Lessons learned from separation at source implementation in Newcastle

Abstract

A waste separation at source (S@S) pilot study was conducted in two areas in the Newcastle Local Municipality. The aim was to draw on the lessons learned from implementing waste S@S in a municipalitiy to inform and provide guidance on replicating similar studies in other municipalities. To understand the the perceptions and expectations of the community before the project commenced, a questionnaire was distributed in the selected two areas namely Schuinshoogte (middle-to high-income area) and Siyahlala-la (low-income area). The findings highlighted that not everyone were aware of S@S at the start of the project but the majority of the respondents from both study areas indicated their willingness to participate in the study. A post-project questionnaire was distributed in the same areas to understand the successes and failures of the project. The results showed that people are willing to participate in S@S going forward. However, there were hindering factors mentioned by the community including poor communication and lack of knowledge of separating waste in the low income area, not receiving black plastic bags from the municipality for mixed waste collection, and lack of plastic gloves for the service provider to handle the waste. The service provider was asked to weigh the separated waste in order to estimate the amount of waste diverted from the landfill site by this S@S project. The outcome gave a good indication of increasing diversion over time as the kilograms of collected recyclables gradually increased over a period of time partly due to increased participation by households but also due to the efforts of the service provider to collect more recyclables. It is recommended that communication and education should be ongoing between the community and the municipality. A good working relationship between the service provider and the municipality is vital.