New law means stiff penalties for polluters

The National Waste Management Act went into effect on July 2, bringing with it a law which includes stiff penalties for industrial polluters, with penalties of up to R10-million.

Environmental management inspectors and each level of government will be in charge of enforcement. Until now, South Africa has been without a national law that states how waste should be dealt with and how offenders should be punished.

The new law requires each municipality and provincial government to establish its own guidelines to meet the requirements of the national law. Primary among those requirements is the reduction of waste and increased recycling. At a 2001 national waste summit, organised by the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, the government announced its commitment to develop a plan for zero waste by 2022. The government now has two years to devise a National Waste Management Strategy.