[Submission M] Positives and Negatives The Waste Management Bill 21 November 2007 [Submission M] Positives and Negatives The Waste Management Bill Musa Chamane groundWork Submissiom to Portfolio Committee on Environment and Tourism

What we support in the Bill 21 November 2007 What we support in the Bill Standards development Development of Waste Information System Identification of priority waste Contaminated land registry Licensing process Development of a National Waste Management Strategy 21 November 2007 Portfolio Committee on Environment and Tourism Submissiom to Portfolio Committee on Environment and Tourism

What needs to be changed The waste Bill fails to cover the following adequately: Salvaging of waste. Polokwane Declaration: waste reduction, zero waste, and recycling. Clear timeframes for delivery. Health care waste needs to be dealt with separately. Mining dumps needs to be addressed in this Bill. 21 November 2007 Portfolio Committee on Environment and Tourism

What needs to be changed cont… We need to implement international conventions. Waste situational analysis is needed. Hazardous waste inventory and how is currently dealt with need to be developed. Definition of terms: “recovery” should not mean the extraction of energy from waste rather materials recovered from the landfill and other processes. Define the: discards; cleaner production; health care/medical/infectious waste. Waste hierarchy should be incorporated into the Bill to .encourage 3R’s 21 November 2007 Portfolio Committee on Environment and Tourism

National community meetings: Waste incineration groundWork is having meetings with all cement communities, where waste incineration is being proposed. Our presentations are interpreted to a local language. Technical information is being simplified Meetings are well attended – unlike the consultative meetings held by the companies. Local councillors assists groundWork to organise these meetings. 21 November 2007 Portfolio Committee on Environment and Tourism

Portfolio Committee on Environment and Tourism Conclusion The health and environmental impacts are well documented in the literature. The language used by cement companies is misleading e.g. co-processing, energy recovery= incineration! Before a decision is made on the Bill I invite the honourable MP’s to visit communities grappling with waste challenges and resisting incineration. Waste management must be incorporated into school curricula. 21 November 2007 Portfolio Committee on Environment and Tourism

Portfolio Committee on Environment and Tourism Conclusion Product manufacturers need to take the precautionary approach in their product development. We need to make provision for waste transportation, exportation. We can move away from incineration it is being done globally. 21 November 2007 Portfolio Committee on Environment and Tourism

Portfolio Committee on Environment and Tourism Thank you Musa Chamane groundWork Tel:033-342 5662 Fax:033-3425665 Email: musa@groundwork.org.za 21 November 2007 Portfolio Committee on Environment and Tourism