URBAN LOCKDOWN LESSONS FOR SOUTH AFRICA

This report analyzes how the Covid-19 pandemic exposed and worsened systemic vulnerabilities in South Africa's waste and recycling sector. It highlights the devastating impact on informal waste reclaimers, who were initially excluded from essential services, and the economic pressure caused by plummeting oil prices making virgin plastic cheaper than recyclate. The author argues for the urgent and inclusive implementation of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) regulations to ensure the sector's resilience and support the transition to a circular economy.

• The Covid-19 pandemic and lockdowns exacerbated pre-existing systemic fragilities in South Africa's waste sector, including outdated municipal infrastructure, limited economic resources for collectors, and a reliance on volatile global markets. The sector was already strained by China's 2018 'National Sword' policy, which banned certain recyclable material importations, and fluctuations in the oil market that affect the price of recyclate.
• Informal waste reclaimers, who are estimated to sort and sell between 80% and 90% of the country's recyclables, were severely impacted by their exclusion from essential services regulations during the initial level 5 lockdown. This resulted in a total loss of income for approximately 215,000 reclaimers for two weeks or more, deepening their socio-economic vulnerability.

APA

Pholoto, L. (2021). URBAN LOCKDOWN LESSONS FOR SOUTH AFRICA. WWF South Africa. http://wwfafrica.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/lessons_from_lockdown_plastics.pdf

Chicago

Pholoto, Lethabo. URBAN LOCKDOWN LESSONS FOR SOUTH AFRICA. WWF South Africa, 2021. http://wwfafrica.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/lessons_from_lockdown_plastics.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Pholoto |first1=Lethabo |title=URBAN LOCKDOWN LESSONS FOR SOUTH AFRICA |publisher=WWF South Africa |date=2021 |url=http://wwfafrica.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/lessons_from_lockdown_plastics.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{pholoto2021urban, author = {Pholoto, Lethabo}, title = {{URBAN LOCKDOWN LESSONS FOR SOUTH AFRICA}}, institution = {WWF South Africa}, year = {2021}, url = {http://wwfafrica.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/lessons_from_lockdown_plastics.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }