, PLEASE USE THIS DOCUMENT AS A GUIDE TO ANSWER YOUR ASSIGNMENT
Please note that the author of this document will not responsibility for any plagiarizing you
commit.
South Africa is estimated to generate domestically a total of 12.7 million tonnes of waste per annum.
In the country, municipalities are facing increasing pressures and challenges to provide waste
management services due to the growing waste generation. Every year approximately 3.67 million
tonnes of this waste are not collected and treated through formal waste collection systems, resulting in
large amounts being dumped illegally.
Accordingly, South Africa Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries (DEFF), the Council
for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), and The United Nations Environment Programme
(UNEP) International Environmental Technology Centre (IETC) have partnered to enhanced
municipal solid waste management. During this collaboration, local municipalities’ challenges and
systems failures were identified, and potential solutions investigated to inform the implementation of
interventions by UNEP in country office.
This report provides a summary of the findings. Download the prescribed report for this
assignment:
https://www.unep.org/ietc/resources/publication/south-african-municipal-waste-management-systems-
challenges-and-solutions (Polasi, T., Matinise, S., & Oelofse, S. 2020. South African Municipal Waste
Management Systems: Challenges and Solutions.)
Read through the report and use the information to answer the following questions.
Question 1
1. Identify the challenges that are faced, by not only local government and municipalities, but
also households with regards to municipal waste management in South Africa with specific
reference to the report.
Several challenges faced by local governments, municipalities, and households in South Africa
regarding municipal waste management have been identified.
Challenges Faced by Local Governments and Municipalities:
Financial Constraints:
Municipalities struggle with insufficient budgets to cover the costs of waste management
services. The underpricing of municipal solid waste services further exacerbates financial
shortfalls.
High transportation costs, especially in areas where landfills are far from waste generation sites,
significantly strain municipal budgets.
Operational Challenges:
Inadequate infrastructure and equipment, such as old or malfunctioning waste collection
vehicles, lead to frequent breakdowns and service interruptions.
Lack of skilled staff and insufficient training for existing staff hamper effective waste
management operations.
