BID NUMBER: E1243
THE ROLE OF WASTE PICKERS
IN WASTE MANAGEMENT IN
SOUTH AFRICA
26/03/2013
1
PROBLEM STATEMENT
• Unemployment drastically dropped
from well above the 30% mark between
2001 and 2003, to slightly below 25%
from 2008.
• From 2010 to 2011, there has been a
3.1% increase in the unemployment
figures.
• Coupled with high unemployment rates,
South Africa is faced with basic service
backlogs, including the provision of
basic waste services.
2
WASTE SERVICE BACKLOGS
100
% Households Receiving Waste Services
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
WC
EC
NC
FS
KZN
NW
GP
MP
LP
RSA
2002
84
33.4
69.5
63.1
54.2
42.3
88.1
38.9
12.8
57.8
2003
85
34
65.7
67.5
55.2
43.5
88.3
46.3
13.6
59.1
2004
87.2
35
62.6
66.6
55
44.2
86.9
43
14.3
59
2005
91.6
43.3
68.7
73.4
56.9
51.8
84.9
39.4
17.8
61.7
2006
91.7
43.6
66.5
78.6
56.9
49.7
85.1
40.2
19.6
62.2
2007
90.8
44.2
67.7
76
53.9
50.2
86.3
42.3
20.5
62.1
2008
88.3
40
64
75.7
50.2
47.9
88.1
38.7
15.6
60.1
2009
73.3
38.6
56
63.9
47
38.5
84.7
33.2
13.2
55.1
2010
85.5
41.3
59.8
72.9
46.2
44.1
89.7
36.3
11.8
59
3
Source: Stats SA, 2011
BACKGROUND
• Challenges:
– Unemployment and waste service
backlogs
– The environmental pressures on
natural resources and the negative
environmental impacts of waste.
• These have resulted in the
widely known and acceptable
waste hierarchy
• The waste hierarchy forms the
basis for South African waste
legislation.
4
BACKGROUND
• This offers a unique opportunity
to address both the
environmental issues while also
contributing towards the socioeconomic concerns of the
country.
• Historically, in South Africa, the
recycling sector was driven by
the private sector with a huge
participation of the informal
sector i.e. waste pickers.
5
BACKGROUND – RECYCLING FIGURES
Waste
Stream
Paper
Plastic
Glass
Metals
Tyres
Other
Total
1 694 752
1 278 713
937 869
3 121 203
246 631
36 171 127
966 009
230 168
300 118
2 496 962
9 865
-
728 743
1 048 545
637 751
624 241
236 766
36 171 127
Recycle
%
57
18
32
80
4
0
59 008 862
5 793 271
53 215 591
10
Generated
Recycled
Disposed
Source: DEA, 2012
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RECOGNITION AND ACCEPTANCE OF
WASTE PICKERS
• Waste pickers generally are not
recognised contributors in the sector.
• Generally they are seen as “a problem”
• Working conditions not acceptable.
• Wages are very low.
• In certain cases face exploitation.
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ORGANISATION OF WASTE PICKERS
• On July 2 and 3, 2009, waste pickers
from across the country gathered for
South Africa’s First National Waste
Pickers’ Meeting.
• The waste pickers came from 26
landfills in seven of South Africa’s nine
provinces.
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BENEFITS OF ORGANISATION
• Raising social status and self-esteem;
• Improving members’ incomes and
quality of life, in part by circumventing
middlemen;
• Improving working conditions and
contributing to better health quality;
• Facilitating the development of
networks;
• Providing institutional frameworks for
hiring of waste pickers for local
bodies/firms;
• Preventing harassment and violence;
9
LEGAL FRAMEWORK
• The objects of the National
Environmental Management:
Waste Act (59 of 2008) are
(a) to protect health, well-being and the
environment by providing reasonable
measures for—
(i) minimising the consumption of natural resources;
(ii) avoiding and minimising the generation of
waste;
(iii) reducing, re-using, recycling and recovering
waste;
(iv) treating and safely disposing of waste as a last
resort;
10
LEGAL FRAMEWORK
• The National Waste Management
Strategy
– Goal 1: Promote waste minimisation, reuse, recycling and recovery of waste
– Goal 2: Ensure the effective and efficient
delivery of waste services.
– Goal 3: Grow the contribution of the waste
sector to the green economy.
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SCOPE OF WORK
• Establish the extent of waste picking in
SA.
• Establish the different modes of
operation of waste pickers in SA.
• Determine the impact or contribution of
waste pickers on waste management
in SA.
• Propose how waste pickers can be
formally included in waste
management in SA in view of the
current and future waste management
systems based on the current policy
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direction.
SCOPE OF WORK
• Develop training material for waste
pickers covering the following:
– Health and Safety issues relating to
operating on landfill sites.
– The recycling value chain.
– Recycling business models that will assist
waste pickers to understand the business.
• Undertake one training session per
province for waste pickers. The Service
Provider will cover all associated travel
and accommodation costs related to
this training.
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METHODOLOGY
• The study will include primary and
secondary data sources.
• Where secondary data sources have
been used, data verification and/or
ground truthing will be required.
• For primary data collection a clear
sampling method has to be provided
including the reasons for choosing such
a method.
• The primary focus should be ensuring a
representative sample that can be used
to project an accurate national picture.
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REQUIREMENTS
• The service provider/s shall submit a
detailed budget proposal detailing:
– the hourly rates for the different personnel
to be used in the project
– the hours and respective amounts for each
activity/phase of the project.
– Unit costs should also be included where
applicable.
• The service provider/s shall submit a
detailed work plan including a clear
approach and methodology to be
employed.
15
EVALUATION CRITERIA
No.
Category
Total
A.
PRICE
90
B.
FUNCTIONALITY
100
1.
Bidder understanding of the brief.
15
2.
Capability (number of project team members to handle the project/ submit
names and the CVs as well as other resources to enable the delivery of this
project).
Proposed methodology and plan of action to achieve the objectives should be
submitted for evaluation.
Experience in the following:
3.
4.
10
30
35
a)Waste management, especially landfill and recycling operations,
b)Research
c)Training
5.
d)Local government operations and structures.
Relevance of the educational background of the personnel proposed to
provide the service in relation to the fields of experience required.
Assessment of the condensed Curricula Vitae of personnel involved on the
projects.
10
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EVALUATION CRITERIA
No.
C
Category
Total
B-BBEE Status Level Contributor
1
10
2
9
3
8
4
5
5
4
6
3
7
2
8
1
Non –compliant contributor
0
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THANK YOU!
Mamosa Afrika
Tel: 012 – 310 3920
E-mail: Mafrika@environment.gov.za
Tsebo Mohapi
Tel: 012 – 310 3861
E-mail: Tmohapi@environment.gov.za
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