Greencape Market Intelligence Report 2014: Waste

The South African waste economy is valued at R15.3 billion, representing approximately 0.51% of GDP. While the National Environmental Management: Waste Act (NEM:WA) has shifted the sector toward 'cradle-to-cradle' solutions, developers face significant hurdles, including complex municipal procurement processes, long legal authorisation backlogs, and difficulties in securing long-term feedstock agreements. In the Western Cape, limited landfill airspace—with some sites having less than three years of capacity—is driving a need for decentralized waste-to-energy and recycling projects.

• The South African waste economy, comprising both public and private sectors, is estimated at R15.3 billion, which is approximately 0.51% of the national GDP.
• The National Waste Management Strategy (NWMS), published in 2011, established targets to create 69,000 jobs and 2,600 small and medium enterprises (SMEs) within the waste sector by 2016.
• South Africa's average recycling rate is 19.6%, which is lower than the global average of 23.3%. The most frequently recycled polymers include Polyethene Terephthalate (PET), High Density Polyethylene, Polypropylene, and Low-Density Polyethylene.
• The Tyre Industry Waste Management Plan (TIWMP) aims to establish a sustainable recycling industry by collecting a R2.30/kg levy from manufacturers, importers, and dealers to address the 10 million tyres sent to landfills annually.
• Waste-to-energy developers face significant financial and regulatory barriers, including the requirement for gas user licenses under the Gas Act and the fact that waste-generated electricity costs R0.15-0.20/kwh more than Eskom's bulk electricity price.
• In the Western Cape, landfill capacity is critical, with an average estimated lifespan of eight years across existing sites and less than three years remaining for the Stellenbosch Municipality.
• Project developers struggle with municipal procurement regulations, such as the MSyA and MFMA, which can lead to multi-year delays in securing feedstock agreements and a lack of investment security for projects with 10-15 year payback periods.
• Legal authorisation for waste projects is slow, typically taking 9 to 24 months for a waste license and EIA, and can potentially extend the total development stage by up to five years.

APA

GreenCape (2014). Greencape Market Intelligence Report 2014: Waste. https://greencape.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/MIR2014-Waste-3.pdf

Chicago

GreenCape. Greencape Market Intelligence Report 2014: Waste. 2014. https://greencape.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/MIR2014-Waste-3.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=GreenCape |title=Greencape Market Intelligence Report 2014: Waste |date=2014 |url=https://greencape.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/MIR2014-Waste-3.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{greencape2014greencape, author = {{GreenCape}}, title = {{Greencape Market Intelligence Report 2014: Waste}}, institution = {GreenCape}, year = {2014}, url = {https://greencape.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/MIR2014-Waste-3.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }