In this paper, we reflect on the experiences and challenges of a waste management planner in Cape Town between 2005 and 2013 through the lenses of systems dynamics and of stakeholder complexity.

Since the new Waste Act was promulgated in 2008, a South African municipality has a responsibility over and above its basic service mandate to become a key enabler in the development of a waste-based economy.

The transformation from a classic end-of-pipe waste disposal system to an integrated waste management system aimed at extracting economic value from waste is complex.

Stakeholders, responsibilities, multiple systems and dependencies, funding and complex legislation that govern municipalities, supply chain and procurement, and energy matters frame the system dynamics and complexity.

The identification and use of system leverage points could create the necessary momentum. Paradigm shifts that create stakeholder collaboration, however, may be the key to solving the current impasse towards implementing projects.

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