Minister of Environmental Affairs Edna Molewa has called for support for more programmes which link climate change and waste management.

Minister Molewa said her department was leading the Waste Management Flagship Programme envisaged in the Climate Change Response policy.

“In this regard, a framework document has been developed and I believe waste to energy is central to some of the initiatives. This will respond to the well-known energy crisis that South Africa in facing,” Molewa said.

Speaking at the Waste Management Summit in Mpumalanga on Monday, she said the waste sector could also contribute towards mitigating climate change.

“I believe through the Intergovernmental Committee on Waste Management we can start doing something about waste in government buildings.

“Let us all make an effort to educate our communities about recycling. Let us remove the monopolies which exist in the pricing of recyclable materials,” Molewa added.

She said she had published the National Pricing Strategy for Waste management for public comment.

“The strategy outlines the methodology for pricing of waste streams to ensure that there are funds collected to promote the recycling economy.

“We all agree that diverting waste from landfill sites requires infrastructure and such must be funded,” Molewa stressed.

She said the country’s waste management efforts must respond to the challenges of unemployment and poverty.

The Department of Environmental Affairs is working with provinces, municipalities and the industry to identify areas, legally and otherwise which could be explored to ensure that the economic benefits emanating from waste are explored and that the country moves away from dumping the recyclable waste at landfill sites.