alignment with environmental authorisation processes; inadequate consultation requirements; and potentially onerous obligations for businesses that reuse, recover or recycle waste. Further discussions between DEAT and Provinces to ensure alignment between the Bill and draft provincial legislation dealing with waste (including healthcare waste) are likely to be necessary before the Bill is finalised. Visit the EnAct International Web site Download a copy of the draft Bill