National Environmental Management: Waste Act

Waste is one of the most intensely regulated aspects of environmental management in South Africa, with debates continuing regarding what should be considered a “waste” and what should be excluded from the requirements of the legislation. The intention of the Act and subordinate legislation is to:

• “reform the law regulating waste management in order to protect health and the environment by providing reasonable measures for the prevention of pollution and ecological degradation and for securing ecologically sustainable development;
• provide for institutional arrangements and planning matters;
• provide for national norms and standards for regulating the management of waste by all spheres of government; to provide for specific waste management measures;
• provide for the licensing and control of waste management activities;
• provide for the remediation of contaminated land;
• provide for the national waste information system;
• provide for compliance and enforcement;” etc.

CTFA actively follows developments in terms of the regulation of waste in South Africa. Although there is a host of diverse legislation governing waste from generation to ultimate management, the most relevant to the cosmetics and personal care sector is given below.