4. Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETDs) - Faculties submissions
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Item Assessing how an alternative waste management system may facilitate subaltern and environmental justice: a thematic analysis of a zero waste pilot case study in South Africa(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Van Biljon (née Swart), Johanna Yvonne (Jani)Waste is socio-political – a symbol of our economic and consumerist society. Since the Industrial Revolution, our manufacturing processes and materialist lifestyles produced more hazardous and nondegradable externalities than we were prepared to deal with. With environmental and consumer pressure building, we are at a crossroads between continuing with business-as-usual and justly transitioning over to a systemically different, zero waste society where the focus on waste management shifts to waste prevention so that, like Karl Marx, it challenges and eventually changes production processes, ownership, consumption, and ultimately, our connection with the natural environment and each other. South Africa’s waste landscape is characterised by two things: its reliance on landfills and the thousands of informal waste pickers reclaiming the value of discarded goods. So, what could a zero waste system that is just toward the environment and the subaltern look like in South Africa? In exploring this question, I considered the work of waste pickers, as well as the case of an urban composting initiative for an inner-city market supporting the zero waste philosophy. Synthesising these, I imagine a gradual, deep bottom-up transformation in attitude, behaviour and eventually infrastructure with regard to our relationship with the environment, ownership and use, as well as the revaluation of the material and therefore waste ‘management’. The role and insights of waste pickers and local, informal economies will be crucial and influential. Though South African waste pickers do not yet participate in the organic waste stream on a noticeable scale, the prioritisation of composting by the Warwick Zero Waste project and the National Waste Management Strategy sees the recovery and local, low-tech, low-cost composting of organic waste as a vital starting point in establishing a more regenerative food and waste system that will build solidItem An Assessment of Beauty Waste Management Practices: A Case Study of Rustenburg Beauty Salons(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Knight, Jasper; Knight, JasperThe beauty salon industry is one of the fastest growing industries and is a significant waste generator in South Africa. Waste that results from beauty salons is a thorny environmental issue because it spans from different waste types and sources. Futhermore it requires waste treatment and different disposal methods. In view of this, this study seeks to assess waste management practices of beauty salons in Rustenburg, South Africa, in order to identify the types of waste salons generate and to identify recommendations that can assist beauty salons to be environmentally sustainable by improving their waste management practices. The aim of the research is to understand how beauty salon waste is discarded and to what degree beauty salon personnel understand the impacts of waste on the environment. The objectives of this research are to (1) determine the total amount of waste produced by selected beauty salons in Rustenburg, (2) identify the waste management practices undertaken by the beauty salons, (3) explore the challenges the beauty salons face in relation to waste management, and (4) identify recommendations of how beauty salons in South Africa can further improve their waste management practices. This study employed a mixed methods design through quantifying the amount of waste the selected beauty salons generate over a two month period, and by interviewing salon personell on their views on salon waste and waste management practices. Fifteen salons were surveyed. Results were analyzed using thematic analysis. The results show that the all the beauty salons combined produce a total annual estimated waste of 4732.2 kg. Through interviews, the study identified waste management practices of the beauty salons to be primarily premised on discarding waste in dustbins for municipal collection, burning waste, or dumping waste in unregulated dumping sites when waste service delivery poses challenges. These three practices are the most common modes of waste disposal in the Rustenburg beauty salons. Issues of waste management facing beauty salons includes lack of waste facilities and lack of knowledge about waste management. The major recommendation from beauty salons and civil (professional) organisations was for government to provide beauty salons with better infrastructure for waste sorting, recycling, pick-up and disposal. Promotion of good practice and awareness campaigns were cited as recommendations to improve waste management practices in beauty salonsItem Consumption, Waste and the Middle-Class Mindset: A Qualitative Exploration of Gendered Attitudes and Beliefs in South African Suburbs(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023-10) Borralho, Carina De Freitas; Iqani, MehitaThis dissertation explores the complicated relationship between South Africa’s growing middle class, and their patterns around consumption and waste. Crucially, it identifies who the middle class hold responsible for consumerism and waste management. It also looks at these ideas through the lens of gender to uncover variations in the way different genders perceive and approach consumption and waste. A qualitative approach was used (using interviews, waste diaries, and a survey). Preliminary findings indicate that middle-class white South African women tend to engage in conspicuous consumption, impacting their waste generation. However, women's family-oriented consumption also influences their purchasing and waste habits. Surprisingly, participants viewed women favourably in terms of consumption and waste, despite waste-diary evidence to the contrary. This research contributes valuable insight into consumption and waste as social, cultural, racial, and gendered matters – instead of purely environmental ones. Ultimately, it shows that gender, race and socio-economic class play a role in how much an individual consumes and wastes, and highlights the need for increased education around these topics in South Africa.Item Public Private Partnerships for Municipal Waste Management in the City of Johannesburg(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023) Madiba, DineoMunicipal solid waste management is increasingly becoming a burden while population growth, urbanisation and economic growth have overwhelmed the municipalities capacity to deliver waste services. In response municipalities are increasingly implementing public private partnerships to meet the growing demand for waste services. This qualitative study was conducted in the City of Johannesburg and focuses on investigating the challenges of public private partnerships for the delivery of waste services more specifically the study will focus on the Separation at Source program. Thirteen interviews were conducted involving participants from Pikitup, co-operatives, private companies, and an NGO. Interview guides were developed and interview questions were informed by the theoretical framework and themes identified in the literature review. Other sources of information consulted included legislative frameworks as well as Pikitup’s business plan. The results of this study indicate several challenges in the partnership model used to implement the Separation at Source program and the challenges can be summarised as institutional, financial, operational, and technical all of which are preconditions necessary to make partnerships work. It was also observed that stakeholder consultation and participation was inadequate leading to a lack of buy-in from key stakeholders