Waste: Market Intelligence Report 2020

The report identifies significant economic potential in diverting waste from landfills in South Africa, particularly in the Western Cape. Key opportunities are highlighted in the organics, plastics, e-waste, and construction sectors, driven by dwindling landfill airspace, rising disposal costs, and emerging regulations like Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) and the Carbon Tax Act. The Western Cape is positioned as a greentech hub, with the City of Cape Town generating the majority of the region's waste and offering the highest market value for beneficiation.

• The South African waste economy contributed approximately R24.3 billion to the GDP in 2016, supporting 36,000 formal and 80,000 informal jobs. An additional R11.5 billion per year could be unlocked by 2023 by diverting up to 20 million tonnes of waste.
• The Western Cape faces a critical landfill airspace crisis, with 22 out of 25 municipalities having less than five years of airspace remaining as of 2019.
• The City of Cape Town (CCT) is the primary waste generator in the Western Cape, producing 48% of the province's total waste and offering the highest market value for waste beneficiation across all key streams.
• The market value for organic waste in the Western Cape is estimated between R86 million and R162 million, with the CCT area alone accounting for R61 million to R115 million.
• South Africa's plastic recycling sector is robust, with an input recycling rate of 42%. In 2018, the polymer market was dominated by virgin materials at 81%, while recyclate made up 18%.
• E-waste is classified as hazardous waste in South Africa. Only about 7% of the estimated 360,000 tonnes of e-waste discarded in 2018 was intercepted before reaching landfills.
• The Western Cape generates approximately 1.7 million tonnes of builders' rubble annually, with an estimated market value of R48 million per year.
• Regulatory shifts are moving from landfill management toward Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR). The Minister of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries has withdrawn previous Industry Waste Management Plans (IndWMPs) to investigate EPR measures under Section 18 of the NEMWA.
• The Carbon Tax Act (Act 15 of 2019) strengthens the business case for waste solutions by allowing heavy greenhouse gas emitters to purchase carbon credits from approved projects to reduce their tax liability.
• The Western Cape's Department of Environmental Affairs and Development Planning (DEA&DP) has a diversion plan to remove 50% of organic waste from landfills by 2022 and 100% by 2027.

APA

GreenCape (2020). Waste: Market Intelligence Report 2020. https://greencape.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/WASTE_MIR_20200331-3.pdf

Chicago

GreenCape. Waste: Market Intelligence Report 2020. 2020. https://greencape.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/WASTE_MIR_20200331-3.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=GreenCape |title=Waste: Market Intelligence Report 2020 |date=2020 |url=https://greencape.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/WASTE_MIR_20200331-3.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{greencape2020waste, author = {{GreenCape}}, title = {{Waste: Market Intelligence Report 2020}}, institution = {GreenCape}, year = {2020}, url = {https://greencape.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/WASTE_MIR_20200331-3.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }