BACKGROUND


Historically, South Africa followed the so-called “end-of-pipe” approach to waste management. Waste generated was collected by the municipalities and disposed of in landfill sites. Not much attention was given to how much waste was created, or how many valuable resources (ie. metal, glass, paper) were thrown away. The focus was on finding more space for more landfill sites.  But, not only do we lack the space to keep creating landfill sites, we cannot afford to throw away resources such as precious metals, glass and plastics.

Environmental issues have become a matter of public concern and as knowledge regarding environmental damage has become more complete, the pressure to change our current behavior has increased.  Much of this pressure has been targeted towards industry, which is often identified as a major source of pollution.  Environmental concerns have the capacity to affect both the short- and long-term health of each firm, as no firm is immune to environmental risk.  Traditionally, environmental issues were viewed as a constraint to businesses, but the business community has now realized that efficient management in the environmental arena can benefit the entire company and open new opportunities for increased profit through improved production and operating efficiencies, reduced liability exposure, increased competitiveness and from a generally enhanced corporate image.  Organisations are definitely developing a new green mentality and we are on the verge of an “environmental revolution”.

Please click here for full article