Redisa urges government to reform South Africa’s “broken” waste management system

SOUTH AFRICA – The Recycling and Economic Development Initiative of South Africa (Redisa) has called on the government to overhaul what it describes as the country’s “broken” waste management system.

The association criticizes the draft National Waste Management Strategy 2026 for lacking coherence, credible data and a clear funding model.

The industry organization directed its appeal to Willie Aucamp, South Africa’s Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, urging him to address the structural weaknesses in the country’s waste governance framework.

In a statement, Hermann Erdmann, CEO of Redisa, said the draft strategy does not adequately confront the scale of the country’s waste management challenges.

“The draft NWMS 2026 does not take waste management seriously. Redisa calls on the Minister to fix our country’s broken waste management system,” Erdmann said.

Concerns over unreliable waste data

Redisa argues that the proposed strategy relies heavily on questionable data sources, particularly figures reported through the South African Waste Information System (SAWIS).

The organization cited examples of what it describes as “implausible” reporting, including data indicating that the Western Cape generated more than 1.8 million tonnes of healthcare risk waste in 2023, compared with 526,033 tonnes in 2022.

By contrast, the National Health Service in the United Kingdom reportedly produces around 156,000 tonnes of healthcare waste annually.

According to Redisa, such figures undermine the credibility of the strategy and highlight weaknesses in the country’s waste reporting systems.

The organization also criticized the 2018 State of Waste Report, another key source referenced in the draft strategy, claiming it contains internal contradictions and misleading definitions that distort recycling performance statistics.

Debate over recycling performance

Redisa questioned official recycling figures presented in the strategy, particularly for plastics and glass.

While the strategy cites a 43.7% plastics recycling rate, Redisa argues that the figure actually represents the proportion of recyclable plastics recovered from the waste stream, rather than the share of plastics recycled relative to total production.

Using the latter definition, the group estimates the actual recycling rate to be around 17.5%, and potentially lower when imported plastics in finished goods and packaging are included.

Similarly, Redisa disputed the reported 71.2% recycling rate for glass, arguing that the calculation incorrectly counts returnable containers as recycled.

The organization also criticized the strategy for lacking a clear financing framework. According to Redisa, the document does not outline how its goals will be funded or implemented.

Redisa pointed out that an assessment of the 2020 National Waste Management Strategy targets showed limited progress: out of 69 targets, only three achieved positive outcomes, while 56 recorded little or no progress.

To address these shortcomings, the organization is calling for a policy model that ring-fences environmental levies and extended producer responsibility (EPR) fees for specific waste streams.

It also proposes independently managed recycling schemes with regulatory oversight and stronger market development for secondary materials.

Redisa argues that well-designed EPR systems could significantly strengthen South Africa’s recycling economy by reducing environmental pollution, improving public health outcomes and creating employment opportunities across the waste management value chain.

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