Question NW3861 to the Minister of Environmental Affairs
04 December 2017 - NW3861
Hadebe, Mr TZ to ask the Minister of Environmental Affairs
(1)With reference to Operation Phakisa and waste disposal, (a) will her Department introduce an e-waste levy to increase the collection rate, (b) what are the plans of her Department to deal with e-waste, and (c) will it be (i) local or (ii) exported; and (2) (a) how will the new proposed levy increase collection rates, and (b) how will it be different to the plastic bag levy?
Reply:
1. a) Yes. The participants representing the ewaste sector requested that waste charges be introduced to increase the collection rates of ewaste.
b) The Department will be implementing a policy mechanism provided for in Section 28 of the National Environmental Management Waste Act, Act No. 59 of 2008. This policy mechanism is the Indstry Waste Management Plans (IndWMP).
c) The implementation of IndWMP promotes local beneficiation of waste materail. This will require capital funding to support large infrastructure and technology investments. These will be funded through the waste charges implemented.
2. a) There is no legislation currently in place to compel the end user to dispose of the e-waste in line with the waste hierarchy. The implementation of the levy will enable Product Responsibility Organisations (PROs) to provide financial incentves to encourage the end users to take back any redundant equipment to a buy or taker-back centre or an accredited recycler. The IndWMPs will also contain targets for collection and recycling. The Producer will be legally required to achieve these targets, and there will be adequate public awareness programs as part of these plans as well.
b) The plastic bag levy is collected by the South African Revenue Service and transferred to the National Revenue Fund. The new Industry Waste Management Plan for Paper and Packaging will include measures to collect waste plastics in general, of which plastic bags are a part of. The Industry Waste Management Plan levy will be approved together with the approved plan for the collection of the various plastics, including plastic bags.
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