Group Assignment: Was given complete freedom by team members to explore the cont

1. 1
DECLARATION OF PARTICIPATION IN GROUP ASSIGNMENTS
EXECUTIVE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME 2012
GROUP ASSIGNMENT
SUSTAINABILITY
LECTURER: ARNOLD SMIT
AMANDA BRINKMANN 17573602 100%
IAN C ROSS 16641876 100%
RIAAN DE LA REY n/a
LUCIANO F HUGHES 14284235 100%
VUSI F KHOZA 1498692 100%
WYNAND J VAN ZYL 10820892 100%
NATURAL CAPITAL
TITLE
WHAT WOULD THE IMPACT ON SOCIETY BE IF ALL WASTE IS ELIMINATED,
RECYCLED, UPCYCLED AND RE-USED WITHIN THE CITY OF CAPE TOWN: THE
WHOLE-OF-SOCIETY IMPACT OF DEALING WITH THE WASTE HIERARCHY
EFFICIENTLY AND EFFECTIVELY

2. 2
CONTENT
1. INTRODUCTION, BACKGROUND AND APPROACH TO ASSIGNMENT – SETTING
THE SCENE
2. THE HISTORY OF THE GLOBAL RESPONSE TO CLIMATE CHANGE AND GLOBAL
WARMING – MOVING TOWARDS UNDERSTANDING SUSTAINABILITY
3. A summary/overview of the objectives of the United National Framework
Convention on Climate Change [ UNFCCC]
4. PRINCIPLES AND METHODOLOGIES EMPLOYED TO REACH GLOBAL CONSENSUS
AND CO-OPERATION AND PRACTICAL IMPLEMENTATION PLANS – POST-
RATIONILISATION – starting the process of using these to evaluate the existing
plans at City of Cape Town level
4.1 HUMAN BEHAVIOUR: What makes us tick and why would we participate in
being part of Global change via dealing with the Waste Hierarchy locally?
5. MOTIVATION AND IMPORTANCE OF WASTE MANAGEMENT in CONTEXT OF
SUSTAINABILITY - SITUATING WASTE MANAGEMENT WITHIN THE GREATER
ECOSYSTEM
5.1 GLOBAL WARMING - DEFINITION AND POTENTIAL IMPACTS
5. MOTIVATION AND IMPORTANCE OF WASTE MANAGEMENT in CONTEXT OF
SUSTAINABILITY - SITUATING WASTE MANAGEMENT WITHIN THE GREATER
ECOSYSTEM
5.1 GLOBAL WARMING - DEFINITION AND POTENTIAL IMPACTS
5.2 Causes of global warming
5.2.1 Potential Impacts of Global Warming
5.2.2 What is a Carbon Footprint and why is it relevant?
5.2.2.1 Carbon offsets
5.2.3 Defining Sustainability and Sustainable Development
6 DEFINING NATURAL CAPITAL IN CONTEXT OF SUSTAINABILITY and CLIMATE
MITIGATION
6.1.1 Balancing Social, Economic and Environmental Objectives
7 SOUTH AFRICA - THE RESPONSE TO THE GLOBAL SUSTAINABILITY IMPERATIVE
7.1 NATIONAL STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN
SOUTH AFRICA

3. 3
7.1.1 CONTEXT AND SUMMARY OF ISSUES PERTINENT TO WASTE MANAGEMENT and
THE DEVELOPMENT OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT/MUNICIPAL RESPONSES
7.1.2 Solid Waste Management Draft Sector Plan 2012-2013 [SWMDSP]
7.1.3 The City of Cape Town Integrated Waste Management By-Law [ CCTIWM]
7.2 CITY OF CAPE TOWN INTEGRATED WASTE MANAGEMENT BY-LAW: MARCH 2009:
A BRIEF OVERVIEW [FULL TEXT ATTACHED]
7.2.1 The purpose and objectives of the By-Law [CCIWMB. 2007. Page 1]
7.2.2 Definition of waste within the By-Law
7.2.3 CURRENT CITY OF CAPE TOWN WASTE MANAGEMENT PLAN AND STRATEGY
7.2.3.1 The range of projects, programmes and initiatives: As accessed on the City
of Cape Town‟s Waste Management website
[http://www.capetown.gov.za/en/SolidWaste2/Pages/default.aspx. Accessed August
2012]
APPENDIX – see summary of programmes, projects and interventions
8 THE CITY OF CAPE TOWN - DEALING WITH THE WASTE HIERARCHY
8.1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY AND APPROACH
8.2 THE CITY OF CAPE TOWN : HEAD OF WASTE MANAGEMENT STRATEGY: MR BARRY
COETZE -A MASTER CLASS IN WASTE MANAGEMENT STRATEGY AND THINKING –
FURTHER FOUNDATIONAL CONTEXT
8.2.1 DEFINING THE WASTE HIERARCHY – in global as well as local terms
8.2.1.1 DEFINITIONS and METHODOLOGIES – THE WASTE HIERARCHY
8.2.1.1.1 Definition of Disposal
8.2.1.1.2 Methodologies, technologies and common practice used in Cape Town to
dispose of waste
8.2.1.1.3 Definition of Elimination
8.2.1.1.4 Methodologies, technologies and best practice to Eliminate Waste
8.2.1.1.4.1 WASTE-TO-ENERGY: OVERVIEW OF TECHNOLOGIES AND THEIR IMPACTS
ON GLOBAL AND LOCAL SUSTAINABILITY OUTCOMES – WASTE
ELIMINATION
8.2.1.1.4.2 Broad definition of Waste-To-Energy requirements
8.2.1.1.4.3 BATCH OXYDATION SYSTEM [ BOS ™] – CLEANGLOBE
8.2.1.1.4.4 CONTINUOUS OXIDATION REACTOR [COR™] – CLEAN GLOBE
8.2.1.1.4.5 VACUUM PYROLYSIS
8.2.1.1.5 Definition of Re-use
8.2.1.1.6 Best Practice models, concepts, opportunities and benefits: Re-use of
„waste‟
8.2.1.1.6.1 Reducing CO2 emissions and carbon footprint
8.2.1.1.6.2 Re-use Centres and Virtual Exchanges
8.2.1.1.6.3 Remanufacturing

4. 4
8.2.1.1.6.4 Deposit programmes
8.2.1.1.6.5 Closed-loop programmes
8.2.1.1.6.6 Refilling programmes
8.2.1.1.6.7 Re-giving or Re-gifting
8.2.1.1.6.8 Re-giving or Re-gifting
8.2.1.1.6.9 Printer cartridges and toners re-use
8.2.1.1.6.10 Repurposing
8.2.1.1.6.11 Waste Exchanges
8.2.1.1.6.12 Up-cycling
8.2.1.1.7 Definition of Recycling
8.2.1.1.8 The relative value of recycling – an on-going debate
8.2.1.1.9 Supply of recyclable waste
8.2.1.1.10 Government led and mandated demand
8.2.1.1.11 Recycling consumer waste
8.2.1.1.12 Recycling of Industrial Waste
8.2.1.1.13 Cradle to Cradle Waste Management - Up-cycling versus Down-cycling
8.2.1.1.14 Energy usage
8.2.1.1.15 Public participation in recycling programmes
8.2.2 Obligations of the Waste Generator: The provisions of the By-Law
8.2.2.1 Definition of a Waste Generator
9 CONCLUSIONS
10 RECOMMENDATIONS
11 And in the final analysis
REFERENCES
Appendices
Attached: City of Cape Town Integrated Waste Management By-Law

5. 5
1. INTRODUCTION, BACKGROUND AND APPROACH TO ASSIGNMENT – SETTING
THE SCENE
We have taken on the ambitious and rather gargantuan task of crafting what we believe would be
an appropriate response to effectively managing the Waste Hierarchy and what the potential
impacts on society could be. We have however narrowed our purview to cover the City of Cape
Town only, which does, to some degree, allow us to keep the scope of the project slightly
narrower than if we, for instance, attempted to craft a strategy for the country as a whole. As
our document will hopefully show, whilst we have interrogated and designed for the City of Cape
Town, we have used and contemplated all of the disciplines covered during out first study block,
as well as drawn from the broad and deep range of skills, experience and expertise of each group
member, to arrive at our final conclusions regarding Current Future, which in turn informed our
recommendations in regards to Ideal Future and how to design to get there. It is therefore our
hope that what we have concluded and recommended may well have application beyond the
borders of the City of Cape Town.
Due to the gravitas of the subject matter and the meta, macro and micro-environments in which it
is situated, we have first and foremost applied a systems thinking and design approach, by going
up levels of abstraction first, losing unnecessary details, to construct a picture that shows us the
inter-relatedness of all things and how our chosen dimension, waste management, using the
Waste Hierarchy, fits into the greater whole. We feel that we cannot deal with waste
management in isolation of the much larger system that it forms part of. We have therefore taken
a couple of steps back and looked at the history and genesis of environmental consciousness, the
global process surrounding the recognition of the potential impacts of Global Warming and Climate
Change and how this has translated into national and local imperatives in the South African
context. We demonstrate that global sustainability outcomes, translated and cascaded down to
local level strategies and implementation plans, seek to consider and address the whole person‘s
development and therefore, requires a whole-of-society approach. We will show that The City of
Cape Town has already used a fully integrated approach to its developmental strategies and plans
and that we therefore already have a robust, solid foundational platform to build upon.
The Waste Hierarchy is an important part of a much larger eco-system, but one, that when
situated appropriately, in other words, knowing and understanding its place, points us to what its
potential contribution could and should be and how this contribution and its outcomes are
leveraged so as to assist in amplified delivery on the broader set of sustainability outcomes. In
other words, The Waste Hierarchy cannot be viewed as being only about managing waste streams
in a one-dimensional manner, but rather, it is viewed as an instrument or mechanism within a
system, that is able to address issues that do not seem to be directly linked to just the
appropriate disposal of waste.
Whilst we will have a time limit to present our views, opinions, recommendations, insights and
findings [which we will stay within],we felt that we could not place a limit on the number of pages
our written assignment would be – due to the sheer size and context of the subject matter, the
growth and crafting of our document was in and of itself organic in nature, dealt with the highest
levels of complexity as well as having to drill down into micro-level interventions. We therefore
request some indulgence from the reader, as we take you on, what we hope will be a fascinating
and instructive journey of discovery.

6. 6
We apply a broad range of models, methodologies and tools to post-rationalise how we, as the
global community, have reached current status quo, as well as to use these tools to evaluate,
critique and [re] design the existing system as we think it should be, to appropriately respond to
societal sustainability objectives.
At the local level, we interrogate existing legislative instruments. The City of Cape Town, in its
‖ The Term of Office Five Year Integrated Development Plan [IDP] 2012–2017‖, [City of Cape
Town. April 2012. Full document] provides us with a holistic view of the strategic priorities of the
City for the next five year period. In his foreword, the City Manager, Achmat Ebrahim, sets the
tone as follows:
―The name Integrated Development Plan is made up of three integral words: It represents an
integrated approach to all the activities of local government in consultation with the residents and
stakeholders; its focus is on development in the broader sense [economy, infrastructure, people],
and it is a structured plan that informs budget priorities, decision making and the allocation of
resources. ―
He then goes onto to say that it is not only a blue-print purely based on the legal requirement for
it to exist, but that the City views it as a strategic tool that acts as a guide in respect of the
running, improving and growth of the metro area of Cape Town.
Within the Introduction of this document, it is stated that to plan for the building of a total
environment that will allow individuals to reach their full potential, an expansive view of
development and the critical importance of a multitude of factors must be taken into account. All
variables that could influence the equation were factored in so as to ensure that there is the
highest probability of reaching the intended and stated long-term outcomes. This is the City‘s
logic behind a consolidated strategy that will work for the people of the City towards achieving a
common aim.
This section ends by stating that it is one thing to have a grand concept of government, but that it
is quite another to synchronise all efforts within the bureaucracy to realise its vision. The City has
therefore built its vision on five key pillars, which by working together in a concerted manner, will
not only produce the objectives of the administration, but more specifically help to address the
structural inequalities of the past. Lastly, these five pillars help the City to fulfil its constitutional
mandate, as local government, of being the driver of social and economic development with the
consequence of helping to change people‘s lives.
[Source: The Five Key Pillars. City of Cape Town. April 2012. IDP 2012-2017. Pg. 1]

7. 7
A raft of departmental plans and strategies were synthesised in order to create the IDP. [City of
Cape Town. April 2012. Full document] One of those documents was ―The Solid Waste
Management Draft Sector Plan 2012-2012‖ [Department: Solid Waste Management. 15 Dec 2011].
Within this document, the Vision for Waste Management in Cape Town is iterated as follows:
― The long-term vision for the City of Cape Town‘s waste management services, is to integrate
waste management services in such a way that they are to not only provide basic services, but to
augment economic activity and minimise the effect of waste on human and environmental health.‖
This is the shortened version of the vision statement, which then goes further to describe specific
priority areas of intervention. We will deal with these issues later within this document, where of
more relevance.
The City of Cape Town Integrated Waste Management By-Law [Department of Solid Waste
Management.March 2009], for the regulation of waste management activities, was the first of its
kind in South Africa and therefore also the first by-law to be aligned to the National Environmental
Management Waste Act. [Government Gazette Vol. 525. Cape Town. 10 March 2009] The By-Law
in turn, informed the crafting and implementation of the City of Cape Town Solid Waste
Management Plan [Department of Solid Waste Management. 2012], which describes the range of
services, projects and programmes all of which give effect to the City‘s waste management
strategy, within the context of its overall sustainability objectives.
We have not dealt with the analysis of these documents, programmes and plans as separate
entities, but have rather chosen to weave the content into our document, so that we build a
coherent and inter-woven picture of the inter-relatedness of all things. To give effect to a range of
the longer-term visions and objectives within the various pieces of legislation, policies, regulations
and implementation plans, we have interrogated the practicality and viability of a selection of new
technologies, which could achieve the objectives as contained within these documents. We
include these technologies as well as our assessment of their potential impacts on reaching our
sustainability outcomes. In terms of methodology and flow, we compare current practice at the
local level with the definitions and practices as defined globally within the Waste Hierarchy to
assist us in arriving at our final conclusions.
Of course, South Africa is unique in respect of it being a combination of both developed and
developing communities. We therefore had to apply our minds to how we use the Strategic
Marketing Funnel [Neethling,M. Marketing Trends in the New Economy. EDP 2012] as described in
Strategic Marketing [Ford, W. Ibrahim. 2000] to analyse where we are at this moment in time, to
plan where we would like to be, to put the plan into action so that we start moving towards where
we would like to be and finally, to put measures in place to establish whether we are making or
will make progress, towards reaching our end goals.
To deal with the diversity and sub-cultures within our various target audiences and market
segments, we considered the principles of Market Orientation [Neethling, M. EDP 2012. Slide 6] to
ensure that all functions are directed to create customer [ however we may describe a customer at
any point in time] value, as well as being in tune with their changing needs and being able to
adapt and respond accordingly.
We have kept the definition of complexity, credited to Eliot Jaques, in mind to keep us grounded:
―Complexity is a function of the number of variables operating in a situation, the ambiguity of

8. 8
these variables, the rate at which they are changing and the extent to which they are inter-woven
so that they have to be unravelled in order to be seen‖. [Chapman, L. EDP 2012.Slide 4]
We will demonstrate that complexity and the transition into the Learning Organisation [Chapman,
L. EDP 2012. Slide 47], which speaks to continued and active experimentation, will remain at the
very heart of the achievement of global and local sustainability outcomes. This approach will
differentiate those who are ultimately successful in finding the ‗silver bullet‘ solution, as those who
have the courage to sail into unchartered waters, assess potential risks and balance those against
benefits. They will be expected to continually trial and test an array of possible solutions and
elements towards eventually arriving at the best possible outcomes.
Strategy formulation is of course at the very heart of developing an appropriate response. We
define the System by its individual elements, relationships and processes which lead to the
creation of the final structure. [Chapman, L. EDP 2012.Slide 8] The graphic model [ below], upon
which Steyn Heckroodt based the majority of his lectures on Systems Thinking, does however
become our ultimate guiding tool and structure when physically defining as well as [re] designing
or improving the existing system. Defining the system must happen as part of the Strategy
Formulation process.
In Slide 9, [Chapman, L. EDP 2012], we consider Financial, Customer, Internal, Growth as well as
Learning Perspectives necessary in strategy formulation, specifically bearing the Balanced
Scorecard in mind.
We also apply Wilber‘s Integrative Model, which provides us with insights into a framework to
integrated growth and development from a holistic perspective. This model amplifies and
complements our use of various strains of systems thinking and design, including cybernetic
thinking in terms of creating appropriate feedback loops. We include the Evolution of
Consciousness as described by both Jan Smuts and Wilber [Chapman, L. EDP 2012. Slides 22-24]
in our thinking. This evolutionary process is of particular relevance to structuring educational and
behavioural change programmes, as it points us to where we should direct more of our efforts to
affect long-term sustainability behaviours.
In terms of determining the ideal leadership and corporate culture, we have incorporated Jaques‘
Leadership Competency Model [Chapman, L. EDP 2012. Slide 36] and of course, Kolb‘s Experiential

9. 9
Learning Model, the Learning Organisation and Active Experimentation [ Chapman, L. EDP
2012.Slide 47] as key pillars in our approach.
In their abstract, A survey of market orientation research [Liao, S. H., Chang, W. J., Wu, C. C., &
Katrichis, J. M. 2011], to which Martin Neethling also refers, [Neethling,M. EDP 2012. Slide 53], we
become aware that a Learning Organisation refers ―to an organisation-wide activity involved in
creating and using knowledge to enhance competitiveness‖. These principles will of course have
considerable barriers in terms of the sheer size and structure of the three spheres of government
and how these spheres require integration as well as transformation to adapt and be ready to
respond to the global sustainability outcomes. The same would be true of the process of
integrating a whole-of-society strategy and plan, which has buy-in and support from all
stakeholders and role players. We will in fact have to become a learning society. This poses a
huge challenge, but one that is surmountable and achievable over time.
In Slide 54, [ Neethling, M. EDP 2012], Neethling directs us to Strategic Learning [Pietersen,
W.2010], another seminal piece of thinking and writing. Pietersen advances his theory that the
very rules of success have changed. This success is now inherent in the organisational capacity
to be flexible as well as adaptive.
He also tells us that strategy now has the new role of providing the practical process as well as the
tools to help us build learning as well as adaptive leadership strategies. As we continue linking
the various strands of thinking, as well as the various inter-related elements, we have found that
Pietersen‘s model, which has four linked steps: LEARN, FOCUS, ALIGN and EXECUTE – each
building on one another and repeating in a continuous cycle, not only provides us with the tools
necessary to ideate and implement strategy, but that it starts creating context for and answers to
some of the barriers to change as iterated by more than a thousand CEO‘s, within A new Era of
Sustainability [Lacy, P; Cooper, T; Hayward, R; Neuberger, L. June 2010. ].
It also provides us with a framework to deal with barriers to implementation in general, within
government and society as a whole. Strategy creation is inherent in the processes of learning and
focusing. The foundations for strategy implementation can be found when one aligns all
knowledge, processes and structures towards execution of the strategy.
Pietersen converted his theory into a working model, which is depicted in the graphic below. His
Strategic Learning Cycle is ubiquitous and is a practical tool against which to evaluate the existing
waste management system in Cape Town.
[Source:Neethling,M.EDP2012.Slide 57]

10. 10
Ralph D Stacey, [Stacey, RD; Griffin, D; Shaw, P. 2000. Pgs 106-109] in the book, ―Complexity and
Management: FAD or Radical Challenge to Systems Thinking: Complexity and Emergence in
Organisations‖, tells us that complex, adaptive systems have a life of their own. We are
introduced to the concept of efficient causality, based on the ‗if/then‘ rules. These rules suggest
that individual components within a system respond as algorithmic entities of a cybernetic kind,
however, at a whole-systems level, causality is of the transformative kind. This implies that it is
the evolving local interaction that shapes the behaviour of the system as a whole.
Transformative Causality takes a circular form. Changes are not superficial, but rather
‗spontaneous‘ or ‗autonomous‘ and arise from the intrinsic, non-linear and interactive nature of the
system. It incorporates micro-diversity. The application of this theorem is of interest not only to
the system as a whole, but in context of Cape Town, also has bearing on the micro-diversity within
government, civil society, business, industry as well as within communities.
In new and emerging sectors and spheres, such as green and clean technologies are,
management information is of critical importance. One firstly has to have an understanding of the
baseline in terms of what is current and must then integrate and align Management Information
strategies as being part of the core or central strategy and implementation plan. In his
presentation document, simply named: Management Information Strategies, Martin Butler, [Butler,
M. EDP 2012] reminds us of a range of considerations related to integrated information strategies[
IS]: * We must consider how IS will help us to achieve our overall objectives * That within the
adaptive organisation, infrastructure should ideally be modular, based on sensing, rather than
planning * That the humble SWOT analysis still plays a pivotal role in integrated IS * IS strategy is
a function of the Strategic Intent of the organisation and enables execution of the Business
strategy * That we will have to develop a common language between the IT department and the
rest of the business so that there is clear understanding and trust to achieve common goals and
outcomes.
In the final analysis, one of the greatest insights that Butler shares with us is that we must design
for future aspirations rather than for what is current. [Butler, M. EDP 2012] This cannot be more
relevant than within the sustainability space, as it has EVERYTHING to do with the future and how
the present will influence that future.
Ackoff, widely credited as being the father of systems thinking, reminds us [Ackoff, RL. 1993. Omega
Journal] that corporate visions, or in this case global, national and local government visions, are often
illusions or even delusions. He furthermore reminds us that the Ideal design or reality must be an
operationally meaningful description of all organisational stakeholders if they could have any organisation
- without any constraints. In his book, Re-thinking the Fifth Discipline: Learning from the Unknowable,
[Flood, R. 1999], Robert Flood points out that one of the weaknesses of systems thinking is that there is
a large ‗bloody hell‘ factor. That it could amount to a very unrealistic wish list that is unachievable and
far removed from reality.
We have therefore guarded against designing with lofty, blue-sky and over-idealistic outcomes in mind.
We have tried to be led by what is practical and implementable and by what could be extended, scaled
and replicated in an incremental manner over time. We have measured the strategies, plans and
outcomes as put forward by the City of Cape Town against our ‗reality‘ barometer.

11. 11
The Business Innovation Model as put forward by the Boston Consulting Group, [Butler, M. EDP 2010]
provides guidance in regards to Business, Marketing, Organisational, Service and Supply Innovations
required to create new consumer value.
Of course, have had to accept and embrace the fact that we are thinking, designing and implementing
within the 3 basic paradoxes as out by Robert Flood; [Flood, R. 1999] they are:
5.2 We cannot manage over things, but will manage the unmanageable
5.3 We cannot organise the totality, but will organise within the unorganisable
5.4 We will not simply know things, but we will know the unknowable.
Within this ever-changing environment, we seek to anticipate and design for the Tipping Point
[Gladwell,M.2000] which will herald the moment of critical mass, when we reach the boiling point,
because it is at that point that these new ideas, ways of doing and approaches to waste management
will spread like an epidemic. It is our hope that if, over time, we are able to build a sustainable waste
management system in Cape Town, this model could be adapted and replicated not only in municipalities
within our own province, but that it could become a framework for all provinces to deal with their waste
hierarchy. Indeed, would it not be wonderful to imagine that we may stumble upon a framework which
could have global application in developing countries.
We have also considered the ―Law of the Few‖, which points us to the groups, individuals and
organisations who would be best suited to spread the word and ensure the stickiness of the message.
Diffusion Theory, [Rogers, E.M. 1962] the process by which an innovation is communicated through a
range of channels over time, amongst members of a social system, has formed part of our thinking.
Stacey et al, [Stacey, RD; Griffin, D; Shaw, P. 2000. Pgs 106-109] would call the place that we, as
Capetonians, find ourselves in, a Bifurcation Point within the evolutionary system. We have a variety
of different choices, structures, options and different directions to choose from in terms of continuing
our journey towards sustainability.
In the ―Accenture/UN Global Compact CEO study 2010: A New Era of Sustainability‖, [Lacy, P;
Cooper, T; Hayward, R; Neuberger, L. June 2010] it reflects on progress made to date, the
challenges ahead and the impact of the global journey towards a sustainable economy.
The insights drawn from this report are very valuable in terms of understanding the levers that are
available to work in partnership with business. It is extremely encouraging to note that over one
thousand CEO‘s, business leaders, members of civil society and academic experts were surveyed.
The report indicates that there has been a paradigm shift between 2007, when the last survey was
done and 2010, which is when the latest survey was undertaken. The results of the survey indicate
that we are being ushered into an era where sustainability issues will be fully integrated into all
elements of business and market forces will be aligned with sustainability outcomes.
CEO‘s have indicated that environmental, social and corporate governance issues will be
embedded within their core business – and that good performance on sustainability will equate to
good business overall. On the whole, we feel that we have laid a solid basis from which to build,
going forward. The City of Cape Town is in our opinion ahead of its time in African terms and we
are fortunate to be working with solid systems thinking and design, strategic planning and robust
implementation plans that are already in place. All that we essentially will be doing, is evaluating

12. 12
the existing plans, strategies and policies against best practice, so that we able to determine
whether we can in fact make any recommendations to improve what is already in place and in
motion.
2. THE HISTORY OF THE GLOBAL RESPONSE TO CLIMATE CHANGE AND GLOBAL
WARMING – MOVING TOWARDS UNDERSTANDING SUSTAINABILITY
As early as 1972, a pioneering report, The Limits to Growth [J.W Forrester, D.Meadows et al;
1972] raised concerns about the unrestrained growth of global population, resource consumption
and pollution. The report stirred considerable debate at the time, due to the fact that a range of
critics seemed unable to imagine that Western Economic production and consumption could run
into any limits.
There were precursors to the Limits to Growth, such as Harrison Brown‘s, The Challenge to Man‘s
Future [Brown, H. Viking.1956]. In his review of the book,[www.foreignaffairs.com. Accessed July
2012], Henry L Roberts, concludes that it is one of the more important books that deals with the
projection of the relationship between population and resources and its potential global impact.
Rachel Carson‘s, Silent Spring [Carson, R. 1962] is widely credited for being responsible for the
launching of the Environmental Movement. History Professor, Gary Kroll [ Kroll, G. 2006]
commented: ―"Rachel Carson's Silent Spring played a large role in articulating ecology as a
'subversive subject'— as a perspective that cuts against the grain of materialism, scientism, and
the technologically engineered control of nature.‖
These authors were the pioneers and visionaries who could foresee a future that few could and
were no doubt in part the inspiration for the writing of the Limits to Growth, which in turn, set the
domino reaction off that led to the articulation of a global sustainability framework, over time.
In the Limits to Growth‘s conclusion [http://www.thesolutionsjournal.com/node/569; accessed July
2012], the authors assert: "If the present growth trends in world population, industrialization,
pollution, food production, and resource depletion continue unchanged, the limits to growth on
this planet will be reached sometime within the next one hundred years. The most probable result
will be a rather sudden and uncontrollable decline in both population and industrial capacity.‖
The release of this seminal report, catalysed a global process of interrogation, research and finally,
Conventions, which bound all citizens in the world to the mitigation of Climate Change. This
process started with the World Climate Conference [WCC], which took place in 1979. The
introduction of The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change [UNFCCC] in 1992
and its signatories, marked a defining moment in respect of global recognition of the future
impacts of climate change and global warming and heralded the beginning of global co-operation
to achieve communal and mutually beneficial outcomes.
In his summary document titled, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change,
Professor Laurence Boisson de Chazournes, [De Chazournes, LB. 2008.], deals with the issues
related to the human impact on climate change and global warming. At this point in 1990, there
was consensus that the 70% increase of atmospheric greenhouse gases [GHG‘s] from 1970 to
2004 was largely due to human activity.

13. 13
The discovery of the ozone hole in the 1980‘s confirmed the gravitas of human-induced climate
change and that a balance would need to be struck in the mitigation process between the need for
economic growth in developing countries and the need for mitigation by developed economies.
In December 1990, the United Nations established the International Negotiating Committee [INC],
which embarked on a 17 months process of negotiation, with over 140 countries, to arrive at the
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change [UNFCCC]. The convention opened for
signature on 14 June 1992 and by 19 June 1993, the United Nation‘s Headquarters in New York
could confirm 165 signatories to the convention. As of August 2008, there has been near global
membership. South Africa is one of those global members.
Since the first World Climate Conference, much has been achieved. However, in his Summary
document of the UNFCCC, Professor Laurence Boisson de Chazournes [De Chazournes, LB.
2008.], further states that ―Subsequent IPCC assessment reports and scientific evidence from
other resources confirmed that commitments established under the Convention and its Protocol
are likely not to be sufficient to effectively mitigate anthropogenic [human-induced ]impact on
climate change. In December 2005, a dialogue on long-term cooperative action to address climate
change by enhancing the implementation for the Convention was launched, and a new round of
negotiations to step up international efforts to combat climate change was launched by the Bali
Action Plan.‖
This has further driven the global process which has culminated in the latest agreement, The
Durban Platform for Enhanced Action, which was drafted and accepted by the Conference of
Parties [COP], at COP 17, and which provides the framework within which progress has been
measured as well as paving the way forward.
[Refer: THE ROAD TO GLOBAL CO-OPERATION IN REGARDS TO SUSTAINABILITY, CLIMATE
CHANGE AND GLOBAL WARMING – THE TIMELINE. Appendix A]
3. A summary/overview of the objectives of the United National Framework
Convention on Climate Change [ UNFCCC]
In his summary document,[De Chazournes, LB. 2008. Pg2], the objectives of the UNFCCC are
iterated as follows:
―The long-term objective of the Convention and its related legal instruments is ―to achieve
[…] the stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would
prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system‖ (article 2). Climate change
is defined by the Convention as ―change of climate which is attributed directly or indirectly to
human activity that alters the composition of the global atmosphere and which is in addition to
natural climate variability observed over comparable time periods‖ (article 1 (2)). ―
The Convention provides a set of general commitments that are applicable to all parties, whilst
there are certain commitments that apply to developed countries only. These responsibilities are
built upon the principle of common, but differentiated responsibilities, based on the state of
development of a signatory. It is a robust framework which covers all of the bases in terms of
monitoring, knowledge sharing, co-operation as well as providing for the co-ordination of relevant
economic and administrative instruments that may increase GHG emissions – such as subsidies

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and energy pricing. It also provides a platform to review policies constantly, so that they are
adaptive to the changing global environment.
[Refer: Annexure B: Chazournes, LB. 2008 UNITED NATIONS FRAMEWORK CONVENTIONON
CLIMATE CHANGE]
4. PRINCIPLES AND METHODOLOGIES EMPLOYED TO REACH GLOBAL CONSENSUS
AND CO-OPERATION AND PRACTICAL IMPLEMENTATION PLANS – POST-
RATIONILISATION – starting the process of using these to evaluate the existing
plans at City of Cape Town level
Essentially, the formulation and subsequent processes and responses to the UNFCCC, are probably
one of the first attempts at using systems thinking and design on a global scale, understanding the
inter-relatedness of all things and designing a complex, yet adaptive system, which is able to
respond quite rapidly to changes in the environment. As alluded to earlier within this document,
the City of Cape Town has most definitely used an integrative, systems design approach to
develop the IDP 2012-2017. [City of Cape Town. April 2012. Full document]
Robert Flood in his book, Rethinking the Fifth Discipline: Learning from the Unknowable [Flood
R.1999] states that, ‗Systemic awareness begins with a spiritual appreciation of Wholeness‖ and that
this wholeness could be ascribed to the inter-relatedness of all things or to something that he calls
spontaneous self-organisation, which leads to emergence and a new order, or new ways of seeing,
organising and doing things. It is true to say that the global community discovered their inter-
relatedness and how they are part of the whole in the process of reaching global consensus on a
range of issues related to Climate Change mitigation.
It is therefore encouraging to note that the City of Cape Town involved the participation of and inputs
from at least one million citizens over a year-long period to inform the focal areas of its IDP 2012-
2017. [City of Cape Town. April 2012. Full document] This implies that there is already buy-in from
the citizens and this in turn, should ensure that participation is nearly a given.
This global process is akin to what Senge [ Senge,P. 1990] describes as the process of personal
mastery. This is when we clarify our personal as well as communal view and discover a reality that is
as objective as possible. This describes the process of transition from denialism of Climate Change
and Global Warming and its possible dire consequences, to the current status quo of global
affirmation and co-operation to achieve mutually beneficial, future-focused outcomes.
Very encouragingly, the process that was employed to craft the City of Cape Town‘s IDP 2012-2017,
[City of Cape Town. April 2012. Full document] indicates that this principle has already been used.
Senge further asserts that by meaningfully understanding ourselves,[as citizens, communities,
countries] by understanding the whole of which we are a part, we become aware that our actions
are inter-related to other people‘s actions in patterns of behaviour.[Brinkmann. 2012. EDP Systems
Thinking Assignment. Pg 5] Given the size of the globe and its population of 7,055,000,000 [Nations
Online Org. July 2012], the continental, cultural, religious and other global micro-diversities and
differences, the consensus that exists around long-term global sustainability is in actual fact a rather
astonishing phenomenon. It seems to be one of the few issues around which global consensus as
well as a global commitment to a range of imperatives has been reached.

15. 15
When we start to evaluate, critique and include the contents of the IDP, [City of Cape Town. April
2012. Full document], The Solid Waste Management Draft Sector Plan 2012-2012 [Department:
Solid Waste Management. 15 Dec 2011], The City of Cape Town Integrated Waste Management
By-Law [Department of Solid Waste Management. March 2009] as well as the City of Cape Town
Solid Waste Management Plan [Department of Solid Waste Management. 2012], we will
demonstrate that we are in the fortunate position to have already come very close to this
consensus locally, given that collaboration and participation were integral to the crafting of all of
these documents, strategies and plans.
A whole-of-society approach will remain at the heart of strategies and implementation plans and
targets at National, Provincial as well as local levels, so as to ensure that the overall process of
transitioning to a Low-Carbon Economy[Manuel et al. Nov 2011.Pgs 179-193] aligns with global as
well as local needs, outcomes, objectives and realities.
Given the fact that global consensus has been reached and we are on a collaborative journey towards
sustainability, we also feel that Gregory Mankiv‘s 10 Principles of Economics, as they relate to human
behaviour [Mankiv, N,G. 2008], would apply and should be kept in mind as we proceed, both globally
and locally.
[Refer: Mankiw‘s 10 Economic Principles. Appendix C].
4.1 HUMAN BEHAVIOUR: What makes us tick and why would we participate in being
part of Global change via dealing with the Waste Hierarchy locally?
Gregory N Mankiv is credited with creating what is now, often controversially, known as New
Keynesian Economics. [Refer: Definition of Keynesian Economics: Appendix D]. Mankiv‘s principles
deal with how people make decisions, how the economy works as a whole and lastly, how people
interact.
We marry Mankiv‘s principles with lessons learnt from the Commercial Negotiations Module, [Venter,
D. EDP 2012. Commercial Negotiations: Negotiation to Add Value] so that we are best equipped to be
able to influence all citizens of Cape Town to be involved in playing their part in dealing with the
Waste Hierarchy.
People – humans – are central to in the first place, causing the conditions in which we find ourselves
at present, but are of course the most important part of the solution. The actions of all of human-
kind in the present, will determine the future that later generations will inhabit. We are of the opinion
that Mankiv‘s first seven [7] Economic Principles are of particular relevance in this regard.
In Slide 7, [Roux, A. May 2012] we are reminded that to get one thing, we have to give up another.
There can be no doubt that individuals, communities and countries would have to be prepared to give
up a certain amount of their comforts and luxuries, to live more consciously and less materialistically,
to slowly move from personal, selfish needs and wants, to understanding their impact on the future of
the planet and life on it. This would be easier for those between and middle and top of the pyramid
and by inference, more difficult for those at the bottom.
In Slide 27, [Venter, D. EDP 2012] we learn that when making decisions, humans are often driven
more by the prospect of loss than by the potential gains inherent in their decisions. This is based on

16. 16
the fact that, to the human mind, potential losses ALWAYS look larger than potential gains, thereby
making it our first priority not to lose anything. Gains are in essence secondary to not losing. To gain
whole-of-society buy-in and participation we would do well to demonstrate the consequences of doing
NOTHING, as well as the communal benefits of being part of the solution. ―Joint Opportunity Finding‖
[Venter, D.EDP 2012.Slide 23] will be used to ensure collaborative engagement and solution seeking.
It is clear that the City of Cape Town has employed this approach and that this is more than likely one
of the central reasons why their various plans, strategies and policies are realistic and achievable –
they are based on the needs of the people of the province and aligned with National and Provincial
imperatives already.
In Slide 8, [Roux, A. May 2012], it states that when we make trade-offs, we trade one goal off
against another. In this instance – efficiency – which ensures that society gets the most from our
scarce resources, traded-off or weighed up against – equity – which implies the benefits of those
resources being distributed fairly amongst all members of society. In the local context, this particular
trade-off or balance is going to be difficult to achieve, given a range of issues that we will have to
deal with, amongst them:
 Reducing inequality – at 0.7, South Africa has one of the highest Gini Co-efficients in the world.
The National Development Plan [Manuel, T; et al. 2011] sets the lofty target of reducing our Gini
Co-efficient by 0.1 within 18 years. If one looks at the trajectory of inequality in China over the
last 33 years, throughout the last 5 of their 5-year plans, development has meant that their Gini
Co-efficient has actually increased, thereby creating a slightly more unstable political environment.
This increase in inequality in China is due to the rate of growth and producing millionaires –
thereby widening the gap between the have and have-nots. This is according to Sun Liping, a
professor at Beijing‘s Tsinghua University. [http://english.caixin.com/2012-01-18/.Accessed
July 2012]. According to the professor, China‘s Gini coefficient has risen from 0.302 in 1978 to
an estimated 0.46 in 2011/12. In all probability, South Africa‘s Gini Co-efficient will remain
stable, or worse, widen, dependent upon the development path chosen.
 Socially, in 2009, about 5% of the households in Cape Town listed social grants as their main
source of income, and for 3% of the total households it was their sole source of income. In
addition to high poverty levels, South African cities are among the most inequitable in the
world. Of the South African metros, Cape Town is the least inequitable, with a 2010 Gini Co-
efficient2 of 0,58, which is better than other major South African metros, including
Johannesburg and eThekwini (Durban), which had Gini Co-efficients of 0,62 and higher. [City
of Cape Town. April 2012. IDP. Full document]. Whilst this number is still very far from what
could be considered acceptable, it is at least encouraging to note that Cape Town starts off at
a slight advantage, which may bode well in terms of reducing its Gini Co-efficient over time by
striking a balance between job creation, economic and social development as well as resource
usage and preservation. [IDP. April 2012]
 Dealing with the youth bulge – in most developing countries, a youth bulge such as ours, would
be of massive benefit to the economy, as it represents a large workforce to drive the economy
forward. [Roux, A. EDP 2012. Slide 39] In South Africa‘s case, the fact that the systemic fabric of
society has been ripped asunder over the past decades, has led to an environment that has not
been conducive to producing citizens that are well and contributing members of society.
Systemically, the societal circumstances have had impact on overall educational outcomes. 51%

17. 17
of 15-24 year old youths in South Africa are unemployed and it is thought that they are more than
likely mostly functionally illiterate and not employable. This situation presents the country with a
smouldering powder keg that threatens to destabilise the entire country, if not dealt with
systemically and practically. Our current youth bulge profile is closer in nature to that of the least
developed countries, in that we are dealing with frustrated, disaffected, resentful and volatile
youth. [Roux, A. EDP 2012. Slide 40]
Ensuring that the youth is an integral part of skills development, growth and sustainability outcomes
is at the heart of the IDP 2012-2017. [City of Cape Town. April 2012. IDP. Full document] Not
surprisingly, The opportunity City Pillar, has at its core focus the creation of the economically
enabling environment in which jobs can be created via investment growth. This is based on the
philosophy that people can make the most of their lives as well as attain dignity, principally, by
having a job and purpose. The following excerpts from the IDP explain some of the City‘s thinking
and plans:
―The City will use numerous levers to attract investment. By attracting investment, we create
economies of scale in city-based industries, and build a critical capacity that will not only sustain
future growth, but will create more economic opportunities for individuals to enter employment.
The City will also encourage the growth of small businesses and entrepreneurs through
programmes such as Activa, where new entrepreneurs can learn skills to aid them in business and
planning procedures.
All of these initiatives will be done with a view to building our potential in certain key markets
where we can develop a competitive advantage. Those markets include agro-processing, tourism,
major events, oil and gas, shipping and ship-building, health and medical technology, services
and the green economy.
Being an opportunity city also requires a concerted focus on taking care of the natural
environment in which we find ourselves. We must also ensure that future generations are
able to enjoy a clean and safe environment, in which biodiversity is conserved and tourism
and recreational opportunities are maximised.
By managing our natural resources more efficiently and investing in green technologies,
we will ensure that there is enough water and energy to go around, and that we do not
generate more waste than is strictly necessary. It is also important that we continue to
strive towards a more robust and resilient city that is able to respond to the on-going challenge
of climate change and other natural hazards.
Cape Town residents‟ priority needs according to the Community Satisfaction Survey
(CSS), 2007–2011
The results of the CSS between 2007 and 2011 show the following shifts and changes among
respondents:
Residents‘ main priorities remain job creation, crime prevention and housing provision.
Looking at the change in priorities from 2007 to 2011, one can see that creating jobs has
increased in importance from 64% to 74%, while preventing crime and providing housing

18. 18
have moved from 58% to 54%, and 34% to 38% respectively. Fighting corruption remains a
priority, but showed some decline from 34% in 2010 to 25% in 2011. Access to primary health
care is becoming increasingly important, which is reflected in an increase from 18% to 23%.
Likewise, public transport scores continue to rise. Transport is a basic expectation of Capetonians,
so improving these services will always be a priority.
Overall perceptions of the City of Cape Town‘s performance have improved significantly over
the four years, with increases in the percentage of residents saying there has been improvement
across most service delivery areas, overall performance, the City‘s performance as a public service
provider, and in terms of residents‘ level of trust in the City. This demonstrates that residents are
now more satisfied with the City‘s services.
In addition to a range of questions, residents were asked to highlight the three strategic
objectives that were most important in their lives from the list of 23 objectives linked to the five
SFAs.
The responses showed that residents felt most strongly that the City needs to provide
opportunities for its residents. Objectives linked to the ‗well-run city‘ and ‗safe city‘ focus areas
emerged as second and third priorities respectively

Objective 1.1: Create an enabling environment to attract investment that generates
economic growth and job creation
This objective will be achieved through the implementation of the following leading programmes:
Programme 1.1(a): Western Cape Economic Development Partnership (EDP)
programme
The City is a key partner in the EDP. The purpose of the EDP is to ―lead, coordinate and drive the
economic growth, development and inclusion agenda for Cape Town and the Western Cape‖.20

19. 19
The City of Cape Town and the EDP have agreed to work together in the following areas: *
Producing economic and market intelligence * Formulating economic visions and strategies *
Creating a common business brand * Reforming the city‘s and region‘s business environment.
Programme 1.1(c): Identification and promotion of catalytic sectors, such as oil and
gas
In order to stimulate growth and development of the local economy, development in the
following catalytic sectors has been identified as critical:
 Marine, oil and gas, ship repair and boatbuilding
 Agro-processing and the location of head offices of finance and retail sectors
 Health and medical technology
 The green economy, including energy from the sun, wind and waste
 Tourism and events
These will be investigated in partnership with Province and the private sector to determine how
and when these will be rolled out in the city.
Programme 1.1(d): Small-business centre programme (Activa)
The Cape Town Activa (CTA) strategy was initiated by the City to stimulate entrepreneurship
and business activity in the local economy. CTA will create a multi-stakeholder network that
will make it easy for entrepreneurs and individuals looking for employment support to
navigate and make use of service organisations and practitioners‘ services and resources.
The multi-stakeholder network will draw services from the public sector (local, provincial and
national), the private sector (business development, associations, financiers, and so forth) and
academia (the Cape Higher Education Consortium or CHEC, universities, colleges, and the like).
CTA‘s strategic goals are to:
 stimulate the creation of locally owned businesses by linking entrepreneurs with
resources, capital, skills and opportunities;
 develop human capital, addressing the needs of the business community (e.g. innovation
support, small-business skills development, career support and placement programmes); and
 make Cape Town a more competitive business environment by providing better support to
incubate and grow local business and attract others.
Objective 1.6: Maximise the use of available funding and programmes for training and
skills development
Programme 1.6(a): SETA and EPWP funding used to train apprentices and create other external
training opportunities.
Training apprentices for vacant posts in the administration and the city.
 The City will roll out an apprenticeship programme to the Water and Sanitation,
Electricity, Stormwater, Solid Waste, Refuse Removal and Roads departments. These
apprentices will meet the demand side of the labour market, using the training the City
provides either to become skilled technicians employed by the government, or to move into the
private sector as young people with new qualifications. ―

20. 20
“ INFRASTRUCTURE-LED GROWTH
The City will continue to invest in infrastructure to ensure that Cape Town has the capacity to
support development. As cities expand, their industries and people need to be supported by
adequate services, from electricity, water and other amenities to additional services that aid
modern development beyond the basics, such as a broadband network and public transport
networks.
By continuously investing in infrastructure, we will be encouraging growth and, indeed, lead it by
always ensuring physical, supporting capacity for people to build opportunities. Such an approach
places the City of Cape Town at the forefront of South African metros, and will bring us in line with
international best practice in terms of development strategies
Over the next five years, the City will be investing in a number of major infrastructure projects.
These include the following:
 Landfill space and other strategic infrastructure to support waste management
 Backyarder service programmes, extending municipal services to backyarder communities
in Cape Town
 Upgrades to services in informal settlements
 Upgrades to, and refurbishment of, electricity services
 In the future, a greater balance between investment in infrastructure that supports
greenfield development and existing infrastructure maintenance and upgrades will be
required.‖
These excerpts indicate that there is a commitment to job creation, poverty alleviation, reduction
of inequality and that sustainability is a primary driver. The effective and efficient management of
waste within the Waste Hierarchy very definitely provides a further platform of opportunity, job
creation and economic opportunities as we will demonstrate later in our document.
 Threat of nationalisation – this relates to the despair and desperation felt by the youth, given that
they have seen very little improvement in their circumstances since the advent of democracy.
Nationalisation of our natural resources poses a real threat to long-term sustainability and
economic growth and development.
 Culture of conspicuous consumption – as would be expected from any developing country, South
Africans, those emerging and moving into the lower-middle, middle and upper-middle classes, are
driven by an aspirational culture, where consumption is encouraged and is seen as characteristic
of perceived wealth and prosperity of individuals. At present, this consumption has slowed down
due to the indebtedness of a large percentage of the population due to the global economic crisis.
Consumption was previously driven by credit extension, facilitated by financial institutions. The
more we develop, the more waste will be generated. Based on the fact that we will continue
being a developing country for some time to come, the need for incentives and behavioural
changes that would lead to dealing with this prospective mountain of waste in an environmentally
friendly and sustainable manner, becomes an urgent priority. If we do not put practical systems
and structures in place now, the mountain of waste will engulf us over time.
We hope to demonstrate how, that by considering and using new technologies, the growing
mountain of waste could in fact be put to productive use and how it could become a revenue

21. 21
stream, as opposed to a cost centre. In support of our train of thought, The City of Cape Town, in
its ‖ The Term of Office Five Year Integrated Development Plan [IDP] 2012–2017‖, [City of Cape
Town. April 2012. Full document] makes the following provisions:
―Furthermore, these catalyst projects will include combinations of area revitalisation and
investment in renewable energy, such as the Atlantis revitalisation scheme. Such projects will
help us build a competitive advantage in green technology.
Increased recycling by the city‘s population, along with improvements in solid waste
disposal, has the potential to decrease the demand for landfill usage. Voluntary recycling
may account for a portion of the dramatic decline in waste disposed at landfills in 2008 and 2009.
However, only a small percentage of Cape Town residents currently recycle their waste,
and there is enormous scope for improving recycling practices.
Landfill gas-to-electricity project
Landfills generate a flammable gas known as landfill gas. This biogas contains a high percentage
of methane, and is produced by biological activity within the landfill. Landfill gas is a greenhouse
gas, and the methane component has the potential to increase global warming by more
than 21 times that of CO2. The management of this gas is essential to ensure the protection of
both humans and the environment.
Landfill operating permits allow for the biogas to be vented in a controlled manner and for the
process to be monitored to ensure that there are no dangers. Now, the additional implementation
of gas mitigation measures that include the destruction of the methane gas and the
harnessing of the energy component as electricity is proposed for the City‟s three
operating landfills.
This process would be regarded as complying with the ‗additionality‘ criteria in terms of Clean
Development Mechanism (CDM) projects registered in terms of the Kyoto Protocol. This could
create additional income for the City, while generating renewable energy
Waste-to-energy project
Waste-to-landfill contains a number of components with energy-generating potential. The City
is investigating the feasibility of harnessing this energy through the implementation of
waste-to-energy projects.
Direction in this regard has been provided in the Municipal Systems Act (MSA) section 78(3)
investigation, which recommended the consideration of future organic-waste treatment
facilities that use the organic fraction of municipal solid waste as well as sewage sludge to
produce biogas, which can be used as a fuel to generate electricity.
In addition, the non-organic high-calorific value components going to landfill can possibly be
separated and potentially used as a fuel in power-generating facilities.
The project funded by KfW (the German Development Bank) is looking in more detail at the type
of disposal/treatment technology that can be implemented in Cape Town. This project would
reduce the amount of waste being disposed of in landfills.
Atlantis green-technology industrial park
The Department of Energy will soon appoint preferred bidders to supply renewable energy. Thus,
the downstream capabilities and industry services will need to be in place . A green-technology

22. 22
cluster park can benefit from synergies through co-location, and can serve the industry more
effectively. Atlantis provides an ideal location with good access to roads, well-priced industrial
land and access to port facilities. The deliverables of this initiative will be the following:
green renewable-energy hub.
criteria.
ablishing institutional structures to manage the process.
Programme 1.1(f): Development of a „green‟ economy
There is considerable space for investment and growth, now and into the future, as the
renewable-energy sector burgeons. The City plays a pivotal role in creating demand for
„green‟ services through its programmes, projects and procurement systems, as well as
through the use of renewable energy in its own operations.
The City aims to promote small-scale embedded power generation in Cape Town as well as
to ensure that it benefits from regional and national-scale projects where suitable.
The City faces skills development challenges, and requires significant investment, land release and
buy-in from various stakeholders. There are opportunities for sustainable industries (such as solar
water heater, photovoltaic and wind turbine manufacturers), whose services and products will be
required for many years. This can result in job creation and skills development from new
businesses.
Solid waste infrastructure
The rehabilitation of the City‟s disused, full landfills and dumps will continue as required
by the Municipal Finance Management Act (MFMA) and operating permit conditions. The
replacement of ageing waste collection vehicles will make service delivery more reliable and
efficient.
The City‘s new northern-region landfill site, the newly commissioned integrated transfer station at
Kraaifontein as well as the planned facility in Bellville South will assist in diverting some of the
waste to achieve landfill airspace savings.
Landfill airspace and strategic infrastructure programme
This programme entails the development of strategic assets, such as the capping and
rehabilitation of closed landfills, the continued development of landfill airspace at current
landfill facilities, the development of a regional landfill site and the related development of
strategically located integrated refuse transfer stations and material recovery facilities.
Limited airspace is left for waste disposal at the City‘s three operating landfills. Chart 1.1
represents the result of the model that was used to determine these airspace predictions.

23. 23
Airspace constraints
There is limited airspace available at the City‘s three operating landfills, even though it is accepted
that at least 15 years‘ worth of airspace should be available for a city like Cape Town.
Following an extensive technical process and a subsequent scoping and environmental impact
assessment (EIA) process on two shortlisted sites, a record of decision was issued during 2007 in
favour of a site south of Atlantis. The regional landfill must be able to receive waste by 2015. The
first cell of the site will therefore need to be finalised by 2013.
Investigating and pursuing alternative methods of energy generation with solar, wind
and gas power
Options for electricity generation by the City itself are being pursued, and incentives and
regulatory measures will be developed where appropriate. Private project developers will also
be engaged where large-scale electricity generation projects could add strategic benefits
to the general economy.
Encourage cost-effective means of recycling as well as waste minimisation initiatives
Waste minimisation programme
The City is committed to achieving city-wide waste minimisation. Steps in this regard include
developing and running waste management facilities, incorporating material recovery
facilities, public drop-off sites, composting and builder‘s rubble crushing facilities and waste
minimisation promotion and awareness projects (like the Think Twice campaign, the Integrated
Waste Exchange and Waste Wise). The intention is to sustain current waste minimisation
pilot initiatives for future learning and benchmarking.
The City will focus on waste streams that have the largest impact on airspace – namely greens,
recyclables and builder‘s rubble. A separate greens collection service will be considered to
increase the 35% greens diversion currently achieved by means of drop-offs. The City will also
prioritise waste minimisation options by focusing on high-impact waste diversion
activities.
It will also effect institutional changes and set up a separate cost centre with waste information, as
a system to ensure that costs and revenue are ring-fenced for each PPP.
Such PPPs will be investigated for the Radnor and Bellville composting sites. * Note: These
are two closed down landfill sites * Budgeting for integrated waste management facilities

24. 24
will be prioritised, and allowance will be made for private-sector involvement through PPPs.
These facilities will achieve the highest impact on waste minimisation and effective
diversion of waste from landfill sites.
The City will also encourage and engage in cost-effective limitation of the amount of waste sent to
landfill by means of waste reduction, reuse and recycling initiatives.
Co-operatives will be considered, which also hold the potential for job creation. The
Think Twice programme will be implemented in Atlantis, the Deep South, Helderberg, Sea Point,
Mouille Point, Three Anchor Bay, Kraaifontein, Hout Bay and Camps Bay.
Recycling and reuse of treated effluent
The City of Cape Town has numerous treated-effluent reuse schemes at its various WWTWs.
These are used for both formal network distribution and informal or private reuse of treated
effluent. The treated-effluent infrastructure will be expanded to protect natural
resources, prevent current and future potable-water shortages, return the city‘s streams to
seasonal flow conditions, and enable unrestricted irrigation during water restrictions. This is in line
with the principles of the City‘s Water Demand Management Policy and the policies of DWA and
the Western Cape Department of Environmental Affairs and Development Planning.
There is an opportunity of securing external funding from a range of institutions and donors,
and the establishment of PPPs geared towards the elimination of water wastage. A
number of private companies are willing to enter into concessions or joint management contracts
to manage water services delivery or specific key performance indicators, such as the reduction of
non-revenue demand. The use of service providers in certain focused projects can provide
significant benefits.
Informal settlements refuse collection and cleaning programme
All informal settlements are serviced and receive a door-to-door refuse collection and on-going
area cleaning (litter picking and illegal-dumping removal). All residents receive at least two free
plastic bags per week in which to place their refuse. The filled bags are taken to shipping
containers, where they are stored until they are transported to a landfill site.
All containers will be serviced at least twice a week. Local labour will be hired for this purpose
from the City sub-council databases. These services are contracted out for three-year periods
using the City‘s tender process. The tenders are designed to encourage entrepreneurship.
In the coming years, the refuse collection programme will prioritise the following:
Quality of service –
The City will continue to check that all residents are receiving the correct number of plastic bags
per week, and will undertake a time and motion study to establish whether the current ratio of
refuse removal labourers to dwellings is correct.
Funding from the indigent grant – Increased funding from the indigent grant will be
considered for this programme.
Managing the level of dumping –
Although all informal settlements have a door-to-door refuse collection and area cleaning service,
the challenge is to ensure that the efficiency and quality of the service are improved. Dedicated
illegal-dumping teams will be established to clear large household items. A schedule of action

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will be developed for the removal of heavy illegal dumping (such as builder‘s rubble) by the
Specialised Equipment Unit. Increased service delivery to backyard dwellers should also reduce
illegal dumping.
A more efficient statistical reporting methodology for reporting improvements as indicated
above will be developed. ―
We cannot add much to what is contained within the summary above. We are of the opinion that
this is a well thought-through, cogent and practical approach to creating the enabling environment
for the City to deal more efficiently with the Waste Hierarchy. We evaluate and discuss current
implementation plans within the Section that deals with the Waste Hierarchy in more detail.
 In her MBA Dissertation, titled: An Exploration of the determinants of South Africa‘s personal
savings rate: Why do South African Households save so little [Du Plessis,G. 2011], Germien Du
Plessis concludes that government policy with regards to wealth distribution and welfare
payments has created and entrenched a culture of dependence. This state of affairs leads us into
the next challenge, which is:
 Cultivating a culture of co-production and personal responsibilities in relation to the range of rights
entrenched in our very liberal Constitution and moving away from the expectation that
government will deliver all services and that citizens have no responsibility or ability to change
their own, localised circumstances.
These issues do present as challenges, but we believe that they could be used as drivers of positive
change if approached and used correctly via economic and social incentive projects and programme.
In Slide 9, [Roux, A. May 2012], we are confronted with Mankiv‘s second principle, which suggests
that the cost of attaining something is measured by what you give up to get it.
For a great many South Africans, who are already stretched to the limits of their financial, emotional,
physical and intellectual boundaries, it would be difficult to be convinced to give anything more up. A
great many of Capetonians don‘t have anything TO give up. For those who are concerned with daily
survival, creating economic incentives and opportunities would be the key drivers to ensure their
interest and involvement.
Understanding the fortune at the bottom of the Pyramid [Prahalad, CK. 2006] will be central to
creating economic opportunities and incentives for the majority to care sufficiently and to participate
in contributing to a sustainable future.
In Slide 10 [Roux, A. May 2012], we engage with the third principle, which states that rational people
think at the margin. We can deal with small changes and we make our decisions comparing the costs
as well as the benefits at the margin. The timespan that it took humanity to iterate the current Global
Compacts and action plans is testimony to how the process had to happen in a measured,
incremental manner – always keeping the end goal and communal benefits in mind. By making the
threats of Global Warming and Climate Change very real and by placing an emphasis on what would
happen if we do NOT act to mitigate, global citizens were able to understand what the cost of a
foregone opportunity would be. The extinction of species, further scarcity of water, extreme weather
conditions, the potential of a polar shift – these are all issues that the average human mind can

26. 26
conceive of and understand and therefore, place themselves at the centre of a solution that ensures a
healthy planet for their off-spring and future generations.
In Slide 11 [Roux, A. May 2012], the fourth principle tells us what we all know only too well; that is
that we all respond to and are driven by incentives. We want to know, ―What‘s in it for me and why
should I care?‖ We will have to balance the economic, communal and societal benefits inherent in
active participation against the dire consequences of NOT acting at all.
In Slide 12[Roux, A. May 2012],– the fifth principle, which states that trade makes everyone better
off. There are huge economic as well as social opportunities locked up in the reduction, recycling and
re-use of waste. These opportunities may well become the largest incentives and drivers of
participation and change.
In Slides 13 [Roux, A. May 2012], the sixth principle is revealed: Markets are usually a good way to
organise economic activity. It would therefore be vital to create a market for the products of
sustainability programmes, projects and their products. The City of Cape Town has made a promising
start in the process of enabling the platform for the creation of a market for sustainably produced
goods, by publishing an Information and Guideline Document on the Implementation of Green
Procurement in the City of Cape Town. [www.capetown.gov.za. Jan 2012.Accessed July 2012].
In Slide14, [Roux, A. May 2012] we are introduced to the economic concept of ‗The Invisible Hand‘.
This is based on Adam Smith‘s conclusions in his book, The Theory of Moral Sentiments [Smith,
A.1759], that all humans subconsciously weigh up self-interest, mutual and societal benefit or the
overall welfare of society against the cost of what they are prepared to buy or sell at. According to
Smith, we unknowingly take the social costs of our actions into account when making decisions.
In Slides 15 and 16, [Roux, A. May 2012] we reach the seventh principle that states that government
can sometimes improve market outcomes. This principle explains that markets fail when resources
are not used and distributed efficiently and that when the market fails, government is able to
intervene to improve efficiency and equity. In terms of creating the ideal, enabling environment and
market conditions for sustainability outcomes to be achieved, government is central in terms of
devising robust enabling legislation, policy frameworks, regulations, implementation plans as well as
setting measurable outcomes that society as a whole will be held accountable against. The policy
documents that are in place in the City of Cape Town are more than encouraging in this regard. We
will however have to confront the imperative to change and enable National as well as Provincial
legislation, regulations and policies to enable the environment completely. This does become more
complex and challenging.
When looking at the complete sustainability systems design in South Africa, government will have to
be reminded to understand that market failure can be caused by the impact of one or a few
communities or manufacturing sectors who‘s actions or in-action could have adverse impacts on
society at large. A balance must also be struck in respect of creating a fair and competitive
environment, so that there is a balance in the power of the market and so that no one player could
unduly influence the market and its pricing.
We will have to bear these sentiments in mind, specifically when we weigh the revenue from trading
in Carbon Emissions Certificates related to the Clean Development Mechanism [CDM] [Kyoto Protocol.

27. 27
1995] programmes in our country and City up against societal and other hidden, potentially negative
costs, which are, in some circles, seen as perverse incentives created for developed countries to ‗use‘
or even ‗abuse‘ developing countries to mitigate their own unabated growth and development.
Once we have taken all of the above into account, we will have to take all of our dichotomies and
challenges into account, so that we arrive at a realistic and achievable vision. We must employ
common sense to arrive at a level-headed, practical, rational and pragmatic strategy to achieve our
sustainability objectives. There is no space for impractical idealism. At face value, we are of the
opinion that what has been put in place and set in motion by the City of Cape Town, is in fact for the
most part based on realistic goals and achievable outcomes. The secret to success does however
reside in the ability of the City to translate these plans into action and to capacitate itself to do so.
5. MOTIVATION AND IMPORTANCE OF WASTE MANAGEMENT in CONTEXT OF
SUSTAINABILITY - SITUATING WASTE MANAGEMENT WITHIN THE GREATER
ECOSYSTEM
5.1 GLOBAL WARMING - DEFINITION AND POTENTIAL IMPACTS
Global warming is the observed and projected increases in the average temperature of Earth's
atmosphere and oceans. The Earth's average temperature rose about 0.6° Celsius (1.1°
Fahrenheit) in the 20th century, see temperature graphs below.
Fig. 1: Definition for global warming: Temp. increase in the last 1'000 years (graph from
http://www.globalwarmingart.com/images/b/bb/1000_Year_Temperature_Comparison.png)
[Source: http://timeforchange.org/definition-for-global-warming-what-is-global-warming]

28. 28
Fig. 2: Definition for global warming: Temp. increase in the last 150 years (graph from
http://www.globalwarmingart.com/wiki/Image:Instrumental_Temperature_Record_png)
Fig 3: Definition for global warming: Temp. increase in the last 25 years (graph from
http://www.globalwarmingart.com/images/a/af/Short_Instrumental_Temperature_Record.png)
According to different assumptions about the future behaviour of mankind, a projection of current
trends as represented by a number of different scenarios gives temperature increases of about 3°
to 5° C (5° to 9° Fahrenheit) by the year 2100 or soon afterwards. A 3°C or 5° Fahrenheit rise
would likely raise sea levels by about 25 meters (about 82 feet). Such a rise would have
catastrophic consequences globally as well as locally, given that we are a coastal city and country.

29. 29
Fig 4: Definition for global warming: Temp. increase until the year 2100 (graph from
http://www.globalwarmingart.com/wiki/Image:Global_Warming_Predictions_png.
5.2 Causes of global warming
It is generally accepted that observed temperature increases over the last 50 years have been due
to the increase in greenhouse gases concentrations, such as water vapour, carbon dioxide (CO2),
methane and ozone. Burning of fossil fuels is the largest contributing factor, which in turn leads to
the emission of carbon dioxide. This leads to what is now known as the Greenhouse Effect.
Simply put, some of the sunlight that reaches the Earth‘s surface is absorbed and warms the
earth. The residual heat is radiated back into the atmosphere, but at a longer wavelength than
the original sunlight. The greenhouse gases absorb some of these longer wavelengths. This
absorption warms our atmosphere. This happens because the greenhouse gases act like a mirror
which reflects the heat energy back to the Earth. This process of reflecting heat energy back is
called the ―Greenhouse Effect‘. [http://timeforchange.org/cause-and-effect-for-global-warming.
Accessed July 2012]
Global warming can be directly linked to human behaviour and to the irresponsible, ineffective and
inefficient use of our resources. How we have dealt with our Waste Hierarchy up until now, has
had considerable negative impact on Global warming. The upside to this situation is that we
should see positive impacts by even the smallest improvements in how we manage our waste and
live more sustainably in general.
5.2.1 Potential Impacts of Global Warming
In their report, titled, Technical Summary: Regional Predictions, [Solomon et al.2007] it is
predicted that warming and the changes related to it will vary from region to region. Some of the
effects of global temperature increase include:
* Rising sea levels * Change in patterns and amounts of rain * Probable expansion of sub-tropical
deserts * Impact on the Arctic, associated with a continued retreat of sea ice, glaciers and

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permafrost. * More frequency of extreme weather events, including droughts, heat waves and
floods * There is also concern that the oceans will acidify * We are already seeing the extinction of
species and it is probable that this trend will continue – extinction is due, in the main, to shifting
temperatures * Climate Change in general.
The predicted direct effects on humans include: * Food security being threatened because of
decreasing crop yields[Battisti, David; Naylor.2009] * Loss of Human habitats is also highly
probably.
The fear is that if the global mean temperature rises by 4˚C, humans will be unable to adapt in
many parts of the world. It is also feared that natural systems all over the world would not be
able to adapt. This would be due to the fact that the very ecosystem upon which humans rely for
their livelihoods could not be preserved. [Warren, R. 2011]
Mitigation by reduction of emissions and adapting to the effects of global warming, are the primary
policy responses globally. Most countries are now signatories to the United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change [UNFCCC]. We do expand on the convention later in the
document. At this point, it is sufficient to state that the ultimate objective of this Convention is to
prevent dangerous, human-induced climate change. Sustainable living and doing will be at the
very forefront of the mitigation strategy.
.
The above "burning embers" diagram was produced by the IPCC in 2001. A later revision of the diagram, published in
2009, but not approved by the IPCC, shows increased risks. This paints a picture of the possible consequences of doing
nothing about Global Warming and Climate Change.
5.2.2 What is a Carbon Footprint and why is it relevant?
Greenhouse gases, measured in units of carbon dioxide produced by human activities are known
as our Carbon Footprint calculation. It is typically iterated in tons of CO 2 equivalents per annum.

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A carbon footprint can be measured per individual, community, organisation, city, province,
country and for the earth in totality. This is according to the article simply named, ―Carbon
Footprint‘, [Walser, M.L; Nodvin, S.C; Draggan, May 2012] published on The Encyclopaedia of
Earth website. [http://www.eoearth.org/article/Carbon_footprint. Accessed August 2012]
Anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. (Source: Energy Information Administration)
Our individual carbon footprint can then be broken down further into primary and secondary
footprints. Direction emissions of greenhouses gases from the burning of fossil fuels for energy
consumption as well as transportation add up to be the primary footprint. Worldwide, 82% of
anthropogenic [human-induced] greenhouse gas emissions are in the form of CO 2 from fossil fuel
combustion.
The indirect emissions of greenhouse gases during the lifecycle of products used by an individual
create the secondary footprint. Examples would be: * Energy used to transport water *
Greenhouse gases emitted during the production of plastic bottles or aluminium cans. It therefore
follows that more packaged a product is, the higher its secondary footprint.
Although carbon footprints are reported in annual tons of CO 2 emissions, they actually are a
measure of total greenhouse gas emissions. A greenhouse gas is any gas that traps heat in the
atmosphere through the greenhouse effect. Because of the presence of greenhouse gases in our
atmosphere the average temperature of the Earth is 14 ºC (57 ºF). Without the greenhouse effect,
the average temperature of the atmosphere would be -19 ºC (-2.2 ºF).
Issues such as deforestation and the burning of fossil fuels disrupt the natural carbon cycle, by
moving it carbon from its solid form to a gaseous state, thereby increasing the concentration of
carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
An individual‘s carbon footprint is the direct effect their actions have on the environment in terms
of greenhouse gas emissions. In general, the biggest contributors to the carbon footprints of
individuals in industrialized nations are transportation and household electricity use. An individual's
secondary carbon footprint is dominated by their diet, clothes, and personal products. The
primary and secondary footprints of individuals are generally higher, the more affluent they are.
Given that the mitigation of Global Warming and Climate Change is very much premised on the
lowering of greenhouse gas emissions, it becomes clear that, as a developing City, we will have to

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walk a fine line between development, upward mobility and the resultant increase in our Carbon
Footprint. That is why dealing with Waste Hierarchy in a manner that eliminates, reduces, re-uses
or recycles waste is of such cardinal importance. If managed effectively, it could have the result
of reducing the City‘s Carbon Footprint substantially. We hope to demonstrate how this could be
achieved, later in this document.
Breakdown of a typical individual's carbon footprint. (Source: Carbon Footprint)
5.2.2.1 Carbon offsets
There are many ways for individuals and organizations to reduce their carbon footprint, such as
driving less, using energy efficient appliances, and buying local, organic foods as well as products
with less packaging. The purchase of carbon offsets is another way to reduce a carbon footprint.
One carbon offset represents the reduction of one ton of CO 2-eq. Companies who sell carbon
offsets invest in projects such as renewable energy research, agricultural and landfill gas capture,
and tree-planting. Critics of carbon offsets argue they will be used to absolve any guilt over
maintaining ―business as usual‖ in our lifestyles. Additionally, the current offset market is
voluntary and largely unregulated, raising the possibility that companies will defraud customers
seeking to reduce their carbon footprint.
The following provisions have already been made in the IDP:
“ Promote appropriate climate change adaptation and resilience planning
Although the City of Cape Town recognises the need to contribute to global efforts to mitigate the
effects of climate change, it also recognises the need proactively to adapt to the unavoidable
climate changes likely to occur in the shorter term.

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In so doing, the City has developed the Climate Adaptation Plan of Action (CAPA), a sector-based
approach that aims to integrate climate change adaptation measures with all of its relevant service
delivery and planning functions.
In order to balance the need for preparedness and proactivity with the many uncertainties around
climate change impacts, CAPA will be continuously reviewed and updated as climate science
develops and the City improves its own understanding of the specific climate impacts it needs to
manage. Flexibility in adaptation interventions is an important part of the plan.
As of 2011, all sectors have completed a scoping phase of the CAPA process, and will be moving
through the prioritisation, implementation and review phases over the next five years. CAPA is
supported by the City‘s Climate Change Think Tank, a partnership between the City and academics
and specialists in the field of climate change.
Examples of adaptation measures that are either currently ongoing or planned for the next five
years include
 ongoing city-wide ecosystem services (green infrastructure) mapping and costing;
 a 15% increase in new stormwater design specifications to accommodate increasing rainfall
intensity;
 climate change factored into 25-year bulk water supply modelling;
 a sea-level rise risk assessment and identification of CPZ; and
 the Salt River marine/freshwater flooding interface modelled under various sea-level rise
scenarios. This will be rolled out to other city rivers as well. ―
The IDP goes on to include:
“ Air quality management and pollution control
The City of Cape Town aims to source at least 10% of the metro‘s energy from renewable sources
by 2020, and to reduce its dependence on coal-based energy. A key strategy to improve air quality
is to reduce the amount of CO2 and other harmful gases emitted by the excessive amount of
private cars on Cape Town‘s roads, and to encourage greater use of mass public transport and
non-motorised modal options.‖
“ Objective 3.6: Provide effective air quality management and pollution (including
noise) control programmes
Programme 3.6(a): Measuring the number of days when air pollution exceeds World Health
Organisation guidelines
Air pollution is a local government function as per schedule 4B of the Constitution
The City‘s Air Quality Bylaw also enabled the City to set local emission standards, declare smoke
control zones, regulate the installation and operation of fuel-burning equipment, regulate
emissions caused by dust and open burning, and regulate emissions from diesel vehicles and
emissions that cause a nuisance.

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The City has adopted the Air Quality Management Plan (AQMP), which outlines the strategies to be
followed to deal with air pollution. The vision of the AQMP is to achieve and maintain clean air in
the city over the next ten to 20 years. This is a statutory plan that is attached to the IDP.
City Health also deals with all aspects of noise pollution. Increased court action will be instituted
against premises without business licenses in an attempt to curtail the number of noise
complaints.
The City will also increase the number of legal actions in terms of the Businesses Act and a
Standard Operating Procedure between City Health and Safety and Security to be investigated in
terms of action against noise‖
5.2.3 Defining Sustainability and Sustainable Development
Global warming and the resultant Climate Change, has led to a global emphasis on Sustainability
and Sustainable Development. The depletion of natural resources is considered to be central to the
cultivation of sustainable development strategies. The landmark definition of Sustainable
Development [Brundlandt Commission. 1987] is:
"Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future
generations to meet their own needs"
Two key concepts are contained within this definition:
 The idea that the essential needs of the world‘s poor must be given over-riding priority;
and
 That the state of technology and social organisation imposes limitations on the
environment‘s ability to meet present and future needs.
 This is encapsulated in the idea that economic development, social development and social
protection are the mutually reinforcing pillars of sustainable development.
 This has in turn led to the development of the triple bottom line approach by companies,
governments and civil society.
In her article, titled, Dimensions of Sustainability, published in the Journal of Engineering for
Sustainable Development, Energy, Environment and Health, Hasna Vancock [ Vancock, H. 2007]
speaks to the fact that sustainabillity is a process – this process deals with the development of all
aspects of human life that affects sustenance. This process involves constantly trying to balance
conflicting goals, objectives and interests and involves the simultaneous pursuit of economic
prosperity, environmental quality and social equity, known as the three dimensions or the Triple
bottom line.
6. DEFINING NATURAL CAPITAL IN CONTEXT OF SUSTAINABILITY and CLIMATE
MITIGATION
Natural resources are defined as a material source of wealth, such as timber, fresh water or
mineral deposits that occur in a natural state and have economic value. [ Grabianowksi, E.
Defining Natural Resources. HowStuffWorks.com. Accessed July 2012]
Some of these resources are required for our basic survival and others are used to satisfy our
material wants. It has become clear that a great many of our natural resources are non-
renewable – fossil fuels being one of those resources and that there is a certain amount of

35. 35
urgency attached to switching to and finding renewable sources of energy, that have minimum
impact on the environment and contribute positively to global sustainability.
At its fundamental level, every man-made product is composed of and manufactured by using
natural resources. Until recently, the waste generated by the consumption of these man-made
products have literally been piled up in landfill sites, using up valuable land as well as degrading
the environment, potentially polluting ground water and the immediate environment as the various
waste products and streams degrade at their own pace. In the South African and City of Cape
Town contexts, landfill is still the most prevalent method used to dispose of waste.
Working for a sustainable future confers upon us an imperative to live in this world in a manner
that does not degrade our current environment and that does not negatively impact future
generations. We are therefore compelled to find effective, efficient and sustainable ways in which
to deal with the growing amount of waste that we continue to generate. It is clear that the earth
cannot deal with this burgeoning waste hierarchy and that our consumption and waste threatens
the very spirit and definition of sustainability.
[Source: Arnold Smit May 2012. EDP. Business and ESG – Slide 58]
In this presentation titled: Business and ESG, Arnold Smit [Smit, A. EDP 2012. Slide 58] alludes to
the fact that the very concept of ―capital‘ needs redefining. He offers the following definition:
[Capital is]…‖ a stock of anything that has the capacity to generate a flow of benefits which are
valued by humans – natural, human, social, manufactured as well as financial.‖
Smit points us in the direction of the Five Capitals Framework. When first published in his book,
Capitalism as if the World Matters, Jonathon Porritt [Porritt, J. Revised 2012] created great
controversy with his assertion that the only way to save the world from environmental
catastrophe, would be to embrace a new kind of capitalism. Given the patent failure of the current
version of capitalism, Porritt‘s observation was not too far off the mark.
These Five Capitals that he refers to are all inter-twined. Porritt rightly asserts that the reason we
are facing a sustainability crisis is directly related to the fact that we are consuming our stocks of
natural, human and social capital faster than they are being produced or replenished. He further