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What is IPWIS? Queries Background Why the need for IPWIS? Current Policy and Legislative Framework supporting IPWIS IPWIS Project Schedule Who Should Report? How do you Register and Report on your Waste Management Practises/Operation to IPWIS? What Information will IPWIS provide? What are the benefits of IPWIS? Who is on the IPWIS Team?

The Integrated Pollutant and Waste Information System (IPWIS) is a system that provides accurate and complete information on:

• potentially harmful pollutant releases or transfers to the environment from a variety of sources (point and non-point),
• waste types and the quantities generated in the Western Cape,
• waste generators, waste management service providers and waste disposal facilities in the Western Cape

Tel: 021 483 2749 / 2747
Email: ipwis@pgwc.gov.za
Fax: 021 483 2979

The Policy on Integrated Pollution and Waste Management (IPWM) for South Africa outlines government's new thinking with regard to pollution and waste management. This policy sets 7 goals for waste management in South Africa.

The IPWM concluded that monitoring and collecting information on pollution and waste generation is crucial to implementation pollution and waste reduction measures. Therefore the need to develop databases on waste and pollutant releases is supported by the IPWM goal which emphasises the need "To promote information management with respect to integrated pollution and waste management by developing and maintaining databases and information management systems that provide accessible information to interested and affected parties (I&AP's) that will support effective integrated pollution and waste management via informed decision making."

As a result the National Waste Management Strategy (NWMS) and Action Plans were developed to transform the IPWM into reality. It identified the promotion and establishment of a functional Waste Information System (WIS) as a short-term goal and the establishment of a Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (PRTR) as a more long-term goal.

The development of the IPWIS will therefore greatly contribute to meeting the strategic objective with regard to information management as set out in the IPWM and the NWMS and would facilitate data collection and reporting at municipal level. The key to Environmental Management is integration. The IPWIS will provide D:EA&DP with a platform that would support Integrated Environmental Management.

In the Western Cape consistent and accurate information on the waste cycle is limited due to many factors. These include lack of legislation, lack of human and financial resources, lack of knowledge and infrastructure to support data collection and reporting at municipal level.

The information sets or databases that do exist are inconsistent, not regularly updated, incomplete and not representative, which limits their use and application.

1. Constitution of the Republic of South Africa (Act 108 of 1996)
2. National Policy on Environmental Management (1998)
3. National Policy on Integrated Pollution and Waste Management (2000)
4. National Waste Management Strategy and Action Plans (1999)
5. National Environmental Management Act (Act 107 of 1998)
6. Promotion of Access to Information Act (Act 2 of 2000)
7. National Environment Management: Air Quality Act (Act 39 of 2004)

The project for the development of the IPWIS has been divided into 3 phases.

Phase 1 focuses on the development of the basic functionality of the IPWIS and ensuring the provision of a functional and operational IPWIS.

Phase 2 will focus on the deployment and the training of IPWIS users.

Phase 3 will concentrate on the development of the decision-support and modelling module of the IPWIS.

The point sources of pollution and waste that play a major role in the waste cycle and which should be monitored and held responsible for regular reporting on activities are:

• industry
• landfill facilities
• health-care waste generators
• recyclers
• transfer stations
• treatment and incineration facilities
• waste handlers and transporters
• composting facilities.

Industries have to report on the priority pollutants listed below.

Note: This Table lists pollutants which require you to register and report on your operations to IPWIS. They are in no particular order of priority and the list will increase to include other pollutants in the future.

Registration and reporting forms will be made available online and in hard copy format which can be obtained from relevant municipal or provincial government offices. These forms need to be filled in and certified true and accurate by a responsible person of a significant rank with the facilities concerned. These forms can either be posted via the public postal service, or hand delivered to the relevant provincial or municipal offices or faxed to the municipality or to the D:EADP.

The officials at the municipality will capture the relevant information and submit it to the IPWIS. Alternatively these forms can be completed electronically and emailed to the IPWIS support team or filled in online.

When you have registered successfully, a preliminary inspection of your premises will be conducted. This will help determine your compliance criteria, reporting requirements and frequency of reporting. Once this has been determined you will be notified and will be expected to comply with the reporting requirements and compliance criteria specified. The IPWIS will report all information to the National Waste Information.

Various spatial and non spatial data will be housed within the IPWIS framework which include amongst others: meteorological data, pollutant releases and transfers, air quality data, land use and land cover, roads, census data, rivers, protected areas, waste disposal facilities data, waste volumes generated, recycled, treated and disposed. In addition to this various environmental modeling tools, a document and photo library and a complaints register will be available to users of the IPWIS.

Once all the required information is captured and the IPWIS database populated, users will be able to; compile reports on the annual status of waste management, provide input to the State of the Environment Report and provide input to the Human Rights Commission Report.

The IPWIS will assist the D:EA&DP with streamlining operations and will facilitate the automatic scheduling of compliance inspections, dispatching of notifications, real time "out in the field" reporting, thus making the operation of D:EA&DP more efficient.

The IPWIS is a powerful tool, which would aid environmental planning by supporting; data collection and analysis, the determination of rates and budgets, the management of facilities and will provide a means to monitor and assess the status of NWMS initiatives within the Western Cape Province. All of which in some way or the other will inform the development of policies, legislation, strategies, action plans, guidelines, norms and standards with respect to waste management in the future.

The IPWIS can also be used as a tool to; support compliance monitoring and enforcement, as a source of information for other government departments, non-governmental organisations, public and interested and affected parties, as a decision-support tool for future authorisations and for determining permit conditions.

Gottlieb Arendse Director Pollution and Waste Management
Eddie Hanekom Deputy Director Waste Management
Malesela Kekane Deputy Director Pollution Management
Siya Xolo Principal Environmental Officer Pollution Information and Chemicals Management
Kamaseelan Chetty (Project Manager: Waste) Assistant Director Waste Information Management and Planning
Lerato Moja Senior Environmental Officer Pollution Information and Chemicals Management
Dorah Mulidzi Principal Environmental Officer Waste Information Management and Planning
August Hoon Principal Environmental Officer Waste Information Management and Planning
Lance McBain-Charles Principal Environmental Officer Waste Information Management and Planning
Shadley Mackenzie (Project Manager: Pollutants) Assistant Director Pollution Information and Chemicals Management
Nitasha Baijnath-Pillay Senior Environmental Officer Pollution Information and Chemicals Management
Berneditte Moitse Senior Environmental Officer Waste Information Management and Planning
Robyn Britten Senior Environmental Officer Waste Information Management and Planning
Marshall Felaar Environmental Officer Waste Information Management and Planning
Justice Matshili (resigned) Principal Environmental Officer Pollution Information and Chemicals Management
Chantal Williams Environmental Officer Pollution Information and Chemicals Management