RECYCLING STUDY
SA’s waste ‘could boost GDP by 0.5%’
The Energy Research Centre study also notes recycling has the potential to increase domestic supply and lower commodity prices
A new study by the University of Cape Town’s Energy Research Centre shows that recycling could lead to a 0.5% rise in GDP. The study also notes that reintroducing waste as a commodity could yield social and environmental benefits including a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and soil and water contamination. The 2016 study investigated the potential effects of reintroducing resources into the economy through the waste management stream. A previous Council for Scientific and Industrial Research study showed that, of the estimated 19-million tonnes of municipal waste generated in SA in 2011, about 25% comprised mainline recyclables such as glass, paper, tin and plastic. In 2016, Environmental Affairs Minister Edna Molewa said her department was planning to help scale up waste-recycling enterprises through a support programme.
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