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Turning waste into energy

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Waste to energy is more than thermal treatment or incineration. We have identified and assessed 20 alternative waste treatment technologies – from those with micro- to large-scale potential – that are ready to be introduced into the waste management infrastructure. “The WtoE roadmap prioritises municipal solid waste streams – including domestic waste, plastics, organic and food waste, tyres, textiles, and trade waste. It presents viable scenarios for their effective diversion from landfills.

Prof Cristina Trois, SARCHI

The waste sector contributes significantly to the South African economy. It already provides tens of thousands of jobs and livelihoods, both formal and informal, and the potential for growth in the subsector of converting waste into energy is enormous. This, while helping alleviate one of the largest problems of our time – landfill creep and all its inherent perils for the planet.

So, can a comprehensive waste-to-energy plan be rolled out at scale in the country? The answer to this question – and others – will soon become apparent from the Waste to Energy Roadmap for South Africa, to be published in early 2022. The Waste to Energy Roadmap identifies the potential to convert waste into energy. It showcases relevant technologies for the effective valorisation and recovery of waste into biogas and energy, while mapping barriers and drivers for potential uptake at local level. The Roadmap is the product of a partnership between the SARCHI Chair in Waste and Climate Change at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) and the South African National Energy Development Institute (SANEDI). The partnership sprung from a 2019 memorandum of agreement (MoA) between SARCHI and SANEDI to undertake research on waste and resources management, and clean energy.

The latest developments in the waste-to-energy space need to be made widely known to support the country’s transition towards a decarbonised economy and the work done by the various government departments involved. Information about progress will be posted regularly across various online platforms. Keep an eye out for updates.

South Africa’s Waste to Energy Roadmap will deliver

  • Up-to-the-minute reporting on WtoE technologies in South Africa and elsewhere
  • Policy review on WtoE technologies in South Africa
  • Map of technologies, waste streams and by-products
  • Assessment of the technologies in terms of economic feasibility, environmental sustainability, social acceptance, job creation potential, and institutional frameworks for implementation
  • Localisation mapping of the technologies in South African municipalities and specific successful case studies and lessons learned
  • Stakeholder engagement report
  • Preliminary implementation guidance for future implementation