Restructuring Solid Waste Management in South Africa: Opportunities for Economic Growth and Development

Abstract South Africa is failing to manage the waste that its rapidly growing population is generating in urban areas. Existing waste infrastructure is deteriorating while environmental degradation, per capita energy demand, and unemployment continue to rise. This article examines how economic value can be derived from organic waste via anaerobic digestion methodologies to create a solution that synergically solves many problems related to a legacy of historically unsustainable development within the country.