Wasting the Nation.indd - Groundwork

Chapter 3: The politics of wastedid nothing to rectify the operation. Provisional permitting was extended several timesto give the municipality time to develop an alternative waste plan. The municipalityaccepted an offer from groundWork to assist with the plan but then did nothing toinitiate the process. Finally, following a further inspection, the DEAT closed the plantat the end of 2005. 46It may be hoped that Ixopo was the worst incinerator in the country. It is not certainhowever as it is doubtful that the DEAT’s inspections there would have been carriedout but for the pressure from groundWork. In the last two years, DEAT has beenbeefing up its capacity, off a base so low it was scarcely visible, but it is unlikely that itwill meet even the lacklustre standards of US or British oversight any time soon.Ixopo was the last medical waste incinerator operating in KwaZulu-Natal. CompassWaste has subsequently invested in an autoclave – a non-burn technology. EnviroServproposed a new incinerator at Shongweni outside Durban in 2002 but met with stifflocal resistance. In 2005 it opted for an autoclave at this site and announced that itwould move away from incineration of medical wastes nationally. Other companiesfollowed this lead in KwaZulu-Natal. Nationally, however, there was a steady streamof proposals for new medical waste incinerators.Box 10: Health Care Without HarmWhile opposing incineration, groundWork also worked with selected hospitals inKwaZulu-Natal to reduce their waste streams and separate potentially hazardousmedical wastes from ordinary waste. In 2000, it linked with the internationalcampaign for Health Care Without Harm and initiated skills share programmes withtwo hospitals in KwaZulu-Natal. Both hospitals dramatically reduced the numberof red bags, containing hazardous waste, and consequently made considerable costsavings. The campaign achieved a further success when the provincial departmentof health decided to phase out the use of medical equipment containing mercury.‘Improving’ health care waste management was subsequently made one of theobjectives of the DEAT’s NWMS implementation project. Nevertheless, the DEATappears reluctant to let go of incineration as a disposal option and has not insistedon non-burn technologies for waste disposal.46 The saga is reported in the groundWork Newsletter, March 2006- 64 - groundWork - Wasting the Nation