Cost Benefit Analysis of Municipal Composting

This webinar showcases how an organic waste to composting pilot undertaken in the city of Durban, South Africa, offers innovative financial savings for the municipality, as well as other co-benefits for the city departments and market traders involved. Cities across the world are looking for sustainable waste management solutions. Innovative municipal practices and structures are needed to address the multifaceted challenges of climate change, high pollution levels, overburdened landfills that emit methane, and related public health complications. Diverting organic waste from landfill to produce nutrient rich compost presents a more sustainable waste management solution for municipalities. Decentralized municipal composting sites make an immediate and significant impact on reducing methane emissions, as well as realising other positive co-benefits, particularly supporting food security in the city through the production of high quality compost. Although relatively simple to do, municipalities often need time and convincing to adopt new, more sustainable models. Composting presents a low-cost, low-tech solution for municipalities that are facing resource constraints. This webinar offers a contextual overview of the composting pilot undertaken in Durban run by groundWork, the Urban Futures Centre and Asiye eTafuleni in collaboration with municipal departments, followed by a detailed explanation of the municipal savings model developed through a cost-benefit analysis by economist Paul Jones (LUMEC).