Browsing by Author "Chitaka, Takunda Y."

Now showing 1 - 6 of 6
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    Developing country imperatives in the circular bioeconomy: A review of the South African case
    (Elsevier, 2023) Chitaka, Takunda Y.; Schenck, Catherina
    A key principle in the circular bioeconomy is the cascading use of biomass in products that create the most value over its lifetime. For example, the production of fine chemicals or pharmaceuticals are considered high value processes in comparison to energy production or the production of bulk materials such as compost. However, such “low value” applications may be associated with greater environmental and socio-economic benefits depending on the context. This paper explores factors influencing a developing country’s transition to a circular bioeconomy. Through a review of the South African case, it was found that national priorities and strategies places emphasis on composting and anaerobic digestion as primary methods for organic waste diversion from landfill. This may in part be attributed to the fact that the technologies can theoretically process a wide variety of waste stocks and they are already commercially established in the country. In addition, the potential sustainability benefits associated with these methods have the potential to mitigate many challenges being faced by the country including job creation, food security, energy security and climate change mitigation.
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    Disposable diaper usage, disposal practices and quantity estimation in rural areas
    (Elsevier, 2024) Nell, Charlotte M.; Schenck, Catherina J.; Chitaka, Takunda Y.
    This study aimed to describe the disposable diaper usage, disposal practices and quantity estimation in a specified rural setting within a developing, sub-Saharan country, South Africa. Quantitative and qualitative data collection methods were used to collect primary data, which included survey research, focus group discussions, participatory thematic mapping, illegal dumping mapping and member checking. Most diapers end up within the natural receiving environment due to a lack of formalised waste management service provision. Dumping hot spots are water courses and streams. On average, each infant generates 4.47 diapers per day, while an average of 158,154 and 34,493 total diapers are generated daily within Bushbuckridge and Maruleng, respectively. High unemployment and grant-dependency rates characterise the study area, and households often spend the majority of child support grants to purchase diapers. Residents were willing to use a diaper disposal point and are not opposed to incineration. This study forms a comprehensive baseline to determine the feasibility of disposable diaper beneficiation options in rural areas.
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    The myth of livelihoods through urban mining: The case of e-waste pickers in Cape Town
    (Academy of Science of South Africa, 2022) Chitaka, Takunda Y.; Moyo, Thandazile; Gihring, Katharina
    Waste pickers are widely acknowledged as an integral part of the formal and informal economy, diverting waste into the secondary resource economy through urban mining. Urban mining in itself is considered to be a source of livelihoods. We investigated the livelihoods of e-waste pickers through 110 surveys in Cape Town, South Africa. Waste pickers often indicated that they were engaged in the sector not by choice but by necessity, expressing that earning money is the only enjoyable aspect of their job. The results from the study substantiate that it is unlikely that waste pickers could survive on e-waste picking alone as 83.3% of reported incomes were below minimum wage, with 22.9% below the food poverty line. Thus, the majority of waste pickers collected a wide array of recyclables. We also found that the waste pickers in Cape Town engage in multiple e-waste related activities, including collection, dismantling and processing to a lesser extent.
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    Transitioning towards a circular bioeconomy in South Africa: Who are the key players?
    (Academy of Science of South Africa, 2022) Chitaka, Takunda Y.; Schenck, Catherina
    The transition towards a circular economy is becoming a priority in many countries globally. However, the circular bioeconomy has received relatively less attention. In South Africa, the valorisation of organic waste is a priority area as demonstrated by national goals to divert organic waste from landfill. To support the growth of the organic waste value chain it is important to gain an understanding of the different value chain actors and their activities. Through a series of semi-structured interviews across the industry, this paper unpacks the organic waste value chain including the roles of different actors and the interlinkages amongst them. Interviewed actors were those involved in the waste treatment sector, including consultants, composters and technology providers and installers. The value chain is characterised by a number of partnerships, including sub-contracting and outsourcing, which enable value chain actors to offer services that they do not necessarily have the in-house skills or capacity to deliver on their own. The majority of actors were not directly engaged in activities related to the treatment of waste, with many of them engaging in support activities to facilitate the treatment of waste.
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    Transitioning towards a circular bioeconomy in South Africa: Who are the key players?
    (Academy of Science of South Africa, 2022) Chitaka, Takunda Y.; Schenck, Catherina
    The transition towards a circular economy is becoming a priority in many countries globally. However, the circular bioeconomy has received relatively less attention. In South Africa, the valorisation of organic waste is a priority area as demonstrated by national goals to divert organic waste from landfill. To support the growth of the organic waste value chain it is important to gain an understanding of the different value chain actors and their activities. Through a series of semi-structured interviews across the industry, this paper unpacks the organic waste value chain including the roles of different actors and the interlinkages amongst them. Interviewed actors were those involved in the waste treatment sector, including consultants, composters and technology providers and installers.
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    Urban mining versus Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining (ASM): An interrogation of their contribution to sustainable livelihoods in sub-Saharan Africa
    (Elsevier, 2022) Moyo, Thandazile; Chitaka, Takunda Y.; Lotter, Aysha
    Electronic waste (e-waste) recycling and artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) are activities that are increasingly finding uptake as a means of providing livelihoods in the face of high unemployment, especially in the developing world. Informal e-waste recycling is typically practiced by individuals or groups of people who collect end-of-use and end-of-life electronic and electrical equipment which they can repair or refurbish and resell as well as break down to sell valuable components. E-waste recycling is a form of urban mining; thus, the intention of the paper is to draw parallels between this form of mining and artisanal gold mining. Artisanal miners extract virgin minerals while ‘urban miners’ reclaim metals from various waste streams. Both sectors are characterized by high levels of informality and their activities are largely practiced as a means of livelihood. We used the sustainable livelihoods framework (SLF) as a tool to draw this comparison based on available literature on the two sectors, complemented by anecdotal field data. It was found that the livelihood capitals are similar between the two sectors and that there are strong similarities in the vulnerability contexts, with a notable dif- ference being that informal ASM, which has a more significant interaction with the natural environment, places higher demands on natural and physical capital such as land and water pollution and limited access to transport. Recommendations are made on how to strengthen the different capitals of sustainable livelihoods in the hope that these will inform policy decisions on informal sector activities.