INTERWASTE – LEADING THE REVOLUTION IN WASTE MANAGEMENT

As a leader in the South African waste management sector, Interwaste – A Séché Company – is at the forefront of an evolving industry that has shown its economic importance as the country recycles more to extract value from waste and as it leads the adoption of technology to improve operational efficiency.

Better management of waste to protect public health and the environment was only legislated in 2008. Being a relatively new regulatory policy, the National Environmental Management Waste Act is an incredibly progressive piece of legislation and has driven changes in the industry, and how the general public views the waste generated in the country.

However, there is still room for improvement if we are to align waste collection with the needs of the circular economy and more stringent disposal requirements. For example, while the industry can respond more flexibly to changing waste patterns and targets there needs to be a stronger focus on better implementation of on-demand and customised services – which are largely driven by innovation in the sector as a result of rapidly changing waste legislation.

The Changing Face of Retail Waste Management

As a service provider we can operate within the constraints of the existing infrastructure, but we are seeing more, and improved, eco-conscious design thinking in the development of shopping malls and business parks.

More renewable power design, better water management and recycling options are indications of design thinking that puts the environment at the centre of operations. This thinking is also seen in the waste management plans that are being developed for new centres.

Centre managers are making waste management the responsibility of tenants who are being charged by weight of waste generated. Even in a country as large as South Africa, a lack of space is altering how the waste sector is evolving. In the retail environment, where space is at a premium and expensive, better waste management systems are being designed into facilities and written into leases.

As more developers and centre managers shift towards zero waste to landfill policies, Interwaste has adapted how it services these centres. We have on-site staff to assist in the management and separation of the various types of waste generated in the environment. We offer this not only as a service but as an opportunity to educate and change mindsets. More and more, clients are seeing waste as more of a resource and less as a problem.

We support the conversation on incentivising behaviour that diverts waste from landfills, but without infrastructure in place to monitor and provide visibility around the data created, the adoption of waste management technology is a slow process.

Currently, many tenants are generally rewarded with rebates on waste that can be recycled and charged by weight. This system works, for now, because we are still encouraging mindset change.

Today, incentivising green behaviour is our best option. However, as the limited landfill space fills up and the legislation continues to evolve, the cost of waste disposal and management will rise. At some point we will see the introduction of penalties as the rules become more stringent and more waste streams are banned from landfill disposal.

Presently we use simple technology. Skips are scheduled to be emptied when attached monitors are triggered by waste weight or height. This technology could allow us to monitor and follow waste at a store level, determine the quantity and quality of waste and feed information directly back to clients. This information would assist waste management practices and nudge behaviour.

Using radio-frequency identification (RFID) chips would also improve “pay-as-you-throw” operations and improve billing by allocating cost to the amount of waste generated.

Waste management is a low margin and highly competitive sector. Technology offers scalable efficiencies, but we operate in an environment that has several economic, societal, and technological barriers.

New types of screening technology can sort through recyclables quickly and efficiently, which takes the work out of the hands of consumers and encourages higher recycling rates. We understand that manual handling is a vibrant and important part of the informal economy, but we continue to plan for a digital future that offers opportunities to reduce costs and create better opportunities further along the waste value chain.

One of the biggest challenges to adopting the technology to improve our services, and by extension our industry, are the gaps in the necessary infrastructure. We have adopted technology to improve our logistics operations. Automating the process of organising and dispatching vehicles and personnel and scheduling tasks means the process of collecting, storing, analysing information has been optimised.

At Interwaste technology is used, practically, to improve operational efficiencies including better route planning. Route planning optimization is more than GPS and vehicle tracking. Using our customer database, we can optimize pick up efficiency and improve waste removal time. Optimization tools allow us to react in real time to traffic conditions, plan detours and update clients, the technology has also allowed us to improve fuel consumption across our entire fleet.

Technology and the Circular Economy

Interwaste was started 33 years ago with a simple business model to collect and dispose of waste however, its service offering has expanded exponentially in line with shifting client needs, evolving waste legislation and a global awareness to protect our environment and precious natural resources. There is now a better understanding of the value of waste as a resource and an emphasis on the importance of alternative solutions for waste such as re-use, recycling, recovery and treatment options.

As our clients have embraced the circular economy, our business has evolved to provide alternative solutions to waste treatment and management. In a perfect system, we would eliminate waste out of processes through better design and manufacturing.

We believe in the incorporation of technology in disposal and recycling operations as well as ongoing education of all citizens to ensure that we are all doing our part to preserve our environment. We also understand that we face challenges in this country that make job creation as important as the efficiencies gained through technology.

Even as technology allows for a better understanding of the waste cycle through the amount of data we collect, we remain dependent on our clients in some instances to separate waste at source. With the assistance of Interwaste staff at retail points we are seeing better separation of waste and less contamination.

We are changing the mindsets of our clients, who in turn are changing the way that their customers look at waste and how they dispose of it.

With plastic, for example, while not widespread, we are seeing our retail clients rolling out vending machines that offer discounts or airtime to mall visitors who dispose of plastic waste in designated machines.

Changing mindsets takes time. As a leader in the waste management sector, we can see that a shift in attitudes is taking place. However, we need more education and awareness which will bring more diligence about how we treat waste. As well as the value of waste as an economic resource.