The deal is part of a R230 billion investment package agreed on with the European Union for green infrastructure and logistics.
Over half a billion rand will be injected into the Johannesburg municipality’s coffers for the sole purpose of improving waste management.
The city was last week granted €27.5 million — R551 million as per Monday’s exchange rate — by a Dutch government infrastructure investment body, Invest International.
Signed in Sandton, the deal will help fund the construction of a waste management facility that repurposes household waste instead of leaving it to accumulate in landfills.
Alternative waste treatments
Johannesburg is committed to implementing an Alternative Waste Treatment Technology (AWTT) project to upgrade the city’s waste management capacity.
Mayor Dada Morero thanked the Kingdom of the Netherlands for its commitment to the city and the vote of confidence in its future.
“This is far more than funding; it is a powerful endorsement of our vision for a greener Johannesburg and a tangible commitment to South Africa’s Just Energy Transition (JET),” said Morero.
As a substitute for dumping waste in a landfill, AWTT involves running household waste and refuse through a variety of processes to break down and restructure the compounds.
The repurposing of household waste can take several forms, such as hydrothermal carbonisation, as well as thermochemical, biological and mechanical treatments.
Proposed societal benefits
The AWTT conceptualised by the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) for Johannesburg aims to convert roughly one-third of the city’s annual waste into renewable products.
In doing so, DBSA aims to create 36 megawatts of energy to be generated and converted via a future public-private partnership.
This deal with the Dutch will help the city align with national waste management strategies and JET objectives.
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Societal benefits include a reduction in landfill dependency and the development of a recycle and reuse mindset.
“Beyond environmental benefits, the project will bring about meaningful social and economic transformation.
“It will uplift waste picker communities, create green jobs, promote gender inclusion, and stimulate local innovation through circular economy solutions,” said Mayor Morero.
EU and Invest international
The deal is part of the European Union’s €11.5 billion — roughly R230 billion — investment package agreed upon last week.
“South Africa and Team Europe are partnering to accelerate the shift towards low-carbon, renewable energy through investments in new generation capacity, grid upgrades, energy storage or green hydrogen, helping to cut emissions while building future-proof industries,” the EU’s Global Gateway announcement stated.
The investment package will include R174 billion in energy efficiency products and ecosystem development, and R24 billion toward “greening municipal service delivery”.
An additional R26 billion will go towards green connectivity infrastructure and logistics, with a further R5.8 billion going towards improving South Africa’s pharmaceutical manufacturing capacity.
Invest International partners with foreign governments to assist with the development of public infrastructure.
Among its success stories, Invest International cite a satellite-based water monitoring and flow forecasting system in Niger and the distribution of reusable, erasable notebooks in Kenya.
Their projects centre around two United Nations Sustainable Development Goals: Goal 8 on quality employment and growth, as well as Goal 13 on climate change.
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