BiobiN™ Impacts

When we start to look at the food and organic waste stream as a secondary resource that has economic value, we change our perception of this waste type as something burdensome that will be expensive to landfill. When we start to consider that food and organic waste is actually recyclable, we can see that there is an entire economic value chain for this waste stream. The impeding organic waste landfill ban in the Western Cape in 2027 is also accelerating the development of the organic waste secondary market and with this development, more business are implementing ways to extract value from their organic waste stream.

To be able to report on your waste management performance, the first step is to draft and implement a waste management strategy with waste reduction and diversion targets. There is no one-size fits all waste management strategy; establishing targets is dependent on the nature of waste streams, volumes, recycling and disposal infrastructure.

Last year the organic waste management sector saw a significant amount of development in alternative waste treatment (AWT) methods and technology that was responsible for diverting more of this waste stream from landfill. This created a more secondary resource supply and a stronger secondary resource economy. We saw this with the compost and biogas markets. In 2023 we will see a continuation of the growth of the secondary resource market for organic waste.

Environmental management has become a crucial part of operating a business, and an integral component under this umbrella is waste management. No longer can a business discard all their waste into a ‘general waste’ bin, you need to have a plan for all waste streams, from solid waste recyclables to food and organic waste. Waste management for every business will look different, there is no one size fits all waste management strategy. 

When our relationship with nature is exploitative and destructive, the environment tends to strike
back, whether it be in the form of a pandemic or a subtle encroaching natural disaster like drought
and food shortages. We don’t need detailed scientific research to tell us that the health of the
environment directly impacts human health.

With organic waste regulations tightening, businesses have to look for alternative treatment options for their organic waste. Landfill costs are increasing, and municipal authorities are clamping down on businesses producing large volumes of organic waste and sending it to landfill. 

BiobiN South Africa discusses why on-site composting units are a very feasible alternative waste treatment solution that can process large volumes of any type of organic waste.

Desertification and drought are slow encroaching natural hazards, impacting society, the economy
and environment, and demands our immediate attention in order to continue sustaining food
production to meet basic human needs. 

Waste management is a heavily regulated sector due to the potential for adverse environmental risks when certain waste streams are not managed correctly. It is no different with organic waste. With the new ‘Norms and Standards for Composting’, the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment aims to encourage more sector to adopt composting technology to capture and process organic waste.

For the retail and agricultural sectors, sustainable waste management has become a priority across the full supply chain. While businesses are looking at ways to divert waste streams from landfill and improve materials recycling, an important consideration for the food supply chain is biosecure waste management.

Knowing that organic waste has the greatest environmental impacts on landfill, this waste stream is fast becoming more regulated. We have seen this with the proposed 50% landfill ban by 2022 and a complete ban by 2027. Adding to this regulation, businesses that produce large volumes of organic waste are required to manage it on-site to prevent unwanted environmental impacts and keep it separate from other waste streams, like solid recyclables.