Co-operatives as a development mechanism to support job creation and sustainable waste management in South Africa

Godfrey, Linda K; Muswema, Aubrey P; Strydom, WF; Mamafa, T.; Mapako, Maxwell

doi:10.1007/s11625-017-0442-4

Cited by 37 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 2 publications

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“…According to Plastics SA (2017), 80–90% of packaging waste is recovered by a large and active informal sector. Co-operatives have been promoted by various South African government initiatives, as these are seen as a promising business model to stimulate job creation and enterprise development, coupled with enabling legislation, to strengthen the local recycling economy (Godfrey et al., 2017). Godfrey et al.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Co-operatives have been promoted by various South African government initiatives, as these are seen as a promising business model to stimulate job creation and enterprise development, coupled with enabling legislation, to strengthen the local recycling economy (Godfrey et al., 2017). Godfrey et al. (2017) found, however, that co-operatives have thus far not been an effective business model in South Africa for various reasons, such as being top-down driven from government, along with ineffective training support and mentoring.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The value chain and activities of polyethylene terephthalate plastics in the South African waste economy

Hoffman

Schenck

2020

Local Economy: The Journal of the Local Economy Policy Unit

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Introduction Value chains in their entirety, within the South African context, have not been the focus of much research thus far. A plethora of research has been done on the various actors within the value chain, but the rest of the value chain has not been identified and depicted. Failing to understand and describe the entire value chain of polyethylene terephthalate plastics has led to many unanswered questions and misunderstood impacts on the plastics waste economy. Purpose The purpose of the study was to document and depict the value chain and its activities within the polyethylene terephthalate waste economy in South Africa, which, according to the available literature, has not been done before. The documentation of the value chain and its activities will assist in identifying the possibilities of job creation within the waste economy, which could impact the diversion of waste from the landfill. Method A qualitative research approach with an exploratory research design was followed, and the data collection was done by means of a workshop. The participants in the workshop included captains of industry, entrepreneurs, academics, government, environmental groups and environmental non-governmental organizations. The workshop was recorded audio-visually, and concepts and discussions were documented for this purpose. All information was transcribed and documented in a final document. Results The value chain and its activities were documented. Conclusion The information collected is a starting point for more research within the waste economy, as the process will be followed with other waste streams. Job creation gaps have been identified and further research has started creating a better understanding of the value chain, which will influence policy.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The value chain and activities of polyethylene terephthalate plastics in the South African waste economy

Hoffman

Schenck

2020

Local Economy: The Journal of the Local Economy Policy Unit

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“…Further, "operational" challenges such as difficulty in accessing markets or theft of recyclables, and weak "capability" to operate a business, were found to hamper successful implementation. It is also evident that some co-operatives are in fact operating as traditional businesses (e.g., following Pty Ltd business models) with the five co-operative members (the minimum required membership for registering a co-operative) taking on management roles and employing staff to collect and sort recyclables [38,39]. Numerous initiatives and research projects are underway in South Africa to find appropriate solutions to integrate the informal waste sector into the local waste economy.…”

Section: "The Emergence Of Recycling"mentioning

confidence: 99%

Historical Review of Waste Management and Recycling in South Africa

2017

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Recycling has been taking place in South Africa for more than three decades, driven by social and economic needs. While the waste hierarchy is embedded in national policy, an extensive legislative framework has made it more and more challenging for the public and private sector to remain compliant and competitive in a local and global market, and still drive waste away from landfill towards reuse, recycling and recovery. A local recycling economy, on par with many developed countries, is in part due to a large and active informal waste sector.

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“…The outcomes of this experiment contributed to significant revisions in the final targets and indicators of SDG11, thus highlighting the potential of urban experimentation to break from the usual top-down monitoring and evaluation of indicators. Godfrey et al (2017) study the employment generation potential and the challenges that waste co-operatives face in South Africa. Through a series of expert interviews with members of waste co-operatives and other experts they identify key challenges in the sector such as the high mortality rate of co-operatives, the high member turnover rate, the low capacity and a series of other institutional barriers that take a toll on the viability of most of these ventures.…”

Section: Aims and Structure Of The Special Featurementioning

confidence: 99%