Waste Projects
Project Coordinator - Llewellyn Leonard
| NEW!! Read
groundWork's presentation
to the International Healthcare Waste Conference, Sandton,
August 2003. Download the powerpoint presentation
here. |
groundWork's Waste
Project aims to reduce and, where possible eliminate, the harmful
effects of health care waste, industrial landfill waste and incineration
on human health and the environment in Southern Africa.
Health care waste
This project uses the twin prong strategy of working both with
medical waste institutions to assist them in reducing their
wastes, as well as with communities affected by the unsafe dumping
or burning of health care waste.
groundWork’s ‘greening hospitals campaign’, was
started in December 2000 to help health care institutions reduce
the amount of health care waste generated, thereby saving costs
and increasing occupational health and safety, not only for
staff but also for surrounding communities. The two hospitals
first identified for greening are Ngwelezane Hospital, Empangeni,
and Edendale Hospital, Pietermaritzburg.
Incineration
groundWork is continuously involved in campaigns to oppose
incinerator proposals around the country. While many Northern
and some Southern countries have shifted away from incineration
because of the serious health and environmental risks it poses,
South Africa continues to witness a growing number of proposals
for new incinerators. groundWork is convinced that incineration
is an outdated, polluting, capital intensive technology which
does not make environmental nor economic sense.
Industrial Landfill waste
groundWork provides assistance to communities who are adversely
affected by pollution emanating from landfill sites, in particularly
hazardous landfill sites.
To ensure that the objectives for the project are fulfilled,
certain outputs have been formulated. These are as follows: |
| Community
Action to reduce the harmful effects of health care waste and
incineration in South Africa |
 Health
Care Without Harm |
 
The Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives |
 |
1. An inventory of all incinerators in SA will be compiled. groundWork
has already started compiling an inventory for incinerators and will be
following up this inventory on an ongoing basis. To begin with, groundWork
is keeping tabs of all new
incinerator projects currently being proposed in SA.
2. The implementation of national policies and international conventions
relating to health care waste will be monitored. Thus far, the KwaZulu-Natal
and Gauteng Health Care Waste Management Policies are being monitored,
including the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) 0248, Management
of Health Care Waste – Code of Practice.
3. A strategy for greening at least one hospital will be formulated.
The aim is to help the
institutions to reduce the amount of waste produced thereby saving costs
and increasing occupational health and safety. Currently, two of
the hospitals that have been identified for greening are Ngwelezana hospital
at Empangeni and Edendale hospital in Pietermaritzburg. It is hoped
that these hospitals would eventually serve as model institutions for
other hospitals to follow. groundWork, together with the
Department of Health (DOH), is already working closely with both hospitals
to promote waste reduction through education and awareness via hospital
posters. A series of 13 hospital waste posters have been developed
on such topics as: "Health is wealth", "Think before you
throw" and "Handle mercury with care".
4. A technical assistance service provided to communities will also be
formulated. Last year (2001) groundWork hosted a Medical Waste
Skills Share visit by two experts from the United States, so as to provide
insight into proper health care waste management. This Skills Share visit
was conducted at the above two mentioned institutions, but also at the
Good Shepherd Hospital in Swaziland.
5. A national civil society organization (CSO) strategy on health care
waste will also be developed and implemented, as well as community links
with national and international CSO campaigns facilitated during the course
of 2002. A combined health care waste and incineration workshop
took place in Isipingo, Durban in April 2002. This workshop was
attended by representatives from South African communities, Mozambique
and Swaziland. At this workshop participants adopted the Isipingo
Declaration.
6. In addition to the above outputs, a media strategy and information
service will be developed and implemented, as well as a response strategy
to support communities affected by environmental events.
The Coordinator of this Project is Llewellyn Leonard. He
can be contacted on llewellyn@groundwork.org.za
or at the groundWork office on 033-342 5662. |
