resource november 2014

ISS

N 1

680-

4902

R50

.00

(incl

VA

T) •

Vol

16,

No

4, N

ov 2

014

REDISA

Promoting integrated resources management

The official journal of the Institute of Waste Management of Southern Africa

Institute ofWaste Managementof Southern Africa

LandfillsCape Town pilot study

leads the way

RecyclingNew legislation brings

fresh outlook

Waste into energyGarbage power to the

rescue

RenewablesWind, solar and so

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is printed on 100% recycled paper

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RegularsPresident’s comment 4

Editor’s comment 5

Solid wasteLining for the future 8

Addressing litterbugs 10

RecyclingPETCO celebrate 10 years 16

The fastest-growing waste stream in the world 18

Development partnership boosts recycling 19

Social energy transforms waste 21

LandfillsGetting over the ‘hump ‘n dump’ 24

ISS

N 1

680-

4902

R50

.00

(incl

VA

T) •

Vol

16,

No

4, N

ov 2

014

REDISA

Promoting integrated resources management

The official journal of the Institute of Waste Management of Southern Africa

Institute ofWaste Managementof Southern Africa

LandfillsCape Town pilot study

leads the way

RecyclingNew legislation brings

fresh outlook

Waste into energyGarbage power to the

rescue

RenewablesWind, solar and so

much more

is printed on 100% recycled paper

contentswww.3smedia.co.za ISSN 1680-4902, Volume 16, No.4, Nov 2014

The RéSource team stands firmly behind environmental preservation. As such, RéSource is printed on 100% recycled paper and uses no dyes or varnishes. The magazine is saddle stitched to ensure that no glues are required in the binding process.

in association with }

infrastructure news infrastructure4 www.infrastructurene.ws

Solid waste

Recycling

Landfills

Opinion

Sustainability

RéSource offers advertisers an ideal platform to ensure maximum exposure of their brand. Companies are afforded the opportunity of publishing a cover story and a cover picture to promote their products and services to an appropriate audience. Please call Christine Pretorius on +27 (0)11 465 6273 to secure your booking. The article does not represent the views of the Institute of Waste Management of Southern Africa, or those of the publisher.

Waste to worthCelebrating cooperation 27

Waste to energy Car manufacturer drives renewables 28

The first rule: is it feasible? 29

OpinionWhy care about carbon emissions? 30

Sustainability

Process safety hinges on leadership 33

Talkin’ ‘bout a waste revolution 37

Cleaner productionEnhancing Johannesburg WWTW sludge digestion 39

RéSource November 2014 – 1

Cover storyTyre recycler Redisa leads the charge to look at solid waste in a new way, turning waste into worth 6

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Monday, November 17, 2014 11:59:39

4 – RéSource November 2014

Oelofse, the research group leader for

Waste for Development at the CSIR’s

Natural Resources and Environment

Operating Unit, joined the Institute of Waste

Management of Southern Africa (IWMSA) in

early 2006.

Although a botanist by training, and having

obtained her PhD in Plant Physiology from

the University of Johannesburg, Oelofse’s

career in botany was short-lived. “I joined

the Department of Environmental Affairs

(DEA) in the pollution and waste section in

1996 where I was involved in the develop-

ment of the White Paper for Integrated

Pollution and Waste Management project as

well as the first National Waste Management

Strategy,” explains Oelofse.

Frequenting industrial sites early on in her

career, Oelofse describes how she could

not understand why the heaps of waste

could not be used for something else.

“The thought that all waste generated is in

essence the result of consumer demand and

consumption made me realise how unsus-

tainable human activities are and thus my

passion for waste management was born,”

says Oelofse.

Oelofse believes that perceptions are

changing when it comes to the waste indus-

try and the role of women in waste manage-

ment. “Women are much needed in the

waste industry and with more and more

women pursuing careers in waste manage-

ment – on every level – I envisage a radical

shift over the next few years towards an

ethical, innovative and properly legislated

industry,” says Oelofse.

“Being the president of the IWMSA pro-

vides me with the opportunity to influence

the strategic direction of the IWMSA to

ensure that we remain relevant and continue

to make a difference in the waste manage-

ment community,” she says. Establishing a

working relationship with the DEA has been

an achievement that Oelofse is most proud

of since having joined the IWMSA team.

As president, her main areas of focus will

be strengthening relationships with govern-

ment, supporting the role of the IWMSA

in regulating the industry, and shifting the

focus from waste disposal to realising the

resource potential of waste and implement-

ing innovative technologies.

“All new developments under the Waste

Act have implications for our members

and the waste industry as a whole,” says

Oelofse. “It is therefore imperative that the

waste sector's voice is heard at the appro-

priate level to have the necessary influ-

ence and impact towards improved waste

Patron members of the IWMSA

Local Johannesburger, ballroom dancer and photography enthusiast Dr Suzan Oelofse has been involved in an industry perceived as a ‘man’s world’ for many years.

Introducing Dr Suzan Oelofse

Being the president of the IWMSA provides me

with the opportunity to influence the strategic

direction of the IWMSA to ensure that we remain

relevant and continue to make a difference in the

waste management community.”

management standards and legislation. The

IWMSA is currently updating all its training

material to include all the latest develop-

ments in legislation.”

Given the increased need for a regula-

tory body to oversee the conduct of the

waste industry, Oelofse says she will further

endeavour to position the IWMSA favourably

for taking up this role and working with the

authorities towards establishing a mutually

acceptable system.

“Other exciting news for the industry

is that we can look forward to having

qualified waste management profession-

als in the near future,” says Oelofse. The

Department of Science and Technology, in

collaboration with South African universities,

is developing postgraduate qualifications in

waste management.

For more information about IWMSA visit

www.iwmsa.co.za or contact +27 (0)11

675 3462.

President’s comment


Editor‘s commentPublisher: Elizabeth ShortenEditor: Frances RingwoodTel: +27 (0)11 233 2600Head of design: Hayley MendelowSenior designer: Frédérick DantonDesigner: Kirsty GallowayChief sub-editor: Tristan SnijdersSub-editor: Beatrix KnopjesContributors: Maryke Foulds, Tony Stone, Hugh Tyrrell, Deepak John and Shaun DeaconClient services & Production manager: Antois-Leigh BotmaProduction coordinator: Jacqueline ModiseFinancial manager: Andrew LobbanMarketing manager: Hestelle RobinsonDigital manager: Esther LouwDistribution manager: Nomsa MasinaDistribution coordinator: Asha PursothamAdministrator: Tonya HebentonPrinters: United Litho JohannesburgTel: +27 (0)11 402 0571 Advertising sales: Tazz PorterTel: +27 (0)11 465 5452Cell: +27 (0)82 318 3908 [email protected]

Publisher: No.4, 5th Avenue Rivonia, 2191PO Box 92026, Norwood 2117Tel: +27 (0)11 233 2600Share Call: 086 003 3300 Fax: +27 (0)11 234 7274/5www.3smedia.co.za

Annual subscription: [email protected] (incl VAT) South Africa ISSN 1680-4902

The Institute of Waste Management of Southern AfricaTel: +27 (0)11 675 3462Email: [email protected]

All material herein is copyright-protected and may not be reproduced either in whole or in part without the prior written permission of the publisher. The views and opinions expressed in the magazine do not necessarily reflect those of the publisher, editor or The Institute of Waste Management of Southern Africa, but those of the author or other contributors under whose name contributions may appear, unless a con-tributor expresses a viewpoint or opinion in his or her capacity as an elected office bearer of a company, group or association.© Copyright 2014. All rights reserved.

Times are a-changing

The first reason for this is internal to the publication, in that new features will

be coming online, focusing on cleaner production. This comes in the wake of

MCEP grants, available from the South African Department of Trade and Indus-

try, where companies are awarded state funds if they are able to prove that they have

improved resource efficiency in their production (page 38).

This shift from a linear way of thinking about waste to a ‘cradle-to-cradle’

approach is aligned with a general industry awareness that waste management

comes part and parcel with the whole production process, from sourcing goods,

to using energy-saving machinery, right down to the use of paint with good ther-

mal qualities to reduce heating and air conditioning bills.

There are also exciting changes external to the publication, shaping the

whole industry. These include government’s promulgation of the new National

Environmental Management: Waste Act 2014.

Far from companies scrambling to align themselves, as can be the case in

certain other industries when the regulatory framework changes, many waste

management professionals have embraced the change.

Speaking of things coming full circle, working in cycles, or ‘recycling’ so to

speak, the very first editor of makes an appearance in this month’s

issue – Hugh Tyrell, who now owns Green Edge Consulting. His contribution

appears on pages 37 and 38 and is well worth the read, as he delves into what

the legislation changes could spell out for the industry.

Not only have new funding mechanisms and new laws come into place, the

government has also introduced new postgraduate degree

courses specifically for waste management professionals.

The president of IWMSA, Dr Susan Oelofse, talks about

this in greater detail in her column on page 3.

All these green shoots spell one thing: the green revo-

lution is at our doors, and it’s up to all dedicated waste

management professionals to take the baton and run

with it – as I hope to do as the incoming editor.

Frances Ringwood

Editor

RéSource is endorsed by:

Stepping in to take over the mantel from my colleague, former editor Maryke Foulds, it struck me that I have entered the role at a time of enormous opportunity for the waste management industry.

Frances


Cover story

Tyres are designed to be tough and

nearly indestructible, which is good

when they are in use but a problem

when they reach the end of their working life.

While some waste tyres make their way to re-

cycling facilities via formal and informal net-

works of collectors, many of them are burned

for their scrap metal content, releasing toxic

fumes and liquids in the process. Before

the Recycling and Economic Development

Initiative of South Africa (Redisa) started

out a little over a year ago, used tyres were

considered worthless waste and were piling

up in landfills and in the veld. Redisa was de-

veloped to address the waste tyre problem,

in a manner that stimulates job creation

and entrepreneurial development.

Extended responsibilityCore to Redisa is the belief that given the

world’s finite resources, we need to focus

on extending the life of products beyond the

consumer stage, by recovering, recycling and

reintroducing it into the economy. Completing

this cycle is what is known as extended pro-

ducer responsibility.

Redisa collects a waste management fee

of R2.30 per kilogram from tyre manufactur-

ers and importers, and applies it to estab-

lishing and funding a transporter network of

largely informal sector participants, estab-

lishing a string of depots around the country,

and providing comprehensive support func-

tions to entrepreneurs.

Given that the plan is focused on the

development of a new recycling industry, the

Turning waste into worth

In South Africa, it is estimated that we have millions of waste tyres lying in dumps and stockpiles, or scattered across the country in residential, industrial and rural areas. Almost 10 million waste tyres are added to this number every year.


Cover story

majority of funds have thus far been spent

on the function and infrastructure required

to support and develop the new industry.

ParticipationRedisa’s participation at this year’s WasteCon

further highlights its ongoing commitment

to finding practical solutions to an ever-

changing environment. Redisa believes it

is up to all South Africans to take respon-

sibility and ensure a clean environment for

future generations.

Members of the public are encouraged to

contact Redisa directly to report any stock-

piles of waste tyres or to deliver the tyres to

any of the depots nationally. They will not,

however, be paid for this service unless they

are a registered Redisa transporter.

As Redisa gains momentum, used tyres

will grow in value. No longer seen as

waste, they will vanish from our landfills

and instead re-enter the economy as recov-

ered raw materials, fuel, waste bins, pav-

ing, artworks, corporate gifts and even

fashion accessories.

An industrial-type product like crumb is

also made from tyre waste and is used

in road building when mixed with asphalt

for tar, as well as for sports surfaces,

carpet underlay, playgrounds and matting,

while bunker fuel is derived through the

pyrolysis process.

Redisa believes it is up to all South Africans to take responsibility and ensure a clean environment for future generations

Between December 2013 and September

2014, Redisa created 1 503 jobs. Redisa is

currently collecting tyres from 1 292 dealers

and, as the plan continues in its five-year

roll-out, more dealers and collection points

will be appointed nationwide. In addition, 83

SMME transporter operations are collecting

tyres as per the Redisa plan and roll-out.

If you would like to learn more about Redisa and how you can turn waste into worth, please contact [email protected]

or +27 (0)87 357 3873.

Redisa currently collects tyres from 1 292 dealers, with expansion plans in the pipeline


Solid waste

APPLICATIONS FOR AQUATAN’S STATE-OF-THE-ART LINERS

• Landfills• Leach pads, canals and collection

ponds• Toxic liquid waste containment (for

multiple composite lining systems)• Tunnel liners and associated drainage

products• Earth or concrete reservoirs and

ponds• Storage tanks• Irrigation canals• Wetlands• Floating covers to potable water

reservoirs molasses storage facilities and gas generating storage facilities

• Drainage of highway and civil projects

Lining for the futureSouth Africa’s groundwater is under threat but one local geosynthetic linings company heard the call to make a difference. Frances Ringwood reports.

N ot acid mine water but groundwater

protection is going to be one of South

Africa’s biggest water management

challenges in future,” says independent water

expert Dr Mike Muller in a panel discussion

held two years ago in Johannesburg answer-

ing the question, “Is Gauteng water facing a

crisis?” It’s long been known among industry

professionals that the country’s groundwa-

ter is under threat, both from pollution and

over abstraction. Few people or companies

were taking decisive action on the matter

– until now.

Specialist Geosynthetic linings contractor

Aquatan Lining Systems, a company that

installs Geosynthetics in water contain-

ment reservoirs, pollution control dams,

floating cover reservoirs, tunnels, canals

and also landfills has invested substan-

tially in recent years to develop a barrier

system which overcomes major technical

challenges which fulfils the unique cli-

mate, costs and legislative requirements of

South Africa to ensure long term maximum

groundwater protection.

Aquatan’s involvement in the geomem-

brane industry stretches from 1966 when,

through its chairman Clifford Gundle, it

developed manufacturing of suitably com-

pounded and wide-width geomembrane

sheeting. The consequent development of

unique extrusion and later wedge seam-

ing equipment resulted in many millions

of square meters of successfully installed

geomembranes. Most recently, about eight

years ago, Aquatan developed and invested

in its patented Enhanced Barrier System

(EBS) driven by amongst other issues

the rapid deterioration of geomembranes

under continuous high temperature expo-

sure such as is the case in landfills. The

EBS, using a negative pressure, removes

diffused VOCs from the space between

the double composite liner system within a

drainage layer between the two composite

liners, hydrates and maintains the GCL

hydrated and regulates the geomembranes

temperature individually or together in the

same liner system. Aquatan recently com-

pleted an EBS project for a very prominent

client where the purpose of the system

was to remove VOCs and has in addi-

tion been commissioned to design and

install an EBS cooling system for another

prominent client.

Research and developmentAs recently as 1994 the first law governing

the prevention of contamination of ground-

water from landfill sites was published. It

was called Minimum Requirements for Waste

Disposal by Landfill, First Edition, 1994. The

result of the law was that proficient liners

were used for the containment of hazard-

ous wastes but general landfills themselves

were usually lined with only the most basic

clay-only liners with associated leachate

collection and subsoil drainage systems.

These barriers provided at best minimal

protection of groundwater from poisonous

substances in waste leachate – comprising

substances that emanates from chemical

Ensuring membranes are properly installed is vital


Solid waste

and biological reactions in waste to form

volatile organic compounds (VOCs) hazard-

ous to human health.

When VOCs diffuse through the barriers

into groundwater it becomes dilute but

given enough time, the effect of volatile

organic compounds entering the water table

builds. Locally and internationally, norms

and standards were adapted to alleviate

the concerns raised within the scientific

community concerning groundwater quality.

South African legislation was improved

over the years to take account of growing

urban populations, rainfall, temperatures

and the topographical and social position-

ing of landfills.

The current legislation governing the

design of landfill liner systems in South

Africa is the Waste Classification and

Management Regulations with norms and

standards gazetted under the National

Environmental Management Waste Act (59

of 2008). It forms part of a number of laws

coming into effect which now make it stand-

ard practice for all landfills to be lined using

at least a single composite liner comprising

a number of different layers and drainage

systems, each with different protection

functions. Not all such barriers are equal.

Because Aquatan is committed to creating

a product that is competitive not only in

terms of cost but also quality, the company

invested in various research projects and

assisted in funding the research of Civil

Engineer Reon Pienaar of the international

engineering consultant Aecom to research

mitigating the diffusion of VOCs through

HDPE Geomembranes.

“Although landfill liners are generally

designed to provide indefinite protection, it

has been proven that the liner, and specifi-

cally the HDPE component do lose some of

their properties over time particularly when

subjected to high temperatures which leads

to rapid degradation of the HDPE that will

over time result in a significant potential

for pollution of the groundwater,” says

Reon Pienaar, a civil engineer at Aecom in

a paper entitled ‘Protection of groundwa-

ter beneath waste containment facilities,’

delivered at the recent WasteCon 2014

Conference held in Cape Town.

Pienaar further stated, “If there would

thus be a way to cool down the liner it

would greatly add to the long term effec-

tiveness of the liner system.” Aquatan

has developed and patented the Enhanced

Barrier System to mitigate the influence

of heat thereby extending the life of the

HDPE geomembrane. Aquatan and the

National Research Foundation are two of

the main funders of Pienaar’s research.

TechnologyHeat is one of the biggest factors influencing

the lifespan of landfill linings, where the heat

generated during the solid waste degradation

process can drive temperatures high enough

to reduce a normal geosynthetic liner’s lifes-

pan of centuries to as little as 15 years. That

means that even when a liner complies with

legal requirements, its long-term efficacy

may be compromised if there is no measure

to mitigate temperature increases.

What makes Aquatan’s offering unique

is that as well as comprising several lay-

ers of geosynthetic material paired with

a leachate drainage system, it combines

proprietary technology which minimises

temperature increases associated with exo-

thermic reactions in landfill waste.

This is why the company calls its technol-

ogy an ‘Enhanced Barrier System’. Using a

fan or similar device, a fluid (gas, liquid or a

combination) can be drawn through the leak

detection system under negative pressure.

“By drawing fluid under negative pressure

at a controlled temperature with a con-

trolled moisture content, the detrimental

temperature which can reduce the effi-

cacy of geosynthetic liners is reduced. This

increases their service life while simultane-

ously hydrating the clay component of the

system,” explains Meyer.

Fur thermore, VOCs that would other-

wise diffuse through the barrier into the

ground water are removed by the pro-

cess of fluid continuously passing through

the leak detection or leachate collection

drainage system.

Leachpads, dams, wetlands and moreGeosynthetic liners for dams and landfills are

worlds apart right? Well, yes and no. Aquatan

will go onto any site and recommend a liner

for a specific application. The company’s

patented Enhanced Barrier System is also

particularly useful for application such as the

heap leach pads of mines that use chemicals

for heavy metals extraction.

Aquatan’s products are also specified for

dams, reservoirs, floating covers, tunnels,

canals, tailings dams, municipal dams,

sewerage ponds, wetlands and a wide

variety of other liquid containment and

waterproofing projects.

Since Aquatan represents a geosynthetic

linings company which not only says it

cares about water but puts money where its

mouth is, the company’s environmental cre-

dentials are second to none. Aquatan has

sponsored students to study water and the

environment since its first bursary in 1985

and since then has supported students in

recent years to study water and the environ-

ment at Harvard University in the US.

Aquatan is the only South African lining

contractor which is an accepted member

of the Geosynthetic Institute in the US.

Heat from landfill can have an impact on liners' efficacy if the right technology is not in place

TO READ A SCIENTIFIC EXPLANATION of the technology, refer to the technical paper ‘Expanding Containment Barrier Boundaries’ delivered by Walter Meyer at the 10th ICG conference held in September 2014 in Berlin, Germany.


Solid waste

numerous motor vehicle accidents, unsightly

litter pollutes the country’s rivers, oceans

and ground water and it is a breeding ground

for bacteria. The four main requirements for

bacterial growth are food, moisture, warmth

and time. Food is readily available in dis-

carded containers.

South Africa’s most populated areas have

a subtropical climate with an average annual

temperature of 17˚C in Cape Town and

17.5˚C in Pretoria, although these cities are

separated by almost ten degrees of latitude.

Maximum temperatures often exceed 32˚C

in the summer and reach 38˚C in some

areas of the far north. The country’s high-

est recorded temperatures, close to 48˚C,

have occurred in both the Northern Cape

and Mpumalanga. Bacteria breed in the

range 4˚C to 60˚C. Bacteria multiply rapidly

between 4˚C to 60˚C. Some bacteria cause

more serious illness than others, but only a

few bacteria are responsible for the majority

of cases. Below is information regarding nine

prominent bacteria found on the streets of

Johannesburg and Pretoria, which are the

primary causes of illness in Gauteng, and

the rest South Africa for that matter.

Campylobacter Jejuni • Found: Intestinal tracts of animals and

birds, raw milk, untreated water, and sew-

age sludge.

• Transmission: Contaminated water, raw

milk, and raw or under-cooked meat, poultry,

or shellfish.

• Symptoms: Fever, headache, and mus-

cle pain followed by diarrhoea (sometimes

bloody), abdominal pain and nausea that

appears two to five days after eating; may

last seven to ten days.

Clostridium Botulinum • Found: Widely distributed in nature: in soil

and water, on plants, and in intestinal tracts

of animals and fish. These bacteria grow in

only a little or no oxygen.

• Transmission: Bacteria produce a toxin that

causes illness. Improperly canned foods,

garlic in oil, and vacuum-packaged and

tightly wrapped food.

Addressing litterbugsAn action plan aimed at making Gauteng a litter-free province by 2010 failed. Johannesburg in particular is a problem. The question is: Why? It must be resolved as a matter of urgency, writes Tony Stone.

Litter – which clutters most Gauteng city

streets – besides being unsightly, poses

a danger to public health. The problem

needs to be understood and addressed with

some urgency. However, the solution is not a

simple one. The quick fix of street sweeping,

which in many South African towns and cities

seems to be ignored, will not suffice. The prob-

lem requires a deep-seated solution of which

leadership, knowledge and custom are three

essential components.

In the South African context, fast food

containers, tissues, cigarette butts, plastic

bags and bits of paper are just thrown to

the ground without a second thought. Street

vendors selling fresh fruit and vegetables

often simply discard any overripe or rotting

products in the gutters.

Besides clogging up storm water drains

and causing flooding during heavy rains,

as happened in and around Johannesburg

in January this year, and which caused

In Yeoville, people don't care; they just dump their rubbish anywhere


Solid waste

• Symptoms: Toxin affects the nervous sys-

tem. Symptoms usually appear within 18 to

36 hours, but can sometimes appear within

as few as four hours or as many as eight

days after eating; double vision, droopy

eyelids, trouble speaking and swallowing,

and difficulty breathing. Fatal in three to

ten days if not treated.

Clostridium Perfringens • Found: Soil, dust, sewage, and intestinal

tracts of animals and humans. Grows only

in little or no oxygen.

• Transmission: Called “the cafeteria germ”

because many outbreaks result from food

left for long periods in steam tables or at

room temperature. Bacteria destroyed by

cooking, but some toxin-producing spores

may survive.

• Symptoms: Diarrhoea and gas pains may

appear 8 to 24 hours after eating; usually

last about one day, but less severe symp-

toms may persist for one to two weeks.

Escherichia Coli • Found: Intestinal tracts of some mam-

mals, raw milk, unchlorinated water; one

of several strains of E. Coli that can cause

human illness.

• Transmission: Contaminated water, raw

milk, raw or rare ground beef, unpasteur-

ised apple juice or cider, uncooked fruits

and vegetables; person-to-person.

• Symptoms: Diarrhoea or bloody diarrhoea,

abdominal cramps, nausea, and malaise;

can begin two to five days after food is

eaten, lasting about eight days. Some,

especially the very young, have developed

Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (HUS) that

causes acute kidney failure. A similar

illness, thrombotic thrombocytopenic pur-

pura (TTP), may occur in older adults.

Salmonella (over 1 600 types) • Found: Intestinal tract and faeces of ani-

mals; Salmonella enteritidis in raw eggs.

• Transmission: Raw or under cooked eggs,

poultry, and meat; raw milk and dairy prod-

ucts; seafood.

• Symptoms: Stomach pain, diarrhoea, nau-

sea, chills, fever, and headache usually

appear 6 to 48 hours after eating and may

last for one or two days.

Streptococcus A • Found: Noses, throats, pus, sputum, blood

and stools of humans.

• Transmission: People-to-food from poor

hygiene, ill food handlers, or improper food

handling; outbreaks from raw milk, ice

cream, eggs, lobster, salads, custard and

pudding allowed to stand at room tempera-

ture for several hours between preparation

and eating.

• Symptoms: Sore throat, painful swallowing,

tonsillitis, high fever, headache, nausea,

vomiting, malaise; occurs one to three

days after eating, lasting a few days to

about a week.

Listeria Monocytogenes • Found: Intestinal tracts of humans and

animals, milk, soil, leaf vegetables, and

processed foods; can grow slowly at refrig-

erator temperatures.

• Transmission: Soft cheese, raw milk,

improperly processed ice cream, raw

leafy vegetables, meat, and poultr y.

Illness caused by bacteria that do not

produce toxin.

• Symptoms: Fever, chills, headache, back-

ache, sometimes abdominal pain and diar-

rhoea; 12 hours to three weeks after inges-

tion; may later develop more serious illness

(meningitis or spontaneous abortion in

pregnant women); sometimes just fatigue.

Shigella (over 30 types) • Found: Human intestinal tract; rarely found

in other animals.

• Transmission: Person-to-person by faecal-

oral route; faecal contamination of food

and water. Most outbreaks result from

food, especially salads, prepared and han-

dled by workers using poor hygiene.

• Symptoms: Disease referred to as “shigel-

losis” or bacillary dysentery. Diarrhoea con-

taining blood and mucus, fever, abdominal

cramps, chills, vomiting; 12 to 50 hours

from ingestion of bacteria; can last a few

days to two weeks. Sometimes, no symp-

toms are seen.

Staphylococcus Aureus • Found: On humans (skin, infected cuts, pim-

ples, noses, and throats).

• Transmission: People-to-food through

improper handling. Multiply rapidly at

room temperature to produce a toxin that

causes illness.

• Symptoms: Severe nausea, abdominal

cramps, vomiting, and diarrhoea occur

one to six hours after eating; recovery

within two to three days, longer if severe

dehydration occurs.

Tackling the problemThose responsible for addressing the litter

problem are the Provincial Government, may-

ors, municipal managers, municipal depart-

mental managers, ward councillors, the South

African Police Service, the Metropolitan Police

Services and waste collection agencies such

as Pikitup and the like. However, it all begins

at home, with the kids. Education is an impera-

tive. The Department of Education needs to

introduce into the curriculum, if it’s not there

already, health and hygiene, and why they

should not litter. Parents and teachers need to

teach children not to litter, and as adults they

need to set an example. Perhaps the MEC for

Health in Gauteng will take note.

Don't be fooled, this is a litter-blocked stormwater drain

A member of the Waste Management

Institute For

A member of theWildlife and EnvironmentSociety of South Africa

‘n lid van dieAfrikaanse Handels

Instituut

KOLI LO LKOI LOR

Certified TÜV SUD

Members of the Oilkol Team show their respect for Mother Earth by ensuring that the "wheels keep on rolling" to recycle used engine oil and oil related hazardous waste.

And the worthy winner of the Apple IPad at Wastecon 2014 was Silke Louw from Jones & Wagener, Consulting Engineers.

OILKOL SHOWS RESPECT

Oilkol at Wastecon 2014

WINNER!

Apple

IPad

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5

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75

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100

ADVERT 0703 2013

Monday, November 17, 2014 12:00:55


Recycling profile

Forest stewardshipEstablished in 1993, the FSC is an independ-

ent, non-governmental, not-for-profit organisa-

tion that promotes responsible management

of the world’s forests. Over the past two

decades, the FSC system has been widely

recognised for its strong multistakeholder

processes and carefully defined social and

environmental criteria for forest management.

However, it has often been a challenge for

businesses producing FSC-certified products

to quantify and demonstrate the value the

system brings to the better management of

the world’s forests.

The two-year initiative of the three founding

members – Kingfisher, Tetra Pak, and IKEA

– aims to develop a methodology to analyse

the impact of FSC certification, enabling

businesses to understand what value they

derive from specifying FSC-certified timber

and paper through their procurement policies.

Dennis Jönsson, president and CEO of

Tetra Pak, says: “On average, our packaging

contains 70% paper derived from wood fibre.

Certification is important to us as it gives us

the opportunity to make sure that we source

from responsibly managed forests. This, of

course, requires a certification standard that

lives up to its promises. As a long-standing

supporter of FSC, we are proud to be one of

the founding partners of this initiative.”

Partner organisationsThe initiative is supported by the Sustainable

Trade Initiative and coordinated by the

International Social and Environmental

Accreditation and Labelling Alliance (ISEAL).

It is independent of the FSC but is designed

to be useful to the organisation by providing

a tool that shows the contribution it makes to

the social, environmental and economic val-

ues of the world’s forests. Lessons from the

initiative will be shared with other certification

Packaging and timber join forcesTetra Pak, the global food processing and packaging solutions business, is working with home improvements retailer Kingfisher and Swedish furniture giant IKEA to promote the benefits of legal, responsibly sourced and sustainable timber, and clarify the role of Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification in the delivery of these values.

On average, our packaging

contains 70% paper derived from wood fibre.”

Dennis Jönsson, president and CEO, Tetra Pak

schemes, as well other sectors beyond forest-

ry, that are covered by more than 20 certifica-

tion schemes that are members of ISEAL.

www.tetrapak.com


Recycling

Johannes Schuback & Sons(S.A.) PTY Limited, Johannesburg / RSAPhone: +27 11 7062270, Fax: +27 11 7069236

[email protected]

AMANDUS KAHL GmbH & Co. KGDieselstrasse 5, D-21465 Reinbek / Hamburg, GermanyPhone: +49 (0)40 727 71-0, Fax: +49 (0)40 727 71-100

[email protected] www.akahl.de

■ Most Advanced Technology ■ Most Efficient ■ Most Professional ■ Less Maintenance

■ Less Energy ■ Less Spare Parts ■ Integrated Rubber Granu late Production

Waste Tyre Recycling PlantsWaste Tyre Recycling Plants

ReSource05+1114-Tyres-Kahl_ReSource-Tyres 20.11.13 11:36 Seite 1

Three years ago, a large US-based wood

pelleting firm had Amandus Kahl pre-

sent them the modified wood pelleting

press type 60-1250 with 600 hp – an energy

output comparable to that of the fastest mus-

cle cars – and was soon convinced of its ca-

pacity (on average 6 t/h) and its sturdiness.

Today, 37 Kahl flat-die pelleting presses are in

operation in their four works.

About 60 Kahl pelleting presses produce a

total of 3 million t of wood pellets per year

in the US – most of them industrial pellets

used in power plants for cofiring with fuels

such as coal. This year, Amandus Kahl has

accepted an order for another 24 presses

by the same company, which will be commis-

sioned next year.

Flat-die pelleting pressesThere are two common types of large-scale

pellet mills: flat-die mills and ring-die mills.

The presses supplied to the US manufacturer

were of the flat-die type. The mills demon-

strated particular attention to detail, such

as reinforced press bodies, robust cutting

devices, breathing air filters preventing mois-

ture in the gear interior, an oil filter with flow

meter and pan grinder head stop for optimum

adjustment of rollers and die.

Energy efficiency too was prioritised. Kahl

considered the complete plant, from the

reception facilities to the finished product

silos. With an improved press control, clear

machine monitoring and the use of a traf-

fic light control system, downtimes were

cut and the service life reduced. The long

service life and the simple rework of the

pelleting tools, such as die and pan grinder

rollers, result in low operating costs and high

overall efficiency.

Kahl’s presses can also be used economical-

ly as a pan grinder mill for other applications,

e.g. crushing wood chips, torrefied wood,

waste tyres, domestic and industrial waste.

Torrefied trend‘White’ pellets are still on the upswing and

could yet be replaced soon in popularity

by so-called ‘black’ pellets. These are pel-

lets of torrefied biomass that have a higher

calorific value, a higher energy density and

a high water stability, making them a better

fuel source. Amandus Kahl is also involved in

some important projects for this technology.

Torrefaction is a process that changes

the chemical composition of biomass forms

such as wood, making it undergo Maillard

reactions – a type of chemical reaction

between sugars and amino acids in the

material – which results in the darker colour.

Interestingly, the same type of chemical

reaction occurs in browning brioche bread or

searing a steak.

In the next few years, Amandus Kahl

expects further growth in the broad field

of pelleting renewable raw materials,

which will result in a massive contribution

to improved sustainability.

Wood waste hots upA new type of wood pelleting machine has been developed by German plant making company Amandus Kahl to handle greater capacities and produce a more efficient product.

The flat-die pelleting press in operation in the US


Johannes Schuback & Sons(S.A.) PTY Limited, Johannesburg / RSAPhone: +27 11 7062270, Fax: +27 11 7069236

[email protected]

AMANDUS KAHL GmbH & Co. KGDieselstrasse 5, D-21465 Reinbek / Hamburg, GermanyPhone: +49 (0)40 727 71-0, Fax: +49 (0)40 727 71-100

[email protected] www.akahl.de

■ Most Advanced Technology ■ Most Efficient ■ Most Professional ■ Less Maintenance

■ Less Energy ■ Less Spare Parts ■ Integrated Rubber Granu late Production

Waste Tyre Recycling PlantsWaste Tyre Recycling Plants

ReSource05+1114-Tyres-Kahl_ReSource-Tyres 20.11.13 11:36 Seite 1

Recycling

Says John Anderson, manager: Automo-

tive OEM, “Our aim is to create aware-

ness that used oil is a hazardous but

a recyclable resource. We want to influence

customer behaviour in the handling and dis-

posal of used oil through educational and

marketing campaigns. We are developing

synergistic, stable and sustainable partner-

ships with groups that have similar objec-

tives and, in the process, we are raising

awareness of Rose’s efforts and initiatives

within member companies.”

This will enable the role of the National Oil

Recycling Association of South Africa to be

clearly communicated and understood.

Fuchs Lubricants is also considering

investments in improving the handling of

various used oil containers at collector

and bulking facilities to increase the vol-

umes collected.

Commitment to collecting 80% used oils

The products carry approvals from a wide range of international automotive and industrial equipment manufacturers, including:Mercedes-Benz Deutz Cummins

MAN Porsche Mack

Cummins Volvo Caterpillar

GM Voith Scania

MTU Komatsu BMW

Flender ZF SEW-Eurodrive

Hansen Volkswagen CNH Global

JenbacherSAME Deutz-Fahr

Renault

One of the world’s largest independent lubricants companies, Fuchs Lubricants, has, in partnership with the Rose Foundation, committed itself to collecting at least 80% of its collectable used oil from customers in the mining, automotive, industrial and related sectors.


Recycling

With more than 130 people attend-

ing, the celebration was shared by

representatives of the full value

chain of resin producers, converters, bot-

tlers, brand owners, retailers, consumers,

collectors, recyclers, partners and authori-

ties. Awards were handed out to top achievers

in PET recycling, while Cheri Scholtz, CEO of

PETCO, presented an overview of the activi-

ties of the organisation over the last decade,

and also looked towards the future.

She pointed out that the steady improve-

ments made with collections in recent years

“need to continue, so that our future targets

can be met and less plastic waste will

be sent to landfill. To achieve our objec-

tives, there are a number of challenges to

overcome, including standardising waste

management procedures and processes,

facilitating improved infrastructure, devel-

oping the market for recyclate, increasing

consumer awareness and understanding,

and embedding design for recycling into the

development of packaging.”

A decade of achievementScholtz says it has been “10 years of tre-

mendous dedication by our members, whose

voluntary contributions via the recycling levy

and grants-in-aid enable PETCO to expand its

collection network, fine-tune its programmes

and strive for ever-increasing recycling tonnag-

es. From the resin producer, through to the

converters, bottlers, brand owners, retailers

and consumers, all enable us to support the

PETCO celebrates 10 years of successRecycling company PETCO recently celebrated 10 years of achievement at their AGM held at The Venue Green Park in Morningside, Johannesburg. Over the past decade, the organisation has driven change across the PET plastics recycling industry, found new opportunities for sustainable recycling growth, and returned excellent value to its members and stakeholders.

PETCO also contributed to a reduction in unemployment across South Africa, by supplying almost 41 000 indirect income opportunities in 2013

BELOW AND OPPOSITE Top achievers in the PET plastics industry show off their awards


Recycling

entire PET value chain and entrench PETCO

as a successful model for voluntary extended

producer responsibility in South Africa. It’s

testimony to the vision of our partners, col-

lectors and recyclers, and the commitment

of government, that PETCO is enjoying such

success in a relatively short time.”

A major achievement, and the legacy of

a decade of targeted PET recycling, has

been a growth in collection and recycling of

post-consumer PET, from 9 000 tonnes to

just short of 60 000 tonnes – equalling 1.9

billion bottles per year and almost one in

every two bottles produced last year alone.

PETCO escalated its targets from 16% to

48% of post-consumer PET bottles recycled

in 2013. Other highlights include progress

towards drafting and refinement of the

Industry Waste Management Plan (IWMP)

for the paper and packaging industry, and

committing to regulatory requirements in

respect of PET.

PETCO also contributed to a reduction

in unemployment across South Africa, by

supplying almost 41 000 indirect income

opportunities in 2013, the facilitation of

skills development and the creation of over

196 000 sustainable livelihoods over the

decade. At the same time, the company par-

ticipated in an investment in infrastructural

development estimated at R665 million in

replacement value, while supporting innova-

tion in post-consumer PET end-use applica-

tions and the realisation of bottle-to-bottle

recycling.

Scholtz stresses that PETCO pursues its

objectives in a manner that “demonstrates

a commitment to sustainable development

(social, environmental and economic) and to

the realisation of government’s strategies of

improved waste management, minimisation

and recycling.”

Some specific developmentsSome of the specific developments during the

past year in terms of PETCO and its partners’

operations have included the following:

“The South African plastics industry is an

advocate for achieving world-class stand-

ards on recycling. To achieve this, everyone

involved – from the raw material producers,

through to manufacturers, retailers, consum-

ers and recyclers –needs to play their part in

the solution,” says Scholtz.

PETCO is on track towards recycling 70% of

post-consumer beverage PET by 2022, but

this will not come without challenges.

“The current shift in legal regime, with

the government's National Environmental

Management Waste Amendment Bill and the

formation of the Waste Bureau, makes waste

management charges and the proposed

array of economic instruments unclear,”

says Scholtz. The impacts on the economy

and current recycling value chain, as well as

the potential effects on livelihoods are yet

to be quantified.

Industry is nevertheless engaging with

the Department of Environmental Affairs

through the Industry Waste Management

Forum, and PETCO hopes to be supported

and even strengthened by new partnerships

and services.

Among others, it sees the potential for

increased research and international coop-

eration and is in particular engaging with the

CSIR and Mutualfruit in preparing the Waste

Research and Innovation Roadmap for the

Department of Science and Technology. PETCO

has joined the Global Product Stewardship

Council and Cheri Scholtz has been appointed

as an expert advisor for a two-year term. The

organisation is also the only African organisa-

tion that is a part of EPRO, and is an active

member of the EPRO working groups: Plastic

Bottle Group, Mixed Plastics, Energy/Chemical

and Communication Group.

A major achievement, and the legacy of a decade of targeted PET recycling, has been a growth in collection and recycling of post-consumer PET, from 9 000 tonnes to just short of 60 000 tonnes


Fuelled by the world’s apparently insa-

tiable desire for all electronic devices,

the huge global growth in such prod-

ucts has led to the creation of new e-dumps

across the developing world, where impover-

ished young children and adults strip down ob-

solete goods in the search of re-usable items

with which to eke out a living.

According to a UNEP report, the e-waste

market is a vast and growing one, estimated

at about 50 million tonnes a year. Much of

it is dumped in Ghana and Nigeria where,

without proper regulation or health controls,

pieces can be extracted and recycled by

unemployed youths. New dumps are also

springing up in Latin America and Asia.

In the European Union, e-waste is the fast-

est-growing waste stream with estimates of

between 1 to 20 kg per person per annum,

and is increasing at about three times

greater than normal municipal solid waste.

Some 22% of the yearly world con-

sumption of mercury is used in

electronics manufacture.

The report by UNEP and the UN Office on

Drugs and Crime also states that organised

crime cartels, already active in drug smug-

gling in the region, were moving into the

lucrative e-waste trade. The UN promised a

Recycling

The fastest-growing waste stream in the world

coordinated approach in an attempt to keep

it in check.

The repor t said: ‘Organised crime

is attacking West Africa because of the

intrinsic weaknesses of these countries –

the results of poverty, underdevelopment

and corruption.’

That underdevelopment is visible at the

Agbogbloshie scrapyard. Scores of young

boys, some as young as five, join men in

scouring over mounds of computers, televi-

sions, monitors, fridges and microwaves.

E-waste contains more than 1 000 different

substances, many of which are toxic, such as

lead, mercury, arsenic, cadmium, selenium,

hexavalent chromium and flame retardants.

In total, about 70%of the heavy metals

(mercury and cadmium) in most landfills

come from e-waste and 40% of the lead

in landfills comes from electrical and

electronic equipment.

All the items contain small but valuable

amounts of aluminium, copper, cadmium

or other minerals. Many of the devices also

contain material that, if handled incorrectly,

becomes toxic, including lead. Natural levels

of lead in soil range between 50 ppm and

400 ppm, but the lead levels from these

dumps are often 100 times above the norm.

A popular method used by these children

is to melt or burn the plastic coating around

a computer or television’s internal wiring – a

process that releases dangerous chemicals

such as phthalates, which are known to

damage reproductive systems in animals,

and cadmium and antimony, which have

been found to contain cancer-causing chlo-

rinated dioxins.

Since its existence, UNEP has been at the

forefront of trying to ensure clean, effective

environmental management, which has mul-

tiple socio-economic benefits.

Unsafe chemical use and unsound waste

disposal mostly affect the poor because of

their occupations, living standards and lack

of knowledge about the effects of exposure.

For example, almost all deaths from pesti-

cide exposure occur in developing countries.

The management of this fast-growing

e-waste is a challenge, compounded by the

fact that these products contain numerous

hazardous substances but also many strate-

gic metals such as gold, palladium and rare

earth metals, which should be recovered

and recycled. This challenge, as mountain-

ous as it may be, needs to be tackled with

some urgency. Left unchecked, developing

countries may end up suffering the most.

Electronic waste is targeted at African cities such as the Ghanian capital Accra. At the world’s fastest-growing e-waste site at Agbogbloshie, the smell, a blend of burning rubber and chemicals, pinpoints waste sites. Maryke Foulds reports.

Electronic waste is targeted at African cities such as the Ghanian capital Accra. At the world’s fastest-growing e-waste site at Agbogbloshie, the smell, a blend of burning rubber and chemicals, pinpoints waste sites. Maryke Foulds reports.


A number of highly placed dignitaries,

which included Barbara Thompson,

Deputy Minister of Energy, Dr Andrew

Venter, CEO of Wildlands, Mntu Nduvane,

stakeholder engagement manager: Corporate

Affairs at Engen, Councillor Lindiwe Ntaka

Mhlongo of the Mayor’s Office and local com-

munity members in Cato Manor recently at-

tended the launch of a new recycling facility.

This recycling depot has been built and

equipped under a multimillion rand enter-

prise development partnership between

Engen Petroleum and Wildlands Green-

preneurs. Tasneem Sulaiman-Bray, GM:

Corporate Affairs at Engen, says the facility

is the latest initiative to come out of the

leading fuel company’s R4.5 million invest-

ment deal with Wildlands Green-preneurs,

which was announced in October 2013.

Recycling

“Engen’s investment will significant-

ly boost recycling efforts while promot-

ing black empowerment and local enter-

prises,” says Sulaiman-Bray. “In return,

we will receive carbon credits, support-

ing our sustainability and planet-change

agenda. The partnership aims to benefit

multiple initiatives serving a variety of key

causes, namely broad-based black econom-

ic empowerment, local enterprise develop-

ment and green issues,” she says.

The first such undertaking came with the

upgrade of Wildlands’ recycling transfer

station near Midmar in Howick last year,

and has been followed by the Cato Manor

facility, which has been erected for around

R600 000.

Urvashi Haridass, project manager:

Recycling at Wildlands, says the funds from

Engen went towards a range of infrastruc-

tural interventions at the Cato Manor site.

“We built two sheds, one of 10 m x 12 m

and another of 12 x 12 m. In addition, we

concreted the full yard, refurbished our

containers – three in total – and installed a

water line and ablution facility.” Electricity

has been installed to allow the facility

to commission additional machinery to

enhance efficiencies.

Wildlands Green-preneurs have also

developed a significant partnership with the

Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA)

under the auspices of the Green Fund, of

which the DEA is the custodian. The Green

Fund is investing into the operation of the

Cato Manor recycling facility. This follows on

the heels of the Waste-preneur programme,

Development partnership boosts recyclingA new recycling depot in Cato Manor will boost BBBEE and local development in the region.

Mntu Nduvane, stakeholder engagement manager: Corporate Affairs at Engen; Thandeka Cele, public affairs refinery manager; Councillor Lindiwe Ntaka Mhlongo, representing the Mayor’s Office; Cato Manor local Councillor Bhekisisa Richards Mngadi; Dr Andrew Venter, CEO of Wildlands; and Ms Barbara Thompson, Deputy Minister of Environmental Affairs gathered in Cato Manor on Friday 22 August, to launch the opening of a new recycling facility in the area (Photographer Roy Reed)


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Recycling

which is also implemented through the

fund with Wildlands Conservation Trust

as the appointed project developer and

has exceeded the employment target of

4 400 jobs.

The Green Fund was established to facili-

tate investment in green initiatives in sup-

port of the transition to a low carbon econo-

my for mitigation of climate change, poverty

reduction and job creation. The Green Fund

has also enabled the purchase of (and

running costs for) four 8 tonne trucks, the

employment of four drivers, eight loaders,

one project manager and one local facilita-

tor in the greater Durban area.

Deputy Minister Barbara Thompson said

that the opening of the Cato Manor facil-

ity will contribute to Commitment 5 of the

Green Economy Accord, which focuses on

waste recycling, reuse and recovery. She

also added that the private sector and civil

society were key partners in addressing the

matter of job creation and transitioning to a

green economy.

“The opening of the depot will encourage

the matter of further sorting, separation and

subsequent recovery of waste generated

during the production process. Government

cannot manage and fund the transition to a

green economy and address unemployment

and poverty alleviation alone. Private sector

and civil society play a key role and hence

we celebrate the partnership and launch of

the Cato Manor facility.”

Wildlands CEO Dr Andrew Venter says the

organisation’s recycling initiatives make

use of ‘waste-preneurs’, who bar ter recy-

clable waste they collect from in and

around their homesteads with the organi-

sation (Wildlands) in exchange for vouch-

ers that can be redeemed for livelihood

items such as food, clothing, education

support, JoJo tanks and solar panels.

From July 2013 to June 2014, 290

waste-preneurs in Cato Manor have traded

951 000 kg of recyclable waste, and have

been rewarded with R144 764 worth of

livelihood support items.

“Engen’s investment, together with the

investment of the Green Fund, will greatly

benefit this cause as it allows us to equip

plants with infrastructure that will increase

our output, thus boosting recycling in the

region, benefiting more waste-preneurs

and ultimately allowing us to employ more

people,” says Venter.

“We are very excited about our par tner-

ship with Engen and the Green Fund.

Thanks to these key par tners, Wildlands

is better equipped to do what it does best

– green the economy.”

The Green Fund has also enabled the purchase of (and running costs for) four 8 tonne trucks, the employment of four drivers, eight loaders, one project manager and one local facilitator in the greater Durban area


Social networking…for many of the hard-

working folk in the recycling industry,

spending precious daylight hours –

necessary for doing business – on something

so frivolous may make the phrase seem even

worse than a bad word. However, if used cor-

rectly, social networking can be operationalised

to leverage on-going stakeholder engagement

in a given brand, bringing more opportunities

for waste streams, grant money and revenues

into the fold.

‘No time’ is no excuseThere isn’t one person who can say they don’t

have ‘dead time’, those dead minutes of the

day when time is spent in an elevator, waiting

to see a client, waiting for the computer to boot

up or, for those who’ve learned to wrap their

Recycling

smart devices in a Ziploc bag, while hanging

out around the pool after a Sunday braai.

Twitter for beginnersTake for example a conversation RéSource

had recently with one of its stakeholders on

the social networking platform Twitter. After

seeing tyre recycling company Redisa’s Twitter

handle, @wasteintoworth, one member of

the public said that he had large volumes of

glass to recycle, and could he drop it off with

Redisa? People in the recycling industry know

that glass recycling in the Johannesburg area

is done by The Glass Recycling Company.

So RéSource entered into the conversation,

using its twitter handle, @infrastructure4, to

supply The Glass Recycling Company’s contact

details and a link showing the latest statistics

on Redisa’s tyre recycling

initiatives. It turned out that same

person also had some tyres he needed

to drop off, so the exchange ended up being a

win for everyone involved.

The benefits of social networking are evi-

dent. So for those who haven’t got a busi-

ness account on Twitter yet, take the plunge

and do it – because business networking

doesn’t have to stop just because the confer-

ence is over.

Be warned though: if you wouldn’t feel

comfortable being quoted saying some-

thing on the evening news, do not say it on

Twitter. This maxim wasn’t taken to heart by

New York PR executive Justine Sacco, who

was sacked over a racist tweet this time

last year.

Social energy transforms waste


D riven by requirements and local man-

dates such as green waste diversion

rules and no-burn regulations, pri-

vate contractors and government entities

are joining the growing ranks of those who

chip, grind, screen, compost and other-

wise process waste. Some do it for profit,

some do it as a public service, but one

thing they have in common is the need for

specialised equipment to tackle this de-

manding job.

Flip Breytenbach, national sales manag-

er for AfrEquip explains to RẽSource what

AfrEquip does and what the company’s

Morbark range of equipment has to offer.

To date, AfrEquip has been better known

for supplying purpose-built forestry equip-

ment for the last decade, representing

prestigious brands like Tigercat and Log

Max, however AfrEquip has made the deci-

sion to branch out into other areas.

“The reason we entered the waste mar-

ket and also the industrial market, is

that Morbark’s industrial range has an

established reputation for its recycling

products. These are not only beneficial in

that they contribute to cleaner production

but also respond to the highest govern-

ment regulations. Another governing factor

to consider is that recycling waste actually

saves money,” Flip comments.

An interesting point is that Morbark’s

machines have been used for more than

20 years in South Africa and are well estab-

lished locally. Owners of the equipment

vary from large municipalities and landfill

contractors to leading compost manufac-

tures. The reputation and durability of the

product is such that most of the customers

continue to reinvest in Morbark equipment.

Even though the Morbark range has been

available in South Africa for 20 years,

AfrEquip has only recently attained the

distribution rights for its industrial range

of equipment. The smallest of this range

is the 950 Tub Grinder, which is used for

more general grinding applications; the

largest, and impressive, Barracuda slow-

speed shredder can be used on tyres, as

well as other materials.

Demolishing waste for goodSouth African mobile equipment supplier AfrEquip is introducing something new to the local market: a fast, simple and effective way for organisations to green their operations and save.

Fierce Barracuda performanceThe Morbark Barracuda is just one of a list of

equipment designed and built by Morbark to

respond to industry demand. The Barracuda

design team set themselves quite a challenge

to create one machine to do it all: a machine

that can be used as a pre-shredder or for

making the required end product in one go.

The Barracuda is a universal machine that

is able to work with wood (demolition wood,

green waste and more), industrial waste (con-

struction, demolition, tyres, plastics and the

like) and other waste streams (general skip

waste, mattresses and similar). This means

that users can choose to have higher capacity

or a desired end product, or both! This innova-

tion should terminate the need to shred in two

stages by using a

primary and sec-

ondary shredder,

which decreases your upfront investment and

your operational costs.

This single-rotor, slow-speed shredder is

powered by either a diesel engine or electric

motor, which drives the hydrostatic transmis-

sion. The control system is programmed to

use fuel as economically as possible under

all circumstances. By using a pump distribu-

tion gearbox, a compact design is possible

and the engine can run at reduced speeds;

this also makes it incredibly mobile so it can

easily be relocated from site to site.

These measures will not only benefit the

end-user’s wallet, but also the environment

by minimising exhaust and noise emissions.

Therefore making it a win-win situation.

The full Morbark range can be viewed by contacting AfrEquip on +27 (0)33 386

5034 or Flip Breytenbach directly on +27 (0)72 708 9091

• Construction and demolition wood

• Industrial waste• Plastics• Green waste• Tyres and rubber• Household waste• Mattresses, and more

MORBARK BARRACUDA APPLICATIONS:

Recycling profile

TOP This 950 tub grinder, like all Morbark equipment is a long-lasting, durable machine with great service support and par ts availabilityABOVE The Barracuda is an aggressive, versatile slow-speed shredder that can be used as a pre-shredder or for making the required end product


Landfills

Waste management has undergone

a major change in recent years.

Previously seen as a transport

and logistics operation, where trucks col-

lected garbage from homes and factories and

took it out of town to be dumped in landfills,

this 'hump ‘n dump' approach is no longer

considered appropriate.

National government is spearheading the

change to divert waste from landfill in

various ways, including passing legislation

requiring municipalities to provide recycling

services to householders. Yet most munici-

pal solid waste departments are staffed by

engineers whose backgrounds often lack

an understanding of the recycling industry

or the social behaviour and communication

issues involved in making a success of

separation-at-source diversion programmes.

In essence, these programmes have to

deal with managing the transfer of a “free”

commodity (domestic recyclable waste) tem-

porarily owned by a public utility to a pri-

vate commercial contractor whose business

model is dependent on optimum quantities

of the commodity being supplied by resi-

dents, whose participation is vital, but is on

a voluntary basis. This is clearly a complex

system which needs careful design, imple-

mentation and management.

Research projectPlasticsSA has a mission of zero plas-

tic waste to landfill by 2030 and funded

qualitative research into at-source recycling

amongst several Western Cape municipali-

ties in a project initiated and undertaken by

GreenEdge Communications.

Most of the separation-at-source pro-

grammes in the study require residents to

sort their waste into two bags for kerbside

collection – black bag for “wet” materi-

als, (ie all food-contaminated or otherwise

non-recyclable waste which the municipality

takes to landfill) and “dry” (or plastic, tins,

paper and glass which is collected by the

contractor and then sorted and sold on for

re-processing.) Sometimes a third bag is

provided for green waste.

Findings from five out of the ten municipali-

ties researched are described in brief below.

City of Cape TownCape Town is the largest municipality in the

Western Cape with some 830 000 formal

households. After a round of pilots, the

programme was branded as “Think Twice”

and rolled out to be implemented by contrac-

tors in selected groups of middle and upper

income suburbs.

Tender specifications were tightened to

include a R300 000 minimum budget per

contract towards public education and

behaviour change. A minimum household

participation rate was also set for the

contractor, below which financial penalties

would apply.

Recyclables collected at kerbside are

taken to the City’s large materials recovery

facility (MRF) at Kraaifontein to be sorted by

technical means and by hand.

By 2011, over 120 000 households were

receiving the service. The overall aver-

age participation rate is estimated by the

municipality at more than 60% of house-

holds. During the 2012/13 financial year,

17 353 tonnes of recyclables were diverted

from landfill by kerbside collections.

Drakenstein Drakenstein Municipality includes Paarl and

Wellington with some 40 000 households.

Kerbside recycling began in 2011 and now

serves 10 700 households. Public educa-

tion and behaviour change marketing has

been managed by an outside service pro-

vider through information leaflets and fridge

reminder cards with feedback on progress in

the local newspaper.

Initially a private contractor operated

her own vehicle for collections and also

managed the municipal-owned MRF. When

the contract ended, the municipality took

over and brought in Extended Public Works

Getting over the ‘hump ‘n dump’Diverting waste from landfill is gaining traction. Former editor Hugh Tyrrell of GreenEdge Communications takes a look at best-case practice among some Western Cape municipalities.

Programme) workers to assist with col-

lections and operating the MRF. At pre-

sent household participation averages 24%.

During last year, 1 541 tonnes of recyclables

were diverted from landfill.

Knysna One of seven in the Eden District Municipality,

Knysna Local Municipality is mainly a

tourism resort and retirement area and

includes Sedgefield, Karatara and Buffels

Bay. Households number some 22 000.

Separation-at-source recycling began in 1989

when residents started their own system, tak-

ing recyclable materials to a centre in the town

run by a local recycling company. Collection

was later taken over by the municipality.

Public education is activated through local

media, with information on progress and

achievements. The percentage of house-

holds participating is estimated at 55%.

From January to December 2013, 1 259

tons of recyclables were taken out of the

waste stream and diverted from landfill.

Overstrand Overstrand Municipality includes Hermanus,

Kleinmond, Stanford and Gansbaai.

Households number some 31 800. A private

company initially began recycling and since

2004, collection has been run by the munici-

pality. Bags are transported to sorting facili-

ties owned by the municipality and managed

on contract by a recycling company.

Articles in the local newspaper and leaflets

in rates bills encourage participation, as


Landfills

Getting over the ‘hump ‘n dump’

do promotions at schools and the annual

Whale Festival. Permanent residents’ par-

ticipation rates average 55 to 60% which

increases over the holidays. On average,

1 500 tonnes of household materials are

diverted from landfill annually

Witzenberg Located in the central Western Cape, the

main towns in the district municipality are

Ceres, Wolseley, and Tulbagh. The estimated

number of households is 16 500. Three bags

are put out for kerbside collection – black

for refuse, green for garden waste and clear

bag for source-separated recyclables. The

municipality picks up the first two while a

contractor collects the recyclables for sorting

at its own MRF.

Public awareness and education is done by

the municipality and is outsourced. Schools

are also involved in recycling education pro-

grammes. Household participation is esti-

mated at 20% while the programmes diverts

some 3 500 tonnes per annum from landfill.

InsightsResponses from this qualitative research pro-

ject show municipalities in different localities

rely on similar factors for success. Important

among these is providing infrastructure sys-

tems that make it as convenient as possible

through, for example, the provision of free

bags, easy separation-at-source at home,

namely the two bags for wet or dry waste,

and weekly same-day kerbside collection

of recyclables.

In addition, a thorough, ongoing educa-

tional and behaviour change programme

aimed at communities to whom the service

is being provided is essential. This can often

be downgraded as a “soft” option, but suc-

cessful municipalities realise that adequate

emphasis and budget for this component is

necessary in their budget or terms of refer-

ence for tenders.

Also important is a cooperative relation-

ship between municipality and recycling

contractor for economic viability of the pro-

gramme. Contractors who can bring long

experience of the recycling industry are

valuable partners.

Diverting waste from landfill through a

separation-at-source system is best seen

as an interlinking set of different elements

which need to be in harmony for it to work

best. Greatest efficiencies arise from under-

standing the elements of a programme as a

whole system.

The research and responses offer insights

and practices that can be put to use

elsewhere. They help fill a gap in current

knowledge, assisting diversion and recovery

of valuable re-usable materials while sup-

porting the long-term aim of zero waste

to landfill.

Acknowledgements Thanks to PlasticsSA who sponsored the

research, the Western Cape Directorate of

Waste Management.

ABOUT THE AUTHORHugh Tyrrell is an independent marketing communications and behaviour change consultant specialising in the recycling industry, he can be contacted on: [email protected]

ABOVE Jan van Niekerk of Walker Bay Recycling and Johan van Taak from Overstrand Municipality LEFT A cooperative relationship between municipality and contractor is key to successful recycling diversion

20720

Up to 15 years imprisonment.

Dispose of your used oil here...

...and you could end up here.

So for peace of mind, contact a NORA-SA approved collector or recycler to safely dispose of your used oil. Call 0860 NORA-SA (6672 72) for a collector in your area.

20720_NORA-SA_297x210.indd 1 2013/01/16 3:00 PM


20720

Up to 15 years imprisonment.

Dispose of your used oil here...

...and you could end up here.

So for peace of mind, contact a NORA-SA approved collector or recycler to safely dispose of your used oil. Call 0860 NORA-SA (6672 72) for a collector in your area.

20720_NORA-SA_297x210.indd 1 2013/01/16 3:00 PM

Waste to worth

We spend R83 million of our budget per

year on collecting waste from illegal

dumping. And our street collection is

costing us R434 million. That eats up about a

third of Pikitup’s budget. The entity as a whole

feels that if that money could be put to better

use, then more jobs could be created for local

communities,” says Les Venter, general man-

ager: Environmental Management at Pikitup.

A new model for deliveryDuring the budget speech on 27 May this year

by the MMC for Finance, Councillor Geoffrey

Makhubo said, “Jozi@Work, our developmen-

tal service delivery model, is an innovative

paradigm shift for the city. In the future, ser-

vices will be delivered through a partnership

between the city and the community using their

strengths and assets, thereby creating collec-

tive ownership and job creation over the next

two years.” Pikitup has invested a considerable

amount of time, effort and money into making

the plan a reality.

Jozi@Work“Pikitup is implementing Jozi@Work, as are

other Joburg City entities, as a mobile project

to get communities involved, especially in ser-

vice delivery,” says Venter.

The state-owned entity’s engagement with

the concept is being effected through a web

package, in which it identifies specific areas,

such as places within informal settlements,

where it will ask those communities to take

full responsibility for all waste, from separa-

tion at source, illegal dumping and street

cleaning, to recycling.

“We will then pay stakeholders according to

their performance: the cleaner the area, the

more money those managing the waste will

make. Through these means, we encourage

entrepreneurs within these areas to have a

stake in developing one-on-one relationships

with local residents,” says Venter. The idea

behind the initiative is to motivate communi-

ties to get involved with the all-important task

of separating their waste at source, which

is one of the biggest challenges associated

with getting a mass recycling movement to

take off.

Entrepreneur advantageThe most visible advantage of the programme

is that it will influence a mindset change at

grassroots level. Important stakeholders in

this ‘cooperative model’ are community mem-

bers, who will be given access to funding and

networks to buy bundling machinery and work

together to pay for transportation and storage

costs of waste streams.

“While community members will be able

to group themselves together to form

cooperatives, Pikitup will manage the overall

system and look at optimising efficiencies,”

adds Venter.

Pikitup will not be getting additional fund-

ing for the initiative but rather money will be

taken out of the portion of the budget hard-

est hit by littering and illegal dumping. A por-

tion of the entity’s repairs and maintenance

budget will also go to the initiative, meaning

that some of those functions will be del-

egated to cooperative contractors, which is

already happening at one Sowetan recycling

depot, concludes to Venter.

Celebrating cooperationThe City of Johannesburg faces massive challenges caused by illegal dumping and littering. Just one negative result has been the widely reported rat plague spreading over the metropolitan. At the core of the city’s strategy to deal with the problem, is raising public awareness and creating a platform for community engagement – with cooperatives playing a central role.

WHERE DOES THE MONEY GO?PIKITUP DELIVERED a presentation at this year’s WasteCon conference, detailing the cost of Johannesburg’s litterbug problem: “Eleven Pikitup waste management depots are

strategically located throughout the city, collecting refuse from approximately 1.2 million formal and informal dwellings. The inner city/CBD precinct, represented by Pikitup’s Selby depot, collected 88 869 tonnes of waste during the 2013/14 financial year. This is partly due to the congestion and high density of people within any given business day and the fact that the inner city precinct is cleaned 24 hours per day.”Pikitup’s research also found that there is a mis-

conception among citizens that littering creates work for people like street sweepers. In actual fact, the reverse is true in that a dirty city costs jobs.


When the off-take project comes on

stream in the first quarter of next

year, between 25% and 30% of the

Rosslyn facility’s energy requirement will be

generated from renewable sources.

The BMW/Bio2Watt initiative is a private

deal, and marks the first commercially

viable biogas-electricity project in South

Africa. Power will be supplied from the

4.4 MW installed capacity Bronkhorstspruit

Biogas Plant, on the premises of one of

South Africa’s largest feedlots (Beefcor),

which provides the project with its primary

fuel supplies, grid access and water from

Beefcor’s stormwater collection dams.

Converting organic waste into electrical

energy primarily for digester heating purpos-

es is a proven method, which has gained

traction worldwide as the swing to renew-

able energy alternatives gains momentum

and becomes price competitive with more

widely used forms of power generation.

Sustainability“Corporate sustainability is firmly estab-

lished as a guiding principle of our com-

pany’s strategy and culture. This project

further demonstrates our commitment to

sustainability,” says Tim Abbott, managing

director of BMW South Africa.

“Since its inception in 2006, BMW

Group’s CleanProduction initiative has

tried to maximise production efficiency

and reduce energy consumption at all of

BMW Group’s manufacturing plants world-

wide. Our vision is to achieve a completely

carbon-neutral energy supply for the BMW

Group. With this in mind, we set ourselves

the goal of becoming a leader in the use of

renewable energy by 2020.

“As a result of our local CleanProduction

initiatives, we’ve saved more than R60 mil-

lion in energy overheads in the last five

years at our plant and our Midrand head

office, which has been recently renovated

to achieve a four-star Green Star rating. We

expect to make further strides in the area

of sustainability with the introduction of our

renewable power supply next year through

the Bio2Watt project,” adds Abbott.

Legislation boonSouth African legislation in the form of

a comprehensive Waste Management Act,

which effectively bans organic waste from

landfills by 2015, adds impetus to this

renewable energy initiative.

According to Sean Thomas, CEO of

Bio2Watt, the act will boost the conversion

of organic waste material (cow manure,

food and abattoir waste, fruit and vegeta-

ble waste, dairy waste, etc.) into electricity

through anaerobic digestion.

“This year’s Waste Management Act

amendment represents the basic regula-

tory condition for Bio2Watt’s continued suc-

cess. That said, we prefer to not rely solely

on the Renewable Energy Independent

Power Producer Programme, but to deal

with willing buyers of renewable power from

the private sector who, as in the case with

BMW South Africa, place a value on creat-

ing sustainable business relationships,”

says Thomas.

Support Thomas explains that the project received

tremendous support from various stakehold-

ers, including BMW South Africa, Eskom and

the City of Tshwane as enablers of the grid

connection. Tshwane is also a key supplier

of organic waste, diverting the bulk of its

organic waste away from landfills, to be pro-

cessed directly in the biogas plant.

Other supporters are Dutch sustainable

development agency NL Agency, for devel-

opment funding, and other private investors

including Norfund, ChloroPhil, representing

a private family, Bosch Holdings and the

Bertha Foundation as equity providers.

“We were looking for large industries

wishing to make a meaningful and sus-

tainable contribution to progressing waste

management and climate change mitigation

in Southern Africa,” says Thomas. “We’re

glad one of the world’s most sustainable

car makers, in the form of the BMW Group,

heeded this call.”

Waste to energy

Car manufacturer drives renewablesGerman luxury vehicle manufacturer BMW’s South African company has signed a power purchasing agreement with energy firm Bio2Watt. The partnership will bring renewable energy to the car maker’s manufacturing plant in Rosslyn, Pretoria.

New additions for BMW’s Rosslyn production facility, north of Pretoria, to contribute to the grid using bio waste are in the process of installation


According to the National Waste Infor-

mation Baseline Report, of the total

108 million tonnes of waste, 90%

goes to landfills.

As a result, South Africa’s landfills quickly

run out of space and a viable solution pre-

sents itself in the form of waste-to-energy.

Dr Urishanie Govender, general manager:

Environmental Services Sector at engineer-

ing consulting firm GIBB, indicates that

waste-to-energy presents a crucial opportu-

nity to address the energy gap.

“Waste-to-energy is a proven and envi-

ronmentally sound process that provides

sustainable recovery of energy,” she says.

Another expert on the subject of power,

Paul Fitzsimons, GIBB’s general manager:

Power and Energy, says that South Africa’s

Integrated Resource Plan 2010 allows for

about 1% of alternative sources of energy,

within which waste-to-energy can play a role.

“The process includes generating energy

in the form of electricity or heat, or both,

generally through the combustion of waste

that powers a steam-driven turbine.

This is usually the first port of call, but

another popular method is through land-

fill gas-to-energy, which involves capturing

New generation and supply solutionsSouth Africa’s power supply is taking strain and with the country’s grid nearing peak demand, an intervention is needed. To this end, several alternatives are being explored but there is a growing need for more sustainable methods of power generation and demand-side management.

gases (primarily methane) produced from

decomposing buried waste,” he says.

Govender meanwhile suggests that South

Africa looks to the East and West for working

examples of waste-to-energy programmes.

“The technology is used extensively in

Europe and developed nations in Asia, such

as Russia, Japan, Singapore and Taiwan.

Interestingly, every tonne of solid waste pro-

cessed in a waste-to-energy facility avoids

the mining of one-third of a tonne of coal and

its associated impacts,” she said.

While there is a strong case for waste-to-

energy in South Africa, before any projects

get underway, a bankable feasibility study

needs to be conducted.

GIBB is involved with two waste-to-energy

projects in the country. Actually conducting a

waste characterisation study is no easy feat

as landfill sites do not accurately monitor

their waste streams. GIBB analyses the site

and compiles detailed studies of what waste

streams actually go into the site. After the

waste has been characterised, it then fol-

lows a waste hierarchy process, where reus-

ing and recycling become higher priorities.

“At the moment, our landfills don’t tend

to recycle, which is always the first step. So

LEFT Dr Urishanie Govender, general manager: Environmental Services Sector, GIBBRIGHT Paul Fitzsimons, general manager: Power and Energy, GIBBABOVE South Africa needs to look to the East and West for examples of better waste management. For example, the US state of Massachusetts now has caps on certain waste streams

once you have reused and recycled what you

can, and implemented a system to do that

continuously, only then can you determine

what kind of waste you have to work with,

and thus, which technology is most suitable

to produce energy,” says Govender.

The issue is that most private firms and

municipalities have hurdle rates for their

capex projects, so due diligence needs to

take its course.

Solid waste management funding is a

major challenge for waste projects in this

space. To assist, GIBB offers project prepa-

ration and advisory services.

Waste to energy


Opinion

The main greenhouse gases in our at-

mosphere are carbon dioxide, methane,

nitrous oxide and water vapour. These

gases trap infrared radiation that leaves the

Earth and is instrumental in maintaining the

Earth’s habitable climate. Without green-

house gases, the Earth would be completely

frozen as the annual global temperature

plummets to -18°C. Very little life would be

Why care about carbon

emissions?

supported. The level of these greenhouse gas-

es was just right at pre-industrial levels and

kept the Earth’s global annual temperature

at 18°C. With the Industrial Revolution, man

started burning fossil fuels in vast quantities

and slowly added to the level of greenhouse

gases in the atmosphere.

When compared with the entire climate sys-

tem, the level of human carbon emissions

is tiny – so small it seems ridiculous that

human activity can have any impact on the

atmosphere. Claims that these carbon emis-

sions are altering the climate seem absurd.

Yet, this tiny increase in carbon emissions

can make a difference and keeps a lit-

tle additional energy, which would normally

escape into space, in the Earth’s climate

system. This happens every day, 365 days

a year. This has been going on for around

200 years. A rapid growth in population

and increased reliance on fossil fuels have

put more of these greenhouse gases in the

atmosphere. Even more energy is now being

trapped and scientists estimate that today

Carbon emissions typically refer to greenhouse gases emitted by humans through the burning of fossil fuels. It is true that nature is a large emitter of these very same greenhouse gases and the Earth’s emissions are in balance. What is emitted by the Earth is absorbed and the level of these greenhouse gases has been fairly consistent in the Earth’s atmosphere for over 800 000 years.

By Deepak John

ABOVE Even with increasing regulation on vehicular emissions, exhaust gas remains one of the biggest culprits, pumping nitrogen, water vapour and carbon dioxide into the atmosphereLEFT Geothermal imaging shows that the ozone layer may have star ted to recover but scientists cannot yet confirm whether this is the case


Opinion

an additional 0.6 W/m2 is being kept on

earth as a result of increased carbon emis-

sions. It doesn’t sound like a lot but, when

taken across the entire globe, this additional

energy is equivalent to 400 000 Hiroshima-

sized nuclear bombs. This is every single

day of the year. Lucky for us, the oceans

have absorbed most of this extra energy and,

because the oceans are so large, the atmos-

phere has taken a long time to warm up.

Greenhouse gases make up such a small

portion of the atmosphere they are meas-

ured in parts per million (ppm) or parts per

billion (ppb). Carbon dioxide has recently

breached 400 ppm, from 280 ppm dur-

ing pre-industrialisation. Methane is even

less sparse in the atmosphere and is now

300 ppb, from 100 ppb during pre-indus-

trial periods. Scientists have calculated

that global temperatures have increased

by 0.85°C over this period as a result. It

is difficult to conceive why such a small

rise in temperature is any cause for con-

cern. The problem is that some areas have

experienced more significant temperature

increases than others – especially the cold

polar regions.

The Earth might be only 0.85°C warmer

but its 5°C warmer in the Arctic. This has

caused the Arctic to melt faster and the

volume of ice at the end of summer in 2012

was 25% of what it used to be 30 years ago.

There has been a massive decline in the

region’s sea ice, which has accelerated due

to self-reinforcing feedback loops in the cli-

mate system. A self-reinforcing feedback is

a process that feeds on itself and quickens

the process that started it. A simple exam-

ple of such a feedback is the albedo effect.

The ice in the Arctic acts like a mirror and

reflects most of the Sun’s energy that hits

it. Dark water and land, on the other hand,

absorb most of the energy received from

LEFT One of the most hear t rending and immediate results of climate change has been the depletion of polar bear's natural habitat due to the melting of the polar ice caps

For sustainable energy.

210 x 148_02_repro.indd 1 2014/11/03 02:50:57 PM


Specialist Waste Management Consultants

Tel: +27 21 982 6570 / www.jpce.co.za

Jan Palm Consulting Engineers

JPCE

the Sun. As the Arctic melts, more water

and land is exposed. The exposed water

and land absorb more heat, melting more

ice and exposing more water and land. It is

a vicious cycle. Warming the global tempera-

ture by less than 1°C has triggered numer-

ous such climatic feedback loops.

The problem with feedback loops in the cli-

mate is that they are out of human control.

Once they start, there is nothing humans

can do to reverse them. Scientists refer to

them as positive feedbacks, not because

they are good but because they amplify their

effect as the process continues. The melt-

ing ice in the Arctic is so obvious to experts

that all major fossil fuel companies are on

a race to mine the Arctic seabed for oil and

gas reserves, which were previously inac-

cessible because of dense sea ice.

The ice in the Arctic used to serve as a

seal on the large stock of methane stored

in the land mass surrounding the Arctic and

its seabed. Methane, which is stored in

organic matter in this region, was kept out

of the atmosphere in a deep freeze. As the

Arctic melts, this stock of methane is slowly

released into the atmosphere from the tun-

dra, boreal forests and Siberian ice shelf.

Methane is a potent greenhouse

gas and 250 times stronger than

carbon dioxide in trapping infrared

radiation over 10 years. The amount

of methane stored in this region

dwarfs human carbon emissions. It

would take only a small percent-

age of this methane to be released and

the global greenhouse impact of methane

could be doubled or trebled, drastically

increasing warming.

If the Earth’s climate starts emitting more

carbon emissions than humans, it won’t

matter if we stop burning fossil fuels com-

pletely. The Earth’s feedback loops will take

over and continue warming the planet until it

cannot sustain life. Previously it was thought

that this process would take hundreds of

years, however the power of multiple feed-

back loops and methane is making scien-

tists reassess their projections. Now, abrupt

climate change is expected in a matter of

decades and the window of opportunity to

curb Earth’s current trajectory is closing

fast. We must change direction or we will

end up where we are heading.

Not all carbon dioxide emitters are equal, the developed world puts out far more greenhouse gasses than developing countries

Opinion


Sustainability

Proceedings kicked off with a keynote

address by Judith Hackitt, who has a

wealth of knowledge of the chemical

and process industries, process safety, and

health and safety challenges.

As the current chair of the UK Health

and Safety Executive (HSE), the government

agency for regulating workplace health and

safety, Hackitt’s presentation highlighted the

importance of having a clear understanding

of the need for process safety leadership,

the role of leadership in creating/setting the

culture, risk ownership and management, and

the role of company boards in process safety.

She called for a change in the mindset and

culture towards process safety, starting with

the boardroom. Key themes that emerged

from the presentation included the role of the

regulator, leadership in process safety, risk

ownership, open communication and safety

as a core value, not a priority.

Speaking of the leadership challenge

ahead, she says: “Boards who do not focus

on process safety have a very serious gap in

their corporate risk register and are poten-

tially taking a gamble with the survival of their

business. The leader who asks to understand

what the process’s vulnerabilities are and

how they need to be addressed will create a

very different climate in their organisation.”

She continued her presentation by saying

that process safety knowledge and compe-

tence should be recognised as fundamental

to anyone who takes on a position of respon-

sibility within the chemical industry.

Discussions served as a reminder to

executives and senior managers that the

absence of conventional safety accidents

and injuries in an organisation should not,

in itself, be taken as a positive assurance

of an overall good performance in process

safety. Process safety performance should

be measured by using appropriate and effec-

tive leading and lagging indicators.

Signatories of the Responsible Care initia-

tive are committed to the safe operation of

their plants and processes. Responsible

Care provides a process safety code, a

management practice standard with guid-

ance on how companies should take action

to prevent major explosions, fires and acci-

dental releases during their manufactur-

ing, processing, handling and on-site stor-

age of hazardous chemicals. However, for

this to be successful, an interdisciplinary

approach should be adopted so that process

safety is integrated into the areas of man-

agement leadership, technology, facilities

and employees.

Louise Lindeque, manager: Responsible

Care, CAIA, says: “Process safety is an

important component of Responsible Care.

CAIA recognises the importance of encour-

aging dialogue and ideas around issues

pertaining to process safety at the quar-

terly process safety forums that meet in

Johannesburg and Durban.”

Process safety hinges on leadership The Chemical and Allied Industries’ Association (CAIA) recently hosted a special breakfast presentation. Issues discussed included the importance of process safety at all levels. Delegates included senior executives and managers from across the chemical and allied industries. Maryke Foulds reports.

Process safety performance should be measured by using appropriate and effective leading and lagging indicators

LEFT Judith Hackitt, chair of the UK Health and Safety ExecutiveRIGHT Delegates attending the process safety breakfast presentation


Sustainability

Average temperatures across South

Africa will increase by 2°C along the

coast and 6°C inland by the end of the

century, if no action is taken. The report notes

however, that South Africa has the infrastruc-

ture and expertise available to ‘climate proof’

itself in order to lower carbon emissions.

According to Arthur Chien, vice-president

of Talesun Energy, the ongoing and unre-

stricted burning of fossil fuels is one of the

major causes of climate change, and should

therefore be in the interests of South

Africa’s public and private sectors to reduce

carbon emissions, offsetting the effects of

global warming in the country. He notes,

however, that through the implementation

of renewable energy strategies, the country

can make remarkable advances in decreas-

ing the negative impacts that fossil fuels

have on the environment.

The UN reported in its most recent global

warming study that the world needs to tri-

ple the amount of energy it receives from

renewables to avoid dangerous levels of

global warming and that countries need to

Take environmental measures or face the consequences

make more of an effort to implement renew-

able energy projects such as solar parks.

‘By making use of photovoltaic solar

energy instead of fossil fuels, the public

and private sector can help alleviate the

effects of global warming. Solar energy,

which is widely available in South Africa due

to the sun producing around 2 500 hours

of sunshine each year, has a non-evasive

effect on the environment and therefore

makes it an appealing alternative energy

source. This is in comparison to coal, which

has the highest carbon intensity of major

fossil fuels, resulting in coal-fired plants

having the highest output rate of CO2 per

kilowatt hour.

‘When fossil fuels such as coal, oil and

natural gas are burnt, CO2 is released into

the Earth’s atmosphere, and the build-up

of CO2 has an alarming warming effect that

lasts many years. This is the reason for the

increase in temperature.’

Al Gore, former American vice president

and Nobel Peace Prize winner, spoke at the

Climate Reality Leadership Corps training

in Johannesburg in March 2014. He stated

that South Africa, the 31st driest country in

the world, is projected to get much drier by

2030 as demand for water exceeds supply.

Many scientists agree that in many cases

climate change is the root cause of the

increasing frequency of extreme weather

and temperatures. An increase in tempera-

ture leads to increased levels of evapora-

tion, and this in turn causes clouds to form

faster and rain more frequently, resulting in

some regions receiving greater concentra-

tions of rain, and possibly floods, and other

regions receiving less rain and droughts.’

South Africa is well positioned to benefit

from renewable energy solutions such as

photovoltaic solar energy, especially as the

country has been rated the world’s most

promising emerging market for photovoltaic

solar and other renewable energy, by IHS

Technology, a global information company. A

recently released report by the Organisation

for Economic Cooperation and Development

also reflected that by 2020, 80% of the

world’s population will be living in coun-

tries where solar electricity is cheaper

compared to fuel produced from coal and

other sources.

In its recent report, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) revealed that South Africa is responsible for the majority of Africa’s carbon emissions as a result of its coal-intensive energy production.

The solar revolution in Africa is being led by South Africa but other African nations are also embracing the renewable energy source


Cover strap

Vermeer, the Vermeer logo and Equipped to Do More. are trademarks of Vermeer Manufacturing Company in the U.S. and/or other countries. © 2014 Vermeer Corporation and Equipment Suppliers (Pty) Ltd. Southern Africa. All Rights Reserved.

WE LOOK FORWARD TO WELCOMING YOU TO OUR

NEW, PURPOSE-BUILT PREMISES EARLY 2015!

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JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA

THIS IS WHERE THE NAME ON THE MACHINE MATTERS MOST. Whether you’re facing the need to clear some land, clean up after a storm or recycling wood waste, Vermeer and our global dealer network will be right beside you. We know the conditions you face are demanding – that’s why we make sure our equipment is up to the task. Our complete lineup of horizontal and tub grinders, trommel screens, compost turners and brush chippers were designed to take on your big challenges. So when it’s tough going out there, look to Vermeer – the trusted name for proven equipment and reliable support.

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VERMEER HELPS SHRINK YOUR WOOD WASTE AND COMPOSTING CHALLENGES.

The establishment of our new outlet in the Eastern Cape

follows the opening of our Johannesburg facility earlier

this year,” says Bronwynn Fine, director, ThermoWise.

“The company’s expansion programme encompasses a strat-

egy to establish a network of dedicated ThermoWise branches

in key regions in South Africa, which are geared to service our

growing customer base around the country. We will shor tly be

opening a branch in Bellville, Western Cape.”

ThermoWise, which is committed to helping companies

reduce energy consumption and optimise production effi-

ciencies, supports an extensive range of energy-efficient

systems, with a specialist project and energy-saving solu-

tions service.

The ThermoWise range of energy-saving systems encom-

passes a full range of air-to-water heat pumps from 3.5 kW

to 1 000 kW output; calorifiers designed and custom-made

to exact specifications, as well as energy-saving and vandal-

resistant shower heads.

Sustainability

New branch for energy specialistA company specialising in energy-saving systems for the industrial, commercial, domestic and agriculture sectors, has recently opened a branch in Korsten, Port Elizabeth.

ThermoWise opens a branch in PE


Sustainability

undertaken by the Pretoria office, with the

assistance of Danish consultant COWI,

a company that has designed more than

12 000 wind tower foundations.

Despite a number of challenges, including

role players scattered across the country

and globally, complying with strict project

specifications application from suppliers,

and tight time frames, the project pro-

gressed well, with zero time lost due to

injury, reports Hofmeyr.

The turbines’ operational life is expected

to be a minimum of 25 years.

Delivering project services for Jeffreys Bay Wind FarmIn first for South Africa, a full scale wind energy project has been completed in Jeffreys Bay and the 60-turbine 138 MW per day plant supplying renewable electricity to power about 115 000 homes at full capacity.

I n November 2012, Murray & Roberts

awarded global project delivery company

WorleyParsons the design of the civil

and structural works for the construction of

the wind farm. “The Jeffreys Bay Wind Farm

is one of the first full-scale wind energy pro-

jects to be constructed in South Africa, and

WorleyParsons was very excited to be directly

involved,” says Willem Hofmeyr, the project

leader for the wind farm and manager: Port

Elizabeth office, WorleyParsons. The scope

of work included the design and quality con-

trol of access roads, concrete foundations

for the wind turbines, geotechnical verifica-

tion, and modifications on the N2 highway for

the wind turbines to be transported from the

Ngqura deepwater harbour to the site.

The development stretches across eight

farms, covering an area of over 3 000 hec-

tares. Wind turbines on-site have a hub

height of 80 m and a 110 m rotor diam-

eter, and will collectively generate 138 MW

per day. Each turbine is supported by a

reinforced concrete foundation. Other key

components of the project included grav-

el-sur faced hardstand areas adjacent to

each turbine, a substation, a single-storey

operation and maintenance building, a

permanent wind-measuring mast, 50 km of

gravel-sur faced roads for providing access

to the turbines and substation from the

existing public road systems, and tempo-

rary facilities to serve as a construction

site and laydown area for the assembly of

the turbines.

“Designing wind farm access roads

and turbine foundations is a first for

WorleyParsons RSA, and a number of

new principles had to be investigated and

mastered. We are proud to have set new

industry benchmarks for a project that is

one of the first of its kind in South

Africa,” says Hofmeyr.

The contract used joint expertise

from WorleyParsons’ regional offic-

es in Port Elizabeth and Pretoria,

assisted by WorleyParsons’ global

Renewable Energy division. The civil

works were executed by the local

office in Port Elizabeth, while the

structural design for the

concrete foundations was

BELOW Each wind turbine on site measures 80 m highINSET Reinforced concrete foundation, one of 60 at the Jeffreys Bay Wind Farm


Mills & Otten ccEnvironmental Consultants

1998/46338/23Johannesburg Cape TownTel: (011) 486 0062 Tel: (021) 671 7107Fax: (086) 554 6573 Fax: (021) 671 7107Contact: Charles Mills / Kirstin Otten Contact: Stephanie de Beer

Independent Environmental Consultants specialising in:• Environmental Management Plans• Audits – Environmental and Green Building• Environmental Authorisations (NEMA,NEMWA,NEMAQA,NWA)

• Contaminated Land Management• Training

[email protected]

We are standing at the threshold

of a waste revolution” says Mark

Gordon, deputy-director general in

the directorate of chemical and waste man-

agement in the Department of Environmen-

tal Affairs at the recent WasteCon industry

conference. Several factors are em-

boldening the government to take

steps to shake things up: landfills are

filling up fast, waste is seen as a re-

source, and the opportunities opening

up in the ‘circular economy’ can help

address the crying need for jobs.

“There will be a quadrupling of

waste by 2030 from the growth of

the middle class,” says Gordon,

creating a picture of overworked

municipalities trying desperately to

maintain waste services by continu-

ing to dump waste into already over-

burdened landfills, a vision which is

clearly untenable.

“Waste and pollution is a market

failure,” continues Gordon in his

address at the conference. This not

only points to the tendency of our pre-

sent linear economy to externalise

its environmental costs, but also to

open the way for government to use

the provisions of the new legislation to, as

he put it ‘commoditise waste’ by means of

various fiscal and institutional measures.

The thinking appears to be that by valu-

ing waste and putting a price on it, gov-

ernment will be able to diver t waste from

landfill, increase the throughput of vol-

umes of waste into the recycling economy

while creating jobs aplenty.

Will this require a bold triple-play by a far-

sighted department? Maybe, but what are

the instruments by which this is hoped to

be achieved, and which are causing

consternation amongst the present

status quo and its stakeholders in

both municipalities and industry?

Waste pricing strategy Firstly, it is developing a Waste Pricing

Strategy which the CSIR has been

commissioned to under take. This

draws from international research and

practice and presents a range of fis-

cal options with which the government

is now empowered to “catalyse the

waste economy,” as Gordon puts it.

These could include fees, incen-

tives, taxes, levies, deposit schemes

and the like, which would generate

significant revenue. The aim is to

increase the value of waste as a

resource and to generate a flow

Talkin’ ‘bout a waste revolution In recent years, the South African government has passed a series of laws which are fundamentally changing the landscape of the waste and recycling industry. These laws – the National Environmental Management: Waste Act and its amendments – have set the scene for wholesale regulatory and institutional reform of the multibillion rand industry which delivers jobs by the tens of thousands. By Hugh Tyrrell, independent communications and behaviour change consultant specialising in the recycling industry at GreenEdge Communications

Kraaifontein sor ting line

Sustainability


Productivity solutions Group Atlas Cop-

co’s industrial air division’s positive

displacement blowers provide a con-

tinuous and reliable supply of 100% oil-free

air, TÜV-certified according to ISO 8573-1

CLASS 0 (2010), offering customers the ben-

efits of high efficiency, reliability, quiet opera-

tion (less than 80dB (A), high controllability,

easy installation, low maintenance and long

equipment life.

Low-pressure compressed air is widely

used for applications such as waste water

aeration at treatment plants, dilute phase

pneumatic conveying of dry powders, flue-

gas desulphurisation of emission stacks

and similar. “The blower market for small

volume flows has been largely dominated

by blower technology such as twin-lobe and

Roots-type (typically used for early turbo-

chargers in vehicles) which has not seen

any major technical improvements over the

past 50 years,” according to Pieter van Wyk,

Atlas Copco business line manager.

Recognising a market need, Atlas Copco

developed an air blower solution based on

its oil-free screw technology which uses

internal compression instead of external

compression, a technology which Van Wyk

says is superior to any other tradition-

al blower technology. “This development

enables us to offer the market an alterna-

tive low-pressure blower which runs at a

similar duty to traditional lobe-technology

units, but includes all of the features

and benefits associated with modern

screw compressors.”

The ZS range integrates the proven ben-

efits of screw technology and will cut energy

costs by an average of 30% when compared

twin-lobe and Root-type blowers. Although

the ZS blower does not represent the lowest

capital cost solution on the market, these

significant energy cost savings associated

with the efficiency of a screw compressor

lowers the life-cycle costs substantially.

Air blowers integrate screw technology to reduce energy costsAtlas Copco’s Compressor Technique low-pressure ZS and ZS+ variable speed drive (VSD) air blower range with twin screw design is based on the company’s pioneered oil-free screw technology improving energy efficiency in the low-pressure compressed air market.

of revenue into the treasury that can

be pooled and redirected through a new

departmental Waste Bureau to deserving

projects and programmes that stimulate

the waste and recycling economy, diver t

waste from landfill and create jobs at the

same time.

Despite pleas to ring-fence the incom-

ing revenue through fiscal measures

and so avoid a repeat of the ill-fated

Buyisa-e-bag project.

The department is bound by stipula-

tions that any funds arising from taxes

must go through Treasury, as it maintains

it has the power and is best suited to

administer them. Other fiscal means to

accumulate funds such as levies, deposit

schemes and soon are not required to go

through Treasury.

Private and public sector entities seeking

to apply for funds collected must first draw

up business plans outlining inter alia how

much they want, how they will stimulate

the recycling economy and how many jobs

will be created in the process.

New Waste Bureau The new Waste Bureau is being set to be

operational by April next year which will man-

age the application process and present

funding plans to Treasury which will have

final say over who gets what.

Other provisions and possibilities have

the recycling and waste management

industry, especially the packaging sector

worried. The various plastic, paper, metal,

glass recycling organisations, funded by

their producer companies, have grown in

effectiveness to be partly responsible for

South Africa ranking high among other

countries in seeing that their respective

materials are recovered and re-used.

EPR looming largeExtended Producer Responsibility (EPR), a

concept widely accepted by the producers, is

looming large in the new government plans

as a stick to pressure them to increase recy-

cling diversion from landfill, with the carrot

of providing possible funding (on its terms)

with which to do so. The concern is that

the government might cause, inadvertently

or otherwise, the demise of these long

standing organisations who are directly or

indirectly are enabling the employment of

some 100 000 people, many of them at the

lowest and neediest levels of our society.

Waste Management CouncilAlso in the department’s plan is a new Waste

Management Council seen as a public-private

cross-sector stakeholder body to advise and

guide the direction of the waste recycling

industry into a brighter, less wasteful and

more prosperous future. Hopefully it will be

sufficiently representative to include expe-

rienced industry stakeholders who have a

deep understanding of how the recycling

business works in practice.

The depar tment is holding a Waste

Summit in March next year to bring industry

and government together to debate issues

and help smooth what otherwise may be a

rocky road ahead.

For more information visit

www.greenedge.co.za

Sustainability


Cleaner production

In order to safeguard against this potential

burden, Johannesburg Water has embarked

on the implementation of a combined heat-

and power-generation programme, using biogas

produced at their wastewater treatment works.

In 2013, the five large treatment works

operated by Johannesburg Water had the

potential to generate 9.5 MW of electricity.

This would have accounted for 54% of the

treatment works’ electrical power require-

ments and resulted in a saving of R80 million

in electricity supply costs.

This article describes some of the vari-

ous technological improvements evaluated

by Johannesburg Water for the enhance-

ment of the existing digester operation in

order to fully comply with the 2006 Sludge

Guidelines, increase biogas production and

electrical power generation, and control stru-

vite precipitation.

IntroductionThe recent increases in electricity tariffs

imposed by Eskom have had a direct bearing

on the operational cost of wastewater treat-

ment in Johannesburg and the cost could

rise from 81 c/m³ in 2013 to above 124

c/m³ by 2020. This probable increase will

place an additional financial burden on both

the City of Johannesburg and the state-

owned company Johannesburg Water.

In 2010, Johannesburg Water (JW)

began implementation of a combined

heat and power (CHP) programme that

would assist in reducing the impact of this

financial burden.

In 2013, JW treated 998 Ml per day of

wastewater, 249 dry tonnes of sludge and

consumed 17.5 MWe of electricity at their

six wastewater treatment works. The five

large wastewater treatment works had the

potential to generate 9.5 MWe of electricity

by enhancing their sludge digestion opera-

tions. Fifty-four per cent of the electricity

required for wastewater treatment could

have been generated on-site and resulted

in a saving of R80 million in electricity sup-

ply costs.

CHP generation programmeThe revised Sludge Guidelines were promul-

gated by the Department of Water Affairs (now

the Department of Water and Sanitation) in

March 2006. One of the ten options offered

in the guidelines for sludge stabilisation was

anaerobic digestion and this option was con-

sidered the most cost-effective and sustain-

able process for Johannesburg.

In order to comply with the new Sludge

Guidelines, JW had to embark on a major

sludge digester refurbishment programme

that included structural repair and the instal-

lation of heating and mixing equipment

at Northern, Olifantsvlei and Goudkoppies

works. New mesophilic sludge digest-

ers have been recently installed at both

Driefontein and Bushkoppie works.

During 2013, the successful installation of

a 1.14 MWe CHP unit at the Northern works

led to the decision to extend the programme

Enhancing Johannesburg WWTW sludge digestion

The recent increases in electricity tariffs imposed by Eskom have had a direct bearing on the cost of wastewater treatment in Johannesburg and could lead to an additional financial burden for the water services authority and provider in the future. Adapted from a technical paper by Shaun Deacon*

An overview of the biogas-to-energy plant at Johannesburg’s Northern WWTW


Cleaner production

to Driefontein Wastewater Treatment Works

by the installation of 2 x 380 kWe reciprocat-

ing engines.

Additional sludge thickeningThe present problem with the steady produc-

tion of biogas at the Northern works is that the

digesters are being fed with gravity-thickened,

waste-activated sludge of < 2.0% dry solids

concentration. The feed sludge therefore con-

tains an excessive amount of water and it is

necessary to increase the digester feed solids

concentration from <2.0% to between 5% and

6% in order to enhance the volatile solids

reduction and biogas production rates.

Cell lysis Cell lysis involves the breakdown of cell clus-

ters and disintegration of the cell membrane of

waste-activated sludge prior to sludge diges-

tion, which allows the release of the organic

fraction to be readily available for enhanced

biogas production. Some of the advantages

of incorporating cell lysis technology into the

existing sludge digestion operation are:

• an increase in the carbon available for

biogas production

• enhanced electrical power generation

• a reduction in digester foaming

• a reduction in the mass of digested

sludge produced

• improved sludge stabilisation and a reduc-

tion in odour and vector attraction.

Anticipated improvement in sludge treatment operationIt is anticipated that the following could be

achieved by the enhancement of the existing

sludge treatment operations:

• 25% increase in volatile solids reduction

during digestion

• 25% increase in biogas production

• 15% increase in electrical power generation

• 20% decrease in digested sludge production

• 50% to 55% decrease in the wastewater

treatment electrical power costs.

Enhanced sludge treatment operationIn order to enhance the existing sludge diges-

tion operation in a cost-effective and efficient

manner, a combination of technologies is

required. After thorough investigation, the cor-

rect technologies were chosen.

The recommended sludge treatment pro-

cesses are to be installed at the Driefontein

Wastewater Treatment Works in order to

verify the assumptions made for digester

volatile solids loading, volatile solids reduc-

tion, volume of biogas produced, electrical

energy generated and the reduction in the

mass of digested sludge to be dewatered.

Reduction in greenhouse gas emissionsBy implementation of an enhanced sludge

digestion operation at the Driefontein works,

it is estimated that the following reduction in

greenhouse gas emissions would be achieved:

• CO2 6 690 tonnes/year

• SO2 113 tonnes/year

• NOx 31 tonnes/year

• CH4 26 tonnes/year

• CO 20 tonnes/year.

If all five large treatment works in

Johannesburg incorporated the enhanced

digestion operation, the reduction in green-

house gas emissions would then be:

• CO2 146 000 tonnes/year

• SO2 2 480 tonnes/year

• NOx 672 tonnes/year

• CH4 582 tonnes/year

• CO 438 tonnes/year.

ConclusionsFuture increases in electricity tariffs will place

an addition financial burden on both the City

of Johannesburg and state-owned company

Johannesburg Water, especially for power-

intensive activated-sludge-type processes.

An improved anaerobic sludge digestion

operation enables wastewater treatment

plants to fully comply with the 2006 Sludge

Guidelines, increase biogas production and

enhance CHP generation.

The proposed enhancement of the sludge

digestion operation will ensure reduc-

tions in future electricity supply costs for

wastewater treatment.

The reduction in greenhouse gas emis-

sions is dependent on the amount of kWh

of electricity produced, and large reduc-

tions in CO2 emissions could be achieved

by the wastewater treatment works, incor-

porating CHP generation from the biogas

they produce.

Cost of wastewater treatment

INDEX TO ADVERTISERS

AfrEquip 22

Africa Energy Indaba 31

Amandus Kahl 15

Aquatan 21

Barloworld Equipment 20

Duncanmec IBC

Envitech Solutions 25

Jan Palm Consulting

Engineers 32

Kaytech OBC

Mills & Otten 37

Oilkol 2, 3 & 12

Redisa OFC, 6 & 7

Rose Foundation IFC

Rose Foundation NORA 26

Tetrapak 13

Vermeer Equipment

Suppliers 35

*DEACON’S ORIGINAL PAPER also dealt with struvite removal, which has been left out of this version as it is a highly technical description, possibly of more interest to water professionals than clean production and recycling experts.

Funded by:

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For more information call the ROSE Foundation on 021 448 7492.Email: [email protected] or visit: www.rosefoundation.org.za

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