Welcome Speech: International Solid Waste Association World Congress 2024

The hosting of the International Solid Waste Association (ISWA) World Congress 2024, at the Cape Town International Convention Centre, marks the first time this prestigious world congress on waste management is held on the African continent.

It is an honour and privilege for me to be addressing you during this prestigious occasion. On behalf of the President of the Republic of South Africa Cyril Ramaphosa, his Cabinet in the Government of National Unity, I would like to officially welcome you to South Africa, and I believe you will have an opportunity to see the beauty of our country, starting where we are in Cape Town, in the Western Cape Province.

In addition to witnessing the natural beauty you will be able to see as part of your visits in Cape Town, you will be visiting a number of facilities that will be showcasing our experiences and practices in South Africa as far as waste management and the circular economy is concerned. I will also be visiting one of the facilities this week as part of Recycling Week.

This ISWA 2024 World Congress has brought together waste professionals from around the world to network and to share current thinking in waste management that promote circular economy best practices. In addition to producing leading expert reports and technical studies, you will be looking forward to publishing in the scientific journals such as ISWA’s Waste Management & Research.

The ISWA World Congress has been held in a different country each year, since 1972, and provided a platform for waste professionals to share knowledge among their peers. South Africa, as a national member of ISWA through the Institute of Waste Management of Southern Africa (IWMSA), has attended and presented at the ISWA World Congress for a number of years now, including representatives from the government of South Africa.

The theme for this year’s ISWA World Congress is, “Waste To Wealth: Solutions for a Sustainable Future”, and following on this theme you will be participating in various technical discussions in line with the thematic areas identified for the event.

The Department of Forestry, Fisheries & the Environment is arranging two sessions at the ISWA World Congress 2024: the Government to Government Session, and the Extended Producer Responsibility Session. The former will also reflect on the key matters with waste management in preparation for South Africa’s G20 Presidency in 2025.

In July 2019, the department and the IWMSA entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for strategic collaboration on waste management and circular economy best practices. It is anticipated that the renewal and signing of the new MoU between the department and the institute will take place in due course.

The MoU provides for collaboration on matters relating to, among others, the collaboration in the participation of South Africa in ISWA activities (conferences, seminars, webinars, capacity building etc.). The MoU is taking forward the implementation of the National Waste Management Strategy, which Cabinet approved in 2020. Furthermore, the Circular Economy Action Plan is being developed this financial year, and the department is looking at working with all stakeholders in taking this forward. The implementation of the Circular Economy Action Plan would require collaboration with strategic partners locally and abroad.

The hosting of this international event is viewed as a significant economic opportunity, expected to boost tourism in the region and increase investment in the waste management sector within South Africa and its neighbouring countries as part of the African Union. This event holds great importance, as it allows local experts to gain insights from international expertise while showcasing their knowledge to a global audience. Additionally, this will create new opportunities for many waste management practitioners. More especially, the municipalities and the waste management sector will have an opportunity to showcase their waste management practices and learn from others.

My department will share our experiences on the implementation of the polluter pay principle within our national legislation. The Extended Producer Responsibility Regulations are a critical element of the considerations that are part of the international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, currently being negotiated.

There are various activities planned aligned to the fight against plastics pollution and marine litter. South Africa is increasing recycling capacity for the management of plastic waste and eliminating plastic pollution. South Africa is also implementing product design regulations on prioritised plastic products. Recyclate content is a regulated requirement for prioritised plastic products as part of improving circularity. South Africa supports evidence-based policymaking and implementation.

The ISWA should remain resolute in thought leadership by conducting specialists studies that will assist and inform negotiating positions at the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution and including the environment. The fiscus is under much pressure here in South Africa and across many other countries, and thus the role of the private sector in reducing the burden and shouldering some of the responsibility is key. Political will and commitment has seen the translation of the polluter pay principle into operational policies that create a conducive environment for private sector investment in waste management.

Furthermore, in promoting the circular economy agenda, the Government-to-Government session will deliberate on countries’ experiences and share best practices as part of Day 3 of the congress. We are looking at this session to assist us as part of South Africa’s preparations for the G20 Presidency, informed by the engagements that are taking place at this ISWA World Congress.

One of the critical priorities of the Government of National Unity is job creation. I am grateful to the ISWA SMMEs Committee for supporting small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs) with registration fees for attending the ISWA World Congress 2024. Thank you very much to the sponsors through whom we have more than 37 SMMEs sponsored to attend: IWMSA, the Department of Small Business Development through its Small Enterprise Development Agency, Petco (a producer responsibility organisation) and other strategic partners. South Africa is looking forward to the investments and co-operation partnerships that will contribute to job creation for our people as part of managing waste.

We are grappling with implications brought about, by among others, pollution and emissions by the waste sector. On 23 July 2024, President Ramaphosa signed into law the Climate Change Act. The Act, as endorsed by the president, enables the alignment of policies that influence South Africa’s climate change response, to ensure South Africa’s transition to a low-carbon and climate-resilient economy and society is not constrained by policy contradictions.

The law also sets out to enhance South Africa’s ability and capacity over time to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and build climate resilience, while reducing the risk of job losses and promoting opportunities for new job opportunities in the emerging green and circular economy.

South Africa is celebrating 30 years of democracy. One of the key cornerstones of this democracy is the enjoyment of basic human rights enshrined in the Constitution, affirming an environment that is not harmful to health or well-being, and the protection of that environment. It was only in 2022 when the United Nations General Assembly affirmed a clean, healthy and sustainable environment as a human right.

It has also been 30 years since the UN General Assembly proclaimed 16 September the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer, commemorating the date of the signing, in 1987, of the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer.

South Africa is on course regarding the reduction of ozone-depleting substances and the financial and technical support provided by the Multilateral Fund cannot go unappreciated. It is for this reason that South Africa remains resolute that standalone financial mechanisms should be part of new multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs), as we have seen the ‘healing’ of the ozone layer at an accelerated pace, compared to other MEAs that do not have dedicated financial mechanisms.

I wish you all the best in your deliberations, and do follow up on the strategic partnerships that will start as part of this Recycling Week.

Abridged welcome speech by Bernice Swarts, Deputy Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, at the ISWA World Congress, 16 September 2024, Cape Town, South Africa