Analysing Integrated Waste Management Plan quality: the case of the Western Cape District Municipalities

Abstract

Countries worldwide experience increases in waste generation rates. If not managed effectively, waste poses an immediate threat to human well-being and environmental health. Waste management is not a new concept, as history reflects that centuries ago, measures to mitigate and manage waste were implemented. Common challenges experienced globally pertaining to waste management include increased waste generation rates, increased population growth, industrialization, lack of institutional capacity, lack of financial resources, lack of infrastructure and lastly, the lack of knowledge. Integrated Waste Management Planning, as a concept, has been present in the South African legislative framework since 1999. The goal of Integrated Waste Management Planning in the South African context is to provide municipalities with the opportunity to plan and manage waste-related activities within their jurisdictional area. South Africa has made the right steps towards Integrated Waste Management Planning, but flaws in the system persist. The aim of this research is to analyse the quality of Integrated Waste Management Plans of the district municipalities of the Western Cape. Three research objectives were set to achieve the research aim; to provide an overview of waste management and the context of waste management planning in South Africa; to adapt and design a unique Integrated Waste Management Plan review package for South African District Municipalities and to analyse five case study IWMPs with an adapted and unique review package. This study focuses on the quality of Integrated Waste Management Plans of district municipalities of the Western Cape Province of South Africa. A qualitative research approach was applied through means of an adapted Lee and Colley review package, used to analyse the quality of the IWMPs. The findings on the overall quality of the reviewed IWMPs were unsatisfactory as major omissions were noted in the IWMP content. Institutional capacity constraints, insufficient stakeholder communication, lack of awareness campaigns, unclear provision of roles and responsibilities, insufficient coordination between local and district municipalities and budgetary constraints are the main factors influencing the quality of the analysed Integrated Waste Management Plans. Strengthening of communication, coordination and institutional capacity within municipalities has the potential to improve the quality of the Integrated Waste Management Plans. Focusing to strengthen all the identified weaknesses in the IWMPs will lead to better report quality.