The Limpopo Department of Economic Development, Environment and Tourism in collaboration with the National Cleaner Production Centre, South Africa (NCPC-SA) is set to host an event to share the impact that has been made in the past three years through a waste minimization programme in the province.

The event which will be hosted on Tuesday, 7 February 2023 at the Meropa Casino and Entertainment World, Polokwane will share results and future opportunities through the Limpopo Industrial Symbiosis Program (LIM-ISP) run in the province since 2019.

The Industrial Symbiosis Program or ISP as it is more commonly known has been a successful partnership project in many provinces that aims to reduce waste landfill by facilitating waste or resource exchanges.

The program has successfully diverted 49 518 tonnes of waste from landfills, saving 181 370 tonnes in CO2 emissions and creating eight permanent and 12 temporary jobs in the province.

The workshop on the 7th of February will highlight how these savings were achieved and plans to continue the positive impact in the province. The NCPC-SA will demonstrate how companies can get involved and benefit from the programme, while local beneficiaries will share their case studies and experiences.

for the NCPC-SA Senior Manager, Mr Victor Manavhela says that the workshop will prove helpful to small businesses. “ISP synergies not only benefit small businesses by providing waste solutions but, also offer large industries a platform to circulate unused or wasted resources. Preventing them from disposing the waste to landfill, saving money and valuable landfill space,” he said.

For companies that would like to register and find more details about the event or programme, send an email to ncpc@csir.co.za.

National Program, local impact

Only one year after establishing the industrial symbiosis partnership, Dziphathutshedzo Green Surfacing and PWK Waste Management Recycling diverted 11 tonnes of waste from the landfill. Dziphathutshedzo Green Surfacing recycled HDPE plastic, that was collected and stockpiled by PWK Waste Management and manufactured it into eco-friendly and durable paving bricks and steppingstones.

Ngwaabe Waste Management and Projects, a local solution provider, requested LIM-ISP’s assistance to tap into a waste stream that predominantly favours Gauteng-based solution providers within Limpopo. Accordingly, LIM-ISP facilitated Two Rivers Platinum Mine to exchange their scrap steel with Ngwaabe Waste Management and Projects, resulting in 88 tonnes of waste diverted from the landfill.

These are just two of the 40 Industrial Symbiosis success stories that will be celebrated at the LIM-ISP impact and information-sharing workshop. Each demonstrates how LIM-ISP assists industry in Limpopo to recover and redirect residual resources for reuse by employing IS principles.

The IS Programme is a free facilitation service that promotes the exchange of residual resources (material, energy, water, waste, assets, logistics, expertise, etc.) of one company with another that can use it.

Including Limpopo, the NCPC-SA implements the IS Programme in Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, and the Free State. The NCPC-SA is a national industry support programme managed by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research on behalf of the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition.

Although this is a free attendance workshop that will be held in-person and online via MS Teams, registration is essential, as space is limited. Pre-registrations are now open on the NCPC-SA website.

Event details:

Date: Tuesday, 07 February 2023

Time: 09:00 - 14:00

Venue: Meropa Casino and Entertainment World, Polokwane

Registration: NCPC-SA website