In South Africa, organic waste still accounts for more than 40% of material sent to landfill each year. This practice is both economically inefficient and environmentally damaging. By 2027, the ban on organic waste to landfill takes full effect. National government is likely to follow suit shortly after. Every business, whether in food, manufacturing, healthcare, or education, will need to find an alternative to landfill for their organic waste stream. The question is no longer whether zero organic waste to landfill is possible, but rather how this should be done.
Understanding the waste chain
The very first step in a business’s zero-waste journey should be a comprehensive waste audit to identify at what points waste is being generated, what types of waste, and in what volumes. Organic waste originates in almost all operations linked to a product value chain, starting at stock ordering, food preparation, packaging, dispatching and cleaning. For a business to reduce their organic waste, the waste management strategy needs to be integrated across these activities.
Once the waste data is understood, separation at source, reduction, redistribution and beneficiation activities can be implemented at various stages along the supply chain.
For organic waste, the two most favourable waste management options include redistribution and beneficiation through composting. In retail, food surplus that does not go to market should be redistributed to food drives and community kitchens. This is crucial given the widespread issue of food shortage and malnutrition in the country. Food that is not fit for human consumption should be composted. This incredibly important secondary resource plays a massive role in soil health and agricultural sustainability, for commercial farming and subsistence farming.
Let’s look at how different sectors can apply these two waste management practices:
Sector applications
In retail and food production, the largest gains come from controlling surplus and spoilage. Chain stores that integrate composting at distribution centres can process expired goods immediately rather than transporting them to landfill.
In hospitality, kitchens and catering services are ideal sites for closed-loop systems. Compost from on-site treatment can support landscaping and local food gardens, creating visible links between waste management and soil health. Some lodges and remote tourism sites already use BiobiN units to process kitchen waste and supply compost to nearby smallhold farms.
In healthcare, hospitals generate significant quantities of biodegradable waste that do not qualify as hazardous. Separating this from the start and processing it through controlled composting reduces waste management costs and supports compliance with green hospital standards promoted by the Department of Health.
For universities and schools, composting infrastructure can form part of campus sustainability programmes and practical learning. For example, Nelson Mandela University’s George Campus’ horticulture team manages and incorporates composting into its botanical gardens and landscape maintenance, showing how environmental management supports institutional identity.
Building internal capacity
Reaching zero waste requires commitment. When compost gets contaminated with plastic, and vice versa, it reduces the quality of the secondary resource. While waste infrastructure is important, so is training and capacity building. Businesses that invest in building capacity internally early will discover that waste data also provides operational insight, revealing inefficiencies in purchasing, logistics, and resource use.
It’s important not to think of the landfill ban as a disruption to business, but rather an invitation to redesign business processes. When organisations shift from reactive waste disposal to proactive material management, they can tap into new income streams, create jobs, secondary resources, and improve overall operational sustainability. BiobiN provides an efficient model to accelerate this shift to zero organic waste to landfill.