{"id":5938,"date":"2025-06-02T16:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-06-02T16:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.burn-the-priest.com\/?p=5938"},"modified":"2025-06-03T11:31:43","modified_gmt":"2025-06-03T11:31:43","slug":"government-withdraws-flawed-waste-tyre-management-plan-for-full-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.burn-the-priest.com\/index.php\/2025\/06\/02\/government-withdraws-flawed-waste-tyre-management-plan-for-full-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Government withdraws \u2018flawed\u2019 waste-tyre management plan for full review"},"content":{"rendered":"

Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Minister Dion George <\/a>has withdrawn the approval of the \u201cflawed\u201d industry waste-tyre management plan<\/a>, to ensure a comprehensive review.<\/p>\n

The withdrawal of approval for the plan, which was published in the Government Gazette<\/em> on 20 March last year, would enable the department \u201cto revisit the plan with a fine-tooth comb\u201d, the environment department<\/a> said on Monday.<\/p>\n

The minister\u2019s decision reflects his \u201ccommitment to thoroughly reviewing and strengthening environmental policies as a newly appointed leader\u201d, it added.<\/p>\n

In September, the Recycling and Economic Development Initiative of South Africa<\/a> (Redisa), a non-profit company, hauled the minister and his department to court over the plan \u2014 approved by former environment minister Barbara Creecy in March 2024 \u2014 which it said \u201cmasquerades as a solution\u201d to the country\u2019s waste-tyre crisis.<\/p>\n

In its court documents Redisa, which managed waste tyres from 2013 to 2017, said the plan had unachievable and unrealistic targets; lacked any budgetary detail; failed to use the available information and projections and was created and approved in a procedurally flawed manner. <\/p>\n

Redisa has welcomed George\u2019s decision after \u201cpublicly calling for this materially flawed and self-defeating plan to be scrapped\u201d. <\/p>\n

The environment department said that, since taking office, the minister had prioritised a \u201cmeticulous evaluation\u201d of decisions made by previous administrations. <\/p>\n

\u201cAfter careful consideration, he [George] has opted to withdraw the (plan) approval to allow for a detailed reassessment, ensuring the plan fully aligns with the department\u2019s objectives of sustainable waste management and robust governance.\u201d<\/p>\n

George said that, while the plan was developed through a prolonged and consultative process, \u201cconcerns have been raised regarding its alignment with current sector realities and policy intent\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe withdrawal enables a focused review to ensure the final plan is implementable, transparent and fully responsive to the operational and governance complexities facing the sector.\u201d<\/p>\n

The thorough review of the plan will involve renewed stakeholder engagement and the appointment of an organ of state, probably the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, to refine it, addressing areas such as data accuracy and sector capacity.<\/p>\n

The minister said his goal was to deliver a waste-tyre management plan that is practical, inclusive and futureproof. \u201cThis withdrawal is a proactive step to ensure we get it right, building a stronger foundation for the waste-tyre industry and environmental justice.\u201d<\/p>\n

Existing interim arrangements for waste-tyre collection and processing would continue, ensuring no disruption to the sector, the department said. It noted that engagements with the treasury were under way to secure a sustainable funding model while further details on the review process would be shared with stakeholders in due course.<\/p>\n

Redisa was responsible for the implementation of a waste-tyre recycling scheme from 2012 \u2014 the only one of its kind in the country \u2014 which entailed the creation and management of a national network for collecting discarded tyres, storing them and delivering them to recyclers for processing. <\/p>\n

This was envisaged as the beginning of a tyre recycling industry and the foundation of secondary industries for the use of products created by recyclers.<\/p>\n

In September 2017, Redisa and its management arm, Kusaga Taka Consulting, were  placed in final liquidation, based on a request from former environmental affairs minister Edna Molewa. In January 2019, the supreme court of appeal overturned the liquidation order.<\/p>\n

Redisa said that George \u201chas made a rational decision\u201d and \u201cshould be commended for taking the right action to resolve an issue he inherited\u201d. It was committed to cooperating fully with all parties and would request a meeting with the minister \u201cto discuss how best to manage the waste-tyre crisis in the country\u201d.<\/p>\n

The waste-tyre management plan, it maintained, was never going to be an effective solution to South Africa’s crisis. The country produces at least 253 000 tonnes of waste tyres a year, which was being \u201cmismanaged\u201d by the waste bureau under the department, with depots filling up and becoming fire hazards, while tyre dumping was increasing.<\/p>\n

\u201cApart from the public health threats caused by the uniquely toxic character of waste-tyre pollution, the mismanagement is also a lost opportunity for the South African economy, because, through a well-coordinated recycling process, economic development and job creation can be strengthened considerably,\u201d it said.<\/p>\n

The minister\u2019s decision was \u201cgood news, not just for the environment, but also for job creation through recycling in South Africa\u201d, it said, adding that it was eager to work with government departments and other stakeholders to make sure the waste-tyre crisis is addressed.<\/p>\n

It said that, during its tenure, it had built 22 tyre collection centres, employed more than 3 000 people, created 226 small waste enterprises, offset 59 000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions, empowered unskilled workers and stimulated emerging entrepreneurs.<\/p>\n

\u201cRedisa has the technical and policy experience to play a significant role in turning the waste-tyre crisis into a viable form of economic empowerment because it has done this before.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Minister Dion George has withdrawn the approval of the \u201cflawed\u201d industry waste-tyre management plan, to ensure a comprehensive review. The withdrawal of approval for the<\/p>\n

Continue reading <\/use> <\/svg>Government withdraws \u2018flawed\u2019 waste-tyre management plan for full review<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5937,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[8],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.burn-the-priest.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5938"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.burn-the-priest.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.burn-the-priest.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.burn-the-priest.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.burn-the-priest.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5938"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/www.burn-the-priest.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5938\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5939,"href":"http:\/\/www.burn-the-priest.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5938\/revisions\/5939"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.burn-the-priest.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5937"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.burn-the-priest.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5938"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.burn-the-priest.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5938"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.burn-the-priest.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5938"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}