Growing municipal waste mismanagement and associated environmental impacts is an enormous
environmental concern in developing countries such as South Africa. Hence, this study explored
current waste management and minimisation patterns and practices in the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan
Municipality (EMM), located east of the Gauteng province. The study was undertaken using a mixed
method design, particularly the concurrent triangulated design where the quantitative and qualitative
data were collected at the same time. The methods employed were desktop surveys, interviews with
the participants and use of questionnaires which were designed based on the objectives of the study.
The questionnaires were designed for different types of participants (namely, households, informal
reclaimers, municipal officials and landfill officials).
All the data collected were stored in Microsoft Excel (2010) spread sheet for statistical analyses. The
study has revealed some patterns, practices as well as trends regarding waste management and
minimisation within the EMM municipality. At household level, there was some environmental
awareness on waste management practices provided by the municipality as well as local recycling
options although there are numerous challenges to be resolved before these functions can become
effective. With informal recycling, a number of waste materials are being reclaimed at various landfill
sites. However, current informal waste picking activities by the so-called scavengers are not
sustainable as waste is not separated prior to disposal at various point sources. In addition, informal
reclaimers have to travel long distances to reach waste sources. Another concerning constraint
hampering the effectiveness of informal waste recovery, has to do with their daily exposure to several
environmental and health risks. Furthermore, the study has found out that the EMM is predominantly
focused on providing better waste management services rather than balancing this activity with waste
minimisation through reclaiming and recycling operations. Thus, the municipality lacks adequate
infrastructure to undertake waste minimisation effectively. Also, waste minimisation and awareness
campaigns were found to be inadequate and at an infant stage, unlike those carried out by private
companies. In view of these findings, a number of recommendations have been made. / Environmental Sciences / M. Sc. (Environmental Science)
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:unisa/oai:umkn-dsp01.int.unisa.ac.za:10500/19678 |
| Date | 08 1900 |
| Creators | Gumbi, Sibongile Euphemia |
| Contributors | Rampedi, Isaac Tebogo |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Dissertation |
| Format | 1 online resource (ix, 168 leaves) : color illustrations |
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