Role of the South African Waste Information System in improving waste management

Abstract

Piloting of the South African Waste Information System (SAWIS) provided an opportunity to research, whether the collection of data for a national waste information system could, through a process of learning, change the way that waste is managed. Interviews with officials from municipalities and private waste companies highlighted that certain organizations, typically private waste companies have been successful in collecting waste data. Through a process of learning, these organizations have utilized this waste data to inform and manage their operations. The drivers of such data collection were seen to be financial (business) sustainability and environmental reporting obligations, particularly where the company had an international parent company. Participants also highlighted a number of constraints, particularly within public (municipal) waste facilities which hindered both the collection of waste data and the utilization of this data to effect change. These constraints included a lack of equipment and institutional capacity in the collection of data. The utilization of this data in effecting change was further hindered by governance challenges such as politics, bureaucracy and procurement challenges.