On 4 September 2019, the Minister of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries published the Draft National Norms and Standards for Organic Waste Composting under the National Environmental Management Act: Waste Act, 2008 (NEMWA) and National Waste Management Strategy (NWMS) for comment.

An objective of the norms and standards will be that organic waste composting will no longer require a waste management licence under NEMWA. The norms and standards will seek to provide a national uniform approach relating to controlling the composting of organic waste at any facility that falls within the threshold, thereby ensuring that best practice is always followed.

The norms and standards are only applicable to compostable organic waste and to organic compositing facilities with the capacity to process > 10 tonnes per day.

Transitional arrangements apply.

Members of the public are invited to submit comments on the Draft National Norms and Standards for Organic Waste Composting by 4 November 2019.