South Africa’s Extended Producer Responsibility regulations are revolutionising waste management through the National Environmental Management: Waste Act. As a leader in the plant protection industry, CropLife South Africa is leading the charge. Here’s how they are making a difference.
In South Africa, waste management has become a serious challenge. Everywhere you look, from food wrappers to industrial packaging, solid waste is piling up and affecting the environment.
Recognising the need for change, the department of forestry, fisheries and the environment (DFFE) introduced Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) regulations under the National Environmental Management: Waste Act in November 2021.
These regulations aim to hold producers accountable for the lifecycle management of their products and packaging, even after consumer use.
Dr Gerhard Verdoorn, operations and stewardship manager at CropLife South Africa, emphasised the importance of these regulations, describing them as an excellent initiative from the department of forestry, fisheries, and the environment.
“In 2021, in November, they published the first EPR regulations as the broad umbrella under which all industries fall. And the plant protection industry is one of the industries that actually have to comply with that particular set of regulations. The base of the regulations is there to contain and to manage solid waste in the country,” Verdoorn said.
For the plant protection industry, the regulations extend beyond solid waste. They mandate that manufacturers of pesticides and their containers establish systems to facilitate the responsible disposal of empty containers and leftover chemicals, referred to as “obsolete stocks.”
A structured approach to waste management
CropLife South Africa has been at the forefront of EPR implementation. According to Verdoorn, the organisation has been running an EPR-like scheme since 2010, long before it became mandatory
“When the department promulgated the EPR scheme for the pesticide sector in March 2023, they gave us a legal mandate that we could now operate formally.
“This means if you’re not a member of CropLife SA, by law you have to register yourself as a pesticide producer with the department of environmental affairs under the African Waste Information Centre system,” Verdoorn said.
This legal support allowed CropLife SA to formalise its operations. With funds collected from its members, the organisation has been able to efficiently manage the disposal of empty containers and outdated pesticides.
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Mandates and compliance
Quade Sing Jam, compliance specialist at CropLife SA, underscores the importance of registering plant protection products with the DFFE saying that it is mandatory.
“The regulation makes it very clear… the industry has the responsibility to manage the life cycles of these products. And by managing the life cycles of these products, there’s traceability and accountability for the actual production or usage and sales of these pesticides.”
Producers have two options for compliance: join an existing producer responsibility organisation (PRO) like CropLife SA or establish their own PRO.
However, as Verdoorn points out, “It simply doesn’t make sense” for individual companies to manage compliance alone.
Non-compliance comes with severe consequences, Sing Jam noted. “It is clear within the regulations that if you are a product registration holder, your whole product registration would be revoked. There is no way that you’re going to get the renewal of your registrations. At the end of the day, putting your business in jeopardy,” Sing Jam explained.
Successes of CropLife SA’s PRO
The results of CropLife SA’s efforts have been remarkable. Sing Jam reported that in 2024 alone, the organisation achieved significant milestones:
- Acquiring shredding machines and granulators for recyclers across multiple provinces.
- Deploying a mobile baler that collects and bales waste drums directly from farms.
- Successfully incinerating 108 tons of obsolete stocks.
These initiatives have drastically increased plastic recycling rates, particularly in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal.
Verdoorn added that South Africa is now a leader in sustainable practices.
“We are the second country in the world that manufactures a new pesticide drum by using material coming out of an old pesticide drum that is properly cleaned and recycled and melted and going back into the system.”
CropLife SA has also certified 161 recyclers, ensuring a robust network for waste collection and recycling. One recycler in the Free State alone processes over 1 000 tons of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) annually.
As EPR regulations continue to reshape industries, CropLife SA’s proactive approach serves as a blueprint for responsible waste management.
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