SRI Activities

The country project for South Africa is currently being implemented as Phase II of the SRI Programme.

South Africa joined the programme much later than other SRI countries (Peru, Egypt, Ghana, and Columbia), but activities were eventually started in late 2020. The project is expected to be completed by mid-2025. The SRI South African project follows the generic log frame for all countries and comprises of both national and local project components which are set up to compliment and strengthen each other while maintaining their respective delivery focus.

The national project comprises several key outputs aimed at creating a more capacitated, educated and level playing field within the South African WEEE management space and for all EEE value chain partners. Amongst other things, the national project key delivery objectives focus on the development of a National WEEE Policy and minimum requirement-based operational and technical Norms and Standards for all WEEE operators and/or their facilities in the South African WEEE management chain.

Additionally, the project seeks to develop an auditing protocol aligned to these Norms and Standards and set up pilot audits to test these auditing protocols. Curriculum outlines have been put in place and currently await approval to co-develop two future accredited national training programmes together with the relevant Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETAs). Finally, the national project component is also conducting research to assess and identify currently applicable South African solutions for hazardous WEEE fractions.

The local project is being implemented within the iLembe District Municipality in the KwaZulu-Natal Province. The aim of iLembe project is to ensure harmonisation of local policies and by-laws and to strengthen the interface between all stakeholders in the local WEEE value chain. To achieve this, the team is establishing an iLembe e-waste recycling partnership initiative named ‘WEEE are iLembe’.

Through this partnership, the SRI team will be driving a range of initiatives together with local e-waste partners. The initiatives include a local e-waste awareness campaign, a household and business e-waste behaviour and preferences survey, and technical support to local government in both establishing WEEE-aligned drop-off and buy-back centres and harmonising local policies and by-laws with national legislation and regulations.