South Africa’s waste crisis demands urgent circular economy shift, says deputy minister

2026-03-19 - 09:30

As landfills absorb more than 60% of the country’s waste, government is calling on producers, municipalities and waste pickers to accelerate the transition to a circular economy, or risk deepening an already severe environmental and economic crisis. South Africa’s waste management system is under mounting pressure, and Deputy Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Bernice Swarts, used the Waste Khoro 2026 conference in Mangaung this week to issue a clear warning: the status quo is unsustainable. Addressing an audience of industry leaders, waste pickers, municipalities and civil society organisations on 18 March, Swarts described the conference as arriving “at a crucial moment in our country’s journey towards a circular economy – one in which materials are continuously repurposed, waste is minimised, and economic opportunities are maximised.” The conference, themed around the circular economy transition through licensing, comes as South African cities grapple with overwhelmed waste infrastructure, growing illegal dumping, and collection services struggling to keep pace with urban growth. More than 60% of waste still ends up in landfills At the heart of the crisis is a stubborn reliance on landfill disposal. South Africa continues to send the majority of its waste to landfill sites, a figure Swarts described as untenable given the country’s climate and development commitments. She called for bold intervention, including expanded buy-back centres, more materials recovery facilities across all provinces, investment in post-consumer recycling technologies, and better integration of informal and formal waste sectors. “Our country still sends over 60% of its waste to landfill, a figure we cannot afford if we are serious about achieving our climate and development goals,” Swarts said. Producer Responsibility Organisations (PROs), she argued, are well placed to drive change, not just through recycling targets, but by designing products with their end of life already considered. ALSO READ: Stinky bins again! Another setback for garbage collection in these parts of Joburg Extended producer responsibility: progress and persistent gaps Four years since the promulgation of South Africa’s Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Regulations, progress has been uneven. There has been measurable growth in industry participation, investment in collection and sorting infrastructure, and some job creation linked to circular economy partnerships. But Swarts acknowledged that significant challenges remain, particularly in integrating informal waste collectors and driving meaningful behavioural change among consumers. The EPR framework, she explained, is not a bureaucratic compliance tool. “The Waste Act, the National Waste Management Strategy and the Extended Producer Regulations are not merely compliance tools. They are transformative policy instruments aimed at shifting accountability from downstream to upstream – placing responsibility for the entire lifecycle on the producers and brand owners themselves,” she said. She added that producers and PROs must step up engagement with government: “For us, this is a good step in the right direction, and we strongly encourage all of you and other EPR stakeholders to deepen the level of engagement with government.” Waste pickers are workers, not an afterthought One of the sharpest points raised at the Khoro concerned the role of informal waste collectors, commonly known as waste pickers, who have long operated on the margins of the formal recycling economy despite recovering enormous volumes of recyclable material daily. Swarts was unequivocal about their status in the value chain. “Waste pickers are not beneficiaries – they are central players in the waste economy. For decades, they have recovered materials and diverted waste from landfills without formal recognition or support,” she said. She called on PROs and the industry to move beyond tokenism and to offer waste pickers fair compensation, formalised working conditions, access to protective equipment, and training. “Inclusive EPR is not a favour – it is an imperative for justice, efficiency, and long-term sustainability,” Swarts said. Public-private partnerships and education hold the key Government alone cannot resolve the waste crisis, Swarts conceded, given ongoing failures in municipal service delivery in cities, including Johannesburg, where waste collection has deteriorated sharply in recent years. She called for deeper public-private partnerships to unlock investment, promote innovation in materials recovery and build infrastructure in underserved municipalities. On public behaviour, she urged producers and PROs to embed multilingual, community-responsive education campaigns into their programmes, with a focus on source separation and responsible disposal. “An informed public is not only a better participant in recycling schemes – it becomes a driving force for innovation and accountability,” she said. A resource, not a burden Closing her address, Swarts framed the issue not as an environmental obligation alone but as an economic opportunity, one South Africa cannot afford to squander. “The road to a circular economy is not a short one – but by working together, aligning our efforts, and prioritising inclusion and innovation, we can build a South Africa where waste is not a burden, but a resource that powers growth, jobs, enterprise development, and environmental restoration,” she said. READ NEXT: Still have stinky garbage bins on your pavement? Here’s how refuse collection is going in your area