As landfills reach breaking point and policy tightens, the shift from waste disposal to resource recovery has become an economic and environmental imperative
May 2026 – South Africa is at a turning point in its relationship with waste — and the Institute of Waste Management of Southern Africa (IWMSA) is calling on industry, government, and citizens alike to recognise that the circular economy is no longer a progressive ambition. It is a necessity.
The warning signs are impossible to ignore. South Africa continues to send over 60% of its waste to landfill – a figure the Deputy Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Bernice Swarts, has described as untenable given the country’s climate and development commitments. At the same time, landfill space in major metros including Cape Town, eThekwini, and Ekurhuleni is rapidly diminishing, with these cities experiencing major cost increases as their sites reach capacity.
The scale of the crisis is stark. An estimated 12.7 million tonnes of waste is generated by households in South Africa annually, with approximately 29% of this waste uncollected or untreated within formal waste systems.
Policy is Catching Up – But Implementation Must Follow
Government has signalled a clear direction. The draft National Waste Management Strategy (NWMS) 2026, gazetted in December 2025, is intended to guide waste reduction, resource recovery, and circular economy outcomes over the next five years. It is structured around several strategic pillars, including circular economy and waste minimisation, effective waste services, capacity building, and compliance monitoring and enforcement.
The draft NWMS 2026 establishes a target to divert 40% of waste from landfill over the next five years, signalling a fundamental shift away from a disposal-led approach toward circular economy principles.
“Legislation alone will not deliver the change South Africa needs. While South Africa has developed world-class legislation, the sector’s most formidable challenge remains transforming policy into practice. The implementation gap remains critical as the country’s 2030 development milestones approach,” comments IMWSA President, Patricia Schröder.
Waste as an Economic Opportunity
The circular economy reframes waste not as a burden, but as a resource. South Africa’s waste industry value chain generated an estimated revenue of R36.4 billion in 2023, with the sector providing more than 30,000 formal jobs and supporting an estimated 90,000 informal jobs.
Those informal jobs – largely held by South Africa’s army of waste pickers – represent one of the most significant and underappreciated contributions to the circular economy. Informal waste pickers are responsible for processing over 80% of South Africa’s recycled materials – an extraordinary contribution to both the economy and the environment. Despite this, they continue to operate largely on the margins of formal recognition and support.
A Responsibility Shared by All
Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) regulations, already embedded in South Africa’s waste regulatory framework, compel producers and importers of packaging to manage post-consumer waste through registered Producer Responsibility Organisations (PROs). The NWMS 2026 reinforces EPR’s role and signals that businesses across the value chain will increasingly need to consider how materials can be reduced, reused, recycled, or repurposed.
Deputy Minister Swarts has called for bold intervention, including expanded buy-back centres, materials recovery facilities across all provinces, investment in post-consumer recycling technologies, and better integration of the informal and formal waste sectors.
The IWMSA’s Call to Action
As the IWMSA marks its 50th anniversary in 2026, the organisation is amplifying its call for meaningful, collective action. The circular economy offers South Africa a path to address its waste crisis while simultaneously unlocking jobs, enterprise development, and environmental restoration. The country cannot afford to treat it as optional.
Platforms such as the upcoming WasteCon 2026 and the Botswana Circular Economy Hotspot 2026 provide vital opportunities for waste management professionals, policymakers, and industry leaders across the region to share solutions, align strategies, and accelerate progress.
