With a new National Waste Management Strategy, a landfill ban one year away, new sustainability reporting standards and consumer pressure, 2026 is likely to be the year where organic waste becomes a more urgent operational issue for many organisations.
If your organisation generates food waste regularly, it’s possible that you are already seeing the early signs of what 2027 could intensify, such as increasing collection costs, contamination challenges and growing pressure to show credible diversion outcomes rather than general sustainability statements.
Below are the trends we expect may steer organic waste management in 2026.
2026 as a compliance test year for 2027
2026 will function as the test year for businesses that have not yet improved separation systems or diversion planning. Many organisations in the Western Cape have acknowledged the 2027 With this we will also notice an increase in local composting initiatives, anaerobic digestion (biogas) plants, and even Black Soldier Fly (BSF) treatment facilities across the province.
On-site composting, with in-vessel units like BiobiN, will remain the preferred organic waste treatment option, as it is a clean and efficient process. It also reduces the need for transport.
Transparent waste reporting is a reputational requirement
Waste reporting is expected to become more visible and less negotiable in 2026. This is not only a regulatory issue. It is also driven by Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) standards, procurement standards and investor pressure.
Many revised sustainability disclosure standards indicate increasing emphasis on diversion planning and measurement, which suggests that reporting requirements and audit expectations will become more stringent over time.
Reduced transport distances may become an operational priority
A growing trend we see is the gradual move away from long-distance transport models, because the costs and carbon implications are becoming more difficult to justify. In 2026, it is possible that more businesses will begin redesigning their organic waste systems around proximity and on-site processing.
Smaller organic waste generators should form partnerships to start centralised composting operations. This could include in-vessel composting units in business parks or shopping malls. Composting technology is also rapidly advancing, with mobile units available, providing the ability to relocate composting operations based on where waste is generated at different times.
Local treatment capacity may become the decisive issue
National and provincial organic waste diversion targets assume that there will be enough treatment capacity to meet demand, but research has acknowledged that capacity constraints remain a major barrier.
This makes it possible that 2026 will bring more attention toward scaling composting operations and capacity, decentralised processing and other organic waste treatment systems that can deliver consistent treatment outcomes.
What does this mean for businesses in 2026
With a new National Waste Management Strategy, there will be a lot of pressure placed on different industries to design waste management plans that prioritise landfill diversion. This means that if you are a business producing organic waste, you will need to create a separation at source disposal system. Following this, you will need to start measuring the volumes of waste generated, volumes sent to landfill, and volumes repurposed. Start with organic waste.
Image credit: Mikhail Nilov