Waste Legislation

The Waste Act
The National Environmental Management; Waste Act, No 59 of 2008 came into effect on 1 July 2009. The main objectives of the Waste Act are as follows:
The National Environmental Management; Waste Act, No 59 of 2008 came into effect on 1 July 2009. The main objectives of the Waste Act are as follows:
- Promote an integrated approach in dealing with waste which focuses on prevention, minimization and responsible disposal of waste.
- Ensure that waste is properly managed in order to minimise its potential to cause damage to the socio-economic and bio-physical environments.
- To build capacity and assist the South African industrial sector to properly manage waste by requiring provinces and municipalities to develop integrated waste management plans that are co-ordinated and aligned with the relevant integrated development plans and other plans and programmes of provincial and national government.
- To provide guidance to regulatory authorities.
- To assist the industrial sector in moving to improved waste management practices.
- To provide for industry waste management plans at a national level for industries that cross provincial boundaries as well as at a provincial level for industry specific to a particular province.
- To ensure that a National Waste Management Strategy is established within two years of the Act coming into effect, in order to realize the Republic’s obligations in terms of relevant international agreements.
- To ensure alignment of provincial and national waste management standards.
- To promote the principles of reduce, re-use, recover, recycle.
- To ensure responsible waste disposal.
- To prevent pollution and ecological degradation.

Waste in South Africa is currently governed by means of a number of pieces of legislation, including:
- The South African Constitution (Act 108 of 1996)
- Hazardous Substances Act (Act 5 of 1973
- Health Act (Act 63 of 1977)
- Environment Conservation Act (Act 73 of 1989)
- Occupational Health and Safety Act (Act 85 of 1993)
- National Water Act (Act 36 of 1998)
- The National Environmental Management Act (Act 107 of 1998)
- Municipal Structures Act (Act 117 of 1998)
- Municipal Systems Act (Act 32 of 2000)
- Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act (Act 28 of 2002)
- Air Quality Act (Act 39 of 2004)
- National Environmental Management: Waste Act, 2008 (Act 59 of 2008)
- National Environmental Management: Waste Amendment Act, 2014 (Act 26 of 2014)
Source: http://sawic.environment.gov.za
Copies of the above legislation can be sourced from http://www.polity.org.za/pol/acts/

