URBAN LOCKDOWN LESSONS FOR SOUTH AFRICA

The report analyzes how the Covid-19 pandemic exacerbated existing fragilities in South Africa's waste sector, particularly for informal waste reclaimers and small businesses. It highlights the negative impact of low oil prices on recycled plastic demand and the failure of government relief loans to reach small enterprises. The document argues for the urgent, inclusive implementation of mandatory Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) regulations to ensure financial sustainability and the integration of informal workers into the circular economy.

• The Covid-19 lockdown exacerbated pre-existing systemic fragilities in the waste sector, including outdated municipal infrastructure and the impact of China's 2018 'National Sword' policy which banned certain recyclable imports.
• Low oil prices during the pandemic reduced the cost of virgin plastics, making recycled content (recyclate) less economically viable and leading to a lack of demand for recovered materials.
• Informal waste reclaimers, who are estimated to sort and sell 80% to 90% of the country's recyclables, were excluded from essential services regulations during the initial level 5 lockdown, resulting in a total loss of income for approximately 215,000 people.
• The pandemic increased health risks for waste workers due to the mixing of infectious PPE waste (masks, gloves) with general household waste, with informal reclaimers being the most vulnerable due to a lack of protective gear.
• Government financial relief measures were largely ineffective for small and medium enterprises (SMMEs) in the sector; none of the interviewed SMMEs benefited from the Covid-19 SMME Support Intervention due to restrictive loan terms and lack of awareness.
• The report advocates for the urgent implementation of mandatory Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) regulations, which require producers to take physical and financial responsibility for products throughout their life cycle, as a primary mechanism for sector resilience.

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} }