Organisations in KZN were acknowledged for effective and efficient waste management practices at the IWMSA KZN Waste Management Awards 2016.

After a rigorous judging process, including site visits and audits, the winners were honoured for their positive contributions to waste reduction and cleaner production.

Unilever Tea Factory Pietermaritzburg (large general manufacturing category), Tongaat Hulett Sugar Darnall Mill (smaller general manufacturing category) and Dolphin Coast Landfill Management (service industry category) walked away with top honours at the prestigious awards.

Dating back as far as 1992, the biennial IWMSA KZN Waste Management Awards recognises the top organisations in the province that actively promote and incorporate best practices in waste management.

“It is fantastic to see the winning organisations’ reports,”Sue Beningfield from the IWMSA KZN branch said. “The 2016 entrants proved that organisations are becoming more environmentally conscious, showcasing a reduction in energy, water usage and waste generation.

Some of the key takeaways from the opening speech of Fawzia Peer, the deputy mayor of eThekwini Municipality, included that people must be accountable for their waste and that recycling creates more jobs than landfilling, which is why everyone should support recycling.

Jan Palm, president of the IWMSA said: “It is great to see the strides made for responsible waste management practices and we applaud this year’s winners.”

The judging process included a site visit and audit by a team of professionals from the IWMSA, the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, the KZN Department of Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs and the National Cleaner Production Centre of South Africa.

The results were:

LARGE MANUFACTURING CATEGORY:

• Gold**** Certificate (4 Star) And Trophy: Unilever Tea Factory PMB
• Gold**** Certificate (4 Star): Richards Bay Minerals
• Gold**** Certificate (4 Star): Coca Cola Bottling SA
• Gold*** Certificate (3 Star): Unilever Maydon Wharf (1^st Time Entrant)
• Gold*** Certificate (3 Star): Tongaat Hulett Sugar Refinery
• Gold*** Certificate (3star): Unilever Indonsa Riverhorse Valley (1^st Time Entrant)
• Gold*** Certificate (3star): Constantia Afripack Mobeni Shared Services
• Gold** Certificate (2star): Foskor Acid Division Richards Bay (1^st Time Entrant)
• Silver Certificate: Tongaat Hulett Felixton Mill

SMALL MANUFACTURING CATEGORY:

• Gold*** Certificate (3 Star) And Trophy Winner: Tongaat Hulett Darnall
• Gold * * Certificate (2 Star) Chep S.A – Prospecton
• Gold * * Certificate (2star): Chep S.A – Pietermaritzburg
• Gold** Certificate (2star): Constantia Afripack Flexibles KZN
• Gold * Certificate (1 Star): Constantia Afripack Labels
• Gold * Certificate (1star): Unilever Phoenix (1^st Time Entrant)
• Bronze Certificate: SIMS Recycling Solutions (1^st Time Entrant)

SERVICE INDUSTRY CATEGORY:

• Gold*** Certificate (3 Star) And Trophy Winner: Dolphin Coast Landfill Management
• Gold*** Certificate (3 Star): Clifton Hill Homeowners’ Association
• Gold**Certificate (2star): Unilever Head Office (1st Time Entrant)
• Gold**Certificate (2star): Reclite (Pty) Ltd – KZN Branch (1st Time Entrant)
• Gold* Certificate (1 Star): 45^th Engen Convenience Centre – Jan Smuts Road
• Gold* Certificate (1star): Ballito Convenience Centre: (1st Time Entrant)
• Silver Certificate: Mhlathuze Water Services
• Silver Certificate: Transnet Port Terminals Richards Bay (1st Time Entrant)

OTHER AWARDS:

• Cleaner Production Certificate and Trophy: Coca Cola Bottling S.A
• Innovation Certificate and Trophy: Reclite (Pty) Ltd KZN Branch
• Individual Merit Certificate and Trophy: USE-IT éThekwini Waste Materials Recovery Industry Development Cluster: Chris Whyte
• Individual Merit Certificates:

• Richard Critchlow
• Alisha Shadrach
• Nosipho Ntombela

• Team Merit Certificates:

• Richard Bay Minerals
• Unilever Group and Implementing teams at production centres
• RICHARD BAY MINERALS
• UNILEVER GROUP