Suzan Oelofse

• PhD
• Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, South Africa

The Pew Charitable Trust’s 2020 report ‘Breaking the Plastic Wave’, indicates that existing technologies could support an 80% reduction in plastic leakage relative to business as usual by 2040. Therefore, South Africa became the first country to work with the Pew Charitable Trust and Oxford University to test and apply ‘Pathways’, a modelling frame...

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 municpalitiy to inform and provide guidance on replicating similar studies in other municipalities. To understand the the perceptions and expectations of the commu...

The aims of this study were to understand and to do a critical analysis of the different indigenous systems and practices of waste management to inform waste management policy development in Lesotho. To achieve these aims, the objective was to assess community perceptions of the impact of the indigenous systems and practices of solid waste manageme...

Domestic solid waste is rapidly increasing due to accelerated population growth and urbanization. Improper waste disposal poses potential health risks and environmental concerns. Here, we investigated waste disposal practices in relation to household/dwelling characteristics in South African low-income communities. Data for 2014 to 2019 from a comm...

Solid waste management (SWM) is the greatest challenge facing environmental protection and human wellbeing in the rural communities of Maseru (Kingsom of Lesotho). A lack of formal waste management (WM) systems in rural areas of Maseru have resulted in different indigenous systems and practices of SWM. Direct observation and descriptive designs wil...

South Africa Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries (DEFF), the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), and The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) International Environmental Technology Centre (IETC) have partnered to enhanced municipal solid waste management. During this collaboration, local municipalities’ chall...

The food waste reduction potential within the countries of the Middle East and Africa is large and understudied. Countries in the region are faced with food security and sovereignty issues, with over 50% of food imported in some countries. Due to the many differences in this region, this chapter highlights the state of food waste in two prominent c...

While the waste hierarchy promotes the reuse of waste there currently remains limited reuse of mine waste in South Africa. Overburden, waste rock, tailings and slag are stockpiled or disposed leading to environmental liabilities including acid mine drainage and leaching. Globally there are numerous documented uses of mine waste.However,SouthAfrican...

This study assessed the potential drivers of household food wastage in the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality. A total of 210 participants were interviewed face-to-face using structured questionnaire. The acquired data were captured in Microsoft Excel, and analyzed using the chi-square statistical test and SAS statistical software. The main...

In post-apartheid South Africa, cooperatives appear to be the government’s SMME model for driving job creation. Unfortunately, the mortality rates of cooperatives in all sectors is very high with a reported 12% survival rate of cooperatives in general and an 8.1% survival in the waste sector. This paper provides some preliminary findings from a 201...

This case study is an overview investigating the interaction between severe weather incidents and solid waste management. The study seeks to understand how extreme weather events affect the implementation of the waste hierarchy (an approach that emphasises that waste must firstly be avoided and if not avoided, minimised and diverted from landfill f...

Food waste is becoming an important issue in light of population growth and global food security concerns. However, data on food wastage are limited, especially for developing countries. Global estimates suggest that households in developed countries waste more food than those in developing countries, but these estimates are based on assumptions th...

This study assessed the potential drivers of household food wastage in the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality. A total of 210 participants were interviewed face-to-face using structured questionnaire. The acquired data were captured in Microsoft Excel, and analyzed using the chi-square statistical test and SAS statistical software. The main...

Recycling has been taking place in South Africa for more than three decades, driven by social and economic needs. While the waste hierarchy is embedded in national policy, an extensive legislative framework has made it more and more challenging for the public and private sector to remain compliant and competitive in a local and global market, and s...

The potential economic and energy security opportunities of a medium to large shale gas resource could be substantial for South Africa; as are both the potential social and environmental risks associated with a domestic gas industry in the Central Karoo. The development of shale gas using vertical and horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing or...

It is reported that “problems related to mining waste, may be rated as second only to global warming and stratospheric ozone depletion in terms of ecological risk” (European Environmental Bureau (EEB), 2000). The potential impacts of waste from shale gas development (SGD) is therefore of particular concern in the study area where supporting infrast...

Food waste is generated throughout the supply chain including at household level. Household waste contains a fairly large percentage of food in developing countries. This study assesses household food wastage in five selected areas in the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality (CTMM). The main goal of the study was to assess food waste by income...

Municipal waste composition studies globally have indicated that significant amounts of food is wasted and disposed while there is potentially significant opportunity to prevent food wastage at household level (Lebersorger and Schneider, 2011). International trends suggest that food wastage moves up the food supply chain, from pre-consumer to post-...

water, housing and electricity are competing for funding from municipal budgets. Management should include avoidance or prevention where possible and then diversion from landfill through source separation programs as per the National Waste Management Strategy (NWMS)(DEA, 2011). The NWMS has committed to “69 000 new jobs created in the waste sector”...

In many developing countries, including those with food shortages a large portion of household waste is estimated to be food. This paper reports on findings of a research study conducted in one of South Africa's largest townships (Mamelodi) within the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality. The research was conducted using structured questionnai...

The results of the first South African Waste Sector Survey shows that landfilling remains the main technology option for the management of waste in South African, with 90% of all waste generated, disposed of to landfill. However, the results show a surprisingly high level of waste innovation activity, with the private sector showing greater innovat...

Throughout the developed world, food is treated as a disposable commodity. Between a third and half of all food produced for human consumption globally is estimated to be wasted. However, attempts to quantify the actual magnitude of food wasted globally are constrained by limited data, particularly from developing countries. This article attempts t...

Food waste is problematic for a number of reasons, including the loss of a potentially valuable food source or resource for use in other processes (e.g. energy generation or composting), wasted resources and emissions in the food supply chain, and problems associated with the disposal of organic waste to landfill. This paper quantifies the househol...

The results of the South African Waste Sector Survey (for 2012) show that the formal waste sector employs a minimum of 29,833 people. The majority of these employees are situated within large enterprises (77.5% of private waste sector employees) and metropolitan municipalities (64.9% of public sector employees). The minimum financial value of the f...

WISA 2010 Biennial Conference and Exhibition ICC Durban, South Africa, 18 - 22 April 2010. Substantial quantities of water can be made available for use if the quality of return flows is of sufficient quality or treated to the desired quality. In 2006, in the order of 50% of urban and industrial drainage were returned for re-use in urban and indust...

In many countries, especially on the Asian continent, waste is considered a valuable renewable energy resource. At present 40% of waste generated in South Africa comprises organic material which, when digested supplies biogas. The biogas produced can either be used as it is, or it can be delivered as electricity using gas turbines. The electricity...

Waste Act Seminar – Institute Waste Management South Africa, Sasolburg, South Africa, 8 May 2009 This document focuses on the improved waste management services and the Waste Act 59 of 2008. It provide in formation on the Integrated Waste Management Plans, technical capacity – infrastructure, the backlog in adequate service provision, the facts in...

Copyright: 2009 CSIR CSIR researchers have been commissioned to investigate the costs associated with measures to control pollution at source and those required to treat the consequences associated with polluted water for four of the most important water quality problems experienced in South Africa, namely: salinity (the salt content), eutrophicati...

The underlying causes of groundwater pollution from waste disposal on land could be related back to fragmented legislation, ineffective policy, enforcement, education, capacity or even skill of landfill operators. The Department of Water Affairs and Forestry has the mandate to protect South Africa's water resources, while the Department of Environm...

Effective water resource governance in a water scarce environment such as South Africa is a strategic issue in national sustainable development priorities. Acid mine drainage (AMD) is one of the largest liabilities of the mining industry due to its inherent threat to water resources, human health and the environment. Against the background of evolv...

The legal definition of waste can often be vague and dependent on factors other than the composition or possible after-use of the material. The European Court of Justice has stated that the term 'waste', in European Union legislation, implies 'discard'. In South Africa, there is currently more than one legal definition of waste. This not only compl...

Industrial ecology seeks to apply the knowledge of systems in nature to the design and operation of industrial activities, to achieve integrated and sustainable relationships between the natural world and industry. Although the theoretical underpinning of the field corresponds in some ways to that of the emerging discipline of sustainability scienc...

The paper analyses and discusses the concept of integrated water resources management (IWRM) and its application in South Africa. The central characteristics of IWRM are discussed and another feature, good governance, is highlighted as being crucial for effective IWRM. The paper focuses on those features that distinguish water management challenges...

Waste from gold mines constitutes the largest single source of waste and pollution in South Africa and there is wide acceptance that Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) is responsible for the most costly environmental and socio-economic impacts. While South Africa has made significant progress in shifting policy frameworks to address mine closure and mine wat...

Science real and relevant: 2nd CSIR Biennial Conference CSIR International Convention Centre Pretoria, 17&18 November 2008 In terms of the South African Constitution (Act 108of 1996), waste management service delivery is a local government function. The Constitution further gives every person the right to an environment that is not harmful to their...

Proceedings Waste 2008: Waste and Resource Management – a Shared Responsibility Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England, 16-17 September 2008. Copyright: 2008 Golder Associates (UK) Ltd, managing organisation for Waste 2008 Understanding the waste service delivery challenges facing municipalities and unravelling their inter-relationships can be...

Copyright: 2009 Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) This report presents the findings of research conducted by the CSIR. This research was prompted by the Princess dump case study, a project conducted by then the CSIR Miningtek. The report aims to unpack the current governance (legal and institutional) environment in which mineral...

2009 Institute of Waste Management in South Africa (IWMSA) - Breakfast Seminar, Centurion, South Africa, 20 November 2009 This paper presents the information concerning the definition of waste. Discussing the importance of the clear definition, ongoing debates, broad definition of waste, problems with the broad definition, interpretation, current w...

CSIR 3rd Biennial Conference 2010. Science Real and Relevant, CSIR International Convention Centre, Pertoria 30 August – 01 September 2010, South Africa The reuse potential of industrial, agricultural and domestic return flows in any region is directly dependent on the quality of treatment processes and the intended reuse applications. Although the...