Long before his career in waste management, Jarrod “Rod” Ball used to swim in an abandoned quarry near his childhood home. One day, the municipality began dumping waste into it; an event that left a lasting impression.

At that early age, Ball had an instinctive discomfort about waste being dumped into groundwater. This concern about what is now termed “wet tipping” would later evolve into a successful career in waste management, including his role as coordinating consultant on the country’s landmark Minimum Requirements for Waste Disposal by Landfill.

In 1975, while working on his first waste disposal site in Sasolburg, Ball realised that neither he nor the authorities had much knowledge of the potential impact of landfilling on the environment. Consequently, Ball joined the City Engineers Department of Johannesburg, who facilitated 8 years of research into fluid dynamics in their Waterval Landfill. This project was registered at the Wits Department of Civil Engineering under Professor Geoff Blight, with the City’s Piet Theron as the scientific advisor. The City of Johannesburg also facilitated 2 years of studying waste management at the University of Wisconsin, USA.

Because of his background, his practical experience and a decade of consulting, Leon Bredenhann of the then Department of Water Affairs and Forestry, (DWAF) approached Ball to become the coordinating consultant for the formulation of the Department’s “Minimum Requirements for Waste Disposal by Landfill.” For this reason, Ball always describes Bredenhann as “the Father of the Minimum Requirements.” To initiate this project, Ball recruited Geoff Blight, Piet Theron, Ray Lombard, and Ken Bromfield, all waste management specialists, to advise him. This team developed the scientifically defensible Minimum Requirements framework. Thereafter, the work was done by the core team, Ball, Blight and Bredenhann, later assisted by the editor Kathleen Langmore.

The Minimum Requirements introduced the critical distinction between hazardous and general waste, and the associated risks. Other landfill variables used were the size of incoming waste stream and the potential for leachate generation. Using these variables, landfills were categorised into different classes. These classes were then used as the basis for developing graded standards, relating to landfill siting, investigation, design, operation, and closure, with the aim of making them appropriate and cost effective.

The core team produced 14 drafts over several years, before the Minimum Requirements were finalised in 1998. Ball says that “We thrashed it out properly, weighing every sentence.” Consequently, the Minimum Requirements fundamentally reshaped the landfill design and operation in South Africa. Although technology in landfill liner design spearheaded by people like Peter Davies, Kelvin Legge and Peter Legg, and landfill gas management by Stan Jewaskiewitz have significantly exceeded those in the Minimum Requirements, the basic principles contained therein, still hold today.

Navigating a new political landscape

Ball’s presidency of the Institute of Waste Management of Southern Africa (IWMSA) from 1994 to 1996 coincided with South Africa’s democratic transition. During that period, he represented IWMSA in making input into the Constitution of the New South Africa. Importantly, at that stage however, everything including waste management faced political scrutiny.

“The political landscape was such that environmentalism became antagonistic rather than functional.” Ball explains. “There was an environmental lobby that saw landfilling as entirely bad.”

He recalls opposition from people who could not accept that landfills are an unavoidable component of waste management, and who did not appreciate that the Minimum Requirements were there to upgrade landfilling, both environmentally and socially. What they offered instead of landfilling was “recycling alone” which is now understood to be unsustainable. Ball is happy that nowadays, environmentalists see landfills as assets to be conserved, with emphasis on diverting waste and enabling circularity.

Another major theme of the 1994 transition to democracy was environmental justice. Landfills had historically developed in the “buffer zones,” associated with apartheid spatial planning. Invariably the poorer communities adjacent to these zones bore the brunt of the environmental and social impacts of the landfills, which were simply open burning dumps. At this point, the complexity of waste management met with the complexity of politics. Ball says. “It has taken much effort to address this problem and build the trust of the affected communities through social engagement. However, despite these efforts and the guiding Minimum Requirements, this issue persists.

From the “open burning dump and wet tipping” to the “circular system”

For much of his career Ball, “focused on eliminating open burning dumps, with their feet in the water and replacing them with appropriately engineered landfills that didn’t contaminate groundwater and didn’t harm people.” However, he adds, “You cannot just focus on end-of-pipe solutions forever. At some point, design, materials, and lifecycle responsibility must come into the picture.” Consequently, he says that the current IWMSA President, Patricia Schröder’s emphasis on Circular Systems “is music to my ears.” He also welcomes the introduction of functional Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), stating that the concept is not new in South Africa.

“It has been around for a long time, actually on and off since the 1970’s. In the early days of Keep South Africa Beautiful, (KSAB), there were already discussions about producer responsibility, but back then, lobbying by the packaging industry and economics overrode the environmental argument.”

Notwithstanding the above, Ball is adamant that even a circular economy will have significant residues that will need to be landfilled. He explains, “You always need safe, properly engineered and operated landfills as a fundamental component of the waste management system.” In this regard, with the difficulty associated with establishing new landfills, he foresees remote regional landfills and increased transport costs.

Persisting challenges and looking forward

Despite major technological and regulatory advancements over the past three decades, Ball believes some of the sector’s most fundamental challenges remain unresolved.

He notes that “Although wet tipping has largely been eliminated, many of the old operational problems still persist.”

While the regulatory authorities are consistent on landfill design, regarding operations, they tend to be harder on the private sector, who generally have better qualified operators than on the public sector. This means that private sector landfills generally adhere to higher environmental and operational standards; large municipalities generally compact and cover their waste, while the smaller municipalities struggle. The problem within the public sector is that municipalities can construct technically sound landfill sites but fail to operate and maintain them properly.

Ball says that the reasons for the problems in the Public Sector are complex. He suggests a lack of technically qualified personnel results in poor decision making. He adds, “Political interference in decision making and prioritisation; as well as underfunding and corruption are major hurdles.” Ball goes on to say, “you cannot manage waste properly without properly trained people. This is a technical discipline, requiring technical competence.”

He adds with some pride that, since its inception, IWMSA has focused on training, with a view to professionalising waste management. As IWMSA marks its 50th anniversary, Ball remains deeply optimistic about the profession he was privileged to have had a role in developing.

“A career in waste management has been one of my greatest gifts! Throughout, it has kept me enthusiastic and committed. Importantly, I have also met numerous people in the IWMSA who feel the same.”

His advice to the current IWMSA leadership is: “Promote the science and practice of waste management by continuing to prioritise education, mentorship, and technical rigor. Focus on central, provincial, and particularly local authority staff, so that the decision makers can make informed decisions. Through means such as WasteCon, reach out to and educate the politicians regarding the importance of waste management, so that they can be influenced to make appropriate policy and ensure correct prioritisation.”

From a boy concerned about waste being dumped into water in a deserted quarry to someone, who through the support of many people, was able contribute to waste management in South Africa, by guiding the formulation of the national landfill standards, Ball’s career mirrors the evolution of South Africa’s waste sector itself. From open burning dumps and wet tipping, to regulated engineered landfill designs; and from end of the pipe solutions, to emerging circular waste management systems and extended producer responsibility. In its 50 years of existence, the achievements of the IWMSA stand as a testament to that journey.