Efforts to ensure that South Africa has a clean and healthy environment were under the spotlight at the 7th Global Forum of Cities for Circular Economy (GFCCE) workshop.
The GFCCE seeks to strengthen waste management, improve resource efficiency, and build the circular economy in cities.
The two-day workshop, hosted by the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) in Johannesburg in collaboration with the Centre for Science and Environment, was part of the programme aimed at enhancing South-South cooperation to improve the solid waste management ecosystem in the Global South and build the capacity of nominated officials from 18 African nations.
The workshop was attended by delegates from Botswana, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Eswatini, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Madagascar, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
In her opening address, South Africa's Deputy Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Bernice Swarts, highlighted some of the measures the South African government has adopted to bolster the circular economy, focusing on reusing and recycling materials to support a sustainable and secure supply of resources.
“South Africa has instituted various policy instruments and initiatives to advance sustainable development pathways, with circular economy principles embedded in these strategies,” Swarts said. These include the National Waste Management Strategy, Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Regulations for priority waste streams and economic instruments that include fees, levies and taxes to incentivise behaviour change.
“It became necessary to include Extended Producer Responsibility Regulations in South Africa’s policy mix, considering the increasing generation of waste. EPR seeks to shift the responsibility for managing (and minimising) the generation of waste products from municipalities and consumers to producers.
“South Africa is under immense pressure and the host city of the workshop, the City of Joburg, like others, does not have sufficient landfill space. It is, therefore, necessary to use a policy mix to address resource efficiency. It is also necessary to enable cities to monitor resource use,” Swarts said.
The Deputy Minister noted that for meaningful progress to be made, strong partnerships are needed.
"Collaboration between government and the private sector is paramount in realising the goals of the waste management hierarchy and facilitating our transition to a circular economy.
“South Africa is committed to strengthening these partnerships and advancing the shared objectives of the GFCCE. Collaboration enables government to better manage its waste management spending and creates green opportunities,” she said.
Since it was established in 2021, the GFCCE has expanded to a community of 22 member states, with 18 countries from Africa. It is dedicated to advancing circular economy principles in line with national policies and priorities.
Cities reportedly account for 75% of natural resource consumption and 70% of global greenhouse gas emissions.
Swarts said more people will continue to migrate to cities to seek better opportunities and cities therefore need to become more resilient in managing resources efficiently and reduce their environmental footprint.
For more information visit: www.sanews.gov.za
