Wasting the Nation.indd - Groundwork

Chapter 2: Rubbish FiguresThe definition of these categories was as much pragmatic as scientific. They wereconceived to identify priorities for dealing with wastes but also to make wastemanagement “affordable” to industry. In consequence, the report locates as much wasteas possible in the lower categories. Thus, the bulk of mining waste is rated in groups4 and 5, with only the waste of zinc refining and antimony mining seen as hazardousenough to fit into group 1. The authors acknowledge that “the lack of information …on the composition and site-specific circumstances of each individual waste stream”make the hazard ratings uncertain” and better information “might produce ratherdifferent results” [CSIR 1992: 5,9]. Indeed, the “rather different results” are evidenton the ground. To take just one example described in Chapter 4, the WonderfonteinRiver on the West Rand has been turned radio-active by bulk mining waste probablyclassified as group 4 or 5. 9 These hazard ratings were incorporated into the DWAF’s‘minimum requirements’ with some amendments, made in 1998, notably to includecarcinogens and teratogens. 10The Environment Outlook gives the following table for hazardous wastes from industryand mining.Table 3: Hazardous wastes per sector (in tonnes/year)IndustrialsectorGroup1Group2Group3Group4Group5 TotalManufacturing 22,313 148,205 281,167 4,772,190 10,149,134 15,373,009Metals 0 11 334,698 4,566,830 0 4,901,539Services 0 33,300 14,001 1,654,098 20,190,000 21,891,399Sub-total 22,313 181,516 629,866 10,993,118 30,339,134 42,165,947Mining 180 1,046,489 12,317 34,775,629 340,807,436 376,642,051Grand total 22,493 1,228,005 642,183 45,765,747 371,146,470 418,804,998Source: South Africa Environment Outlook [DEAT 2006a]Note that the final total is wrong. Vertical and horizontal totals add up to 418,807,998.Environment Outlook references sources from 1998 and 1995. In fact, these figuresare from CSIR 1992. Thus, the grand totals for groups 1, 2 and 3 in the table add up9 We cannot know the actual classification because the data was confidential. However, the very large bulk of thiswaste suggests that it cannot have been included in the more hazardous categories.10 Carcinogens cause cancer. Teratogens cause birth defects.Wasting the Nation - groundWork - 25 -