Recycling of Waste and Scrap in South Africa 2023

Challenges

Increase in energy, transport, and labour costs. Not enough awareness is being created to divert waste from landfills. The public generally views recyclable products as waste and lacks a recycling culture. The recycling industry is not subsidised by government.

Introduction

South Africa’s waste management industry is among the most efficient on the continent. The country generates large amounts of waste, of which only 10% is recycled or recovered for other uses and 90% landfilled or dumped illegally. Industry experts have warned that the country is on the verge of a waste crisis. More than 80% of municipal landfill sites do not meet the minimum requirements. The biggest drivers of waste include population growth, urbanisation, lack of compliance and general behaviour towards managing waste effectively. South Africa has a large informal waste sector, with waste pickers saving municipalities millions of rands in landfill costs. The industry includes waste pickers, buy-back centres and waste collectors who supply recyclers that reprocess materials.

Opportunities

Growing e-waste will result in demand for more e-waste recyclers and an opportunity for job creation. The lack of landfill space provides opportunities for new recycling initiativesOutlook South Africa’s growing population is leading to increased waste generation and pressure on waste management facilities which are already in short supply. Industry experts say municipalities need to adopt alternative waste management methods instead of landfilling. The implementation of the extended producer responsibility scheme has resulted in positive outcomes. While the percentage of plastic waste being recycled is still low, the trend toward recycling and consumer interest in buying goods made partly from recycled materials is growing.

Report Coverage

This report on the recycling of waste and scrap in South Africa includes information on various types of scrap and recyclers, waste generated, state of landfills, recycling initiatives, extended producer responsibility and the growing issue of e-waste. It includes 33 company profiles such as notable players EnviroServ, Mpact, Oricol and Reclamation Group, plastic recyclers such as Atlantic Plastic Recyclers and Extrupet, and metals recyclers and scrap yards such as Power Metal Recyclers, Scaw and SA Metal.

Trends

Extended producer responsibility is gaining traction. Municipalities are slow to adopt alternative waste treatment technologies. The proportion of recycled content used in new products is increasing.