Indigenous Solid Waste Management Practices for Sustainable Environment: A Case of Thalahane Village, Limpopo Province, South Africa

Abstract

Solid waste management (SWM) in developing countries remains a challenge due to economic constraints, governance inefficiencies, consumption patterns changing, an increasing population, and subsequent increased waste generation. The study aimed to explore the indigenous solid waste management system of Thalahane village for a sustainable environment since there is an increasing urgency to address the health and environmental implications associated with inefficient solid waste management. The current paradigms of solid waste management are effective in developed countries but ineffective in developing countries due to differences in contexts. To achieve the aim of the study, the following objectives were used: to investigate indigenous waste management practices that the Thalahane local community uses to manage solid waste; to analyse the implementation of a waste management system by the Blouberg Local Municipality in Thalahane village; and to develop an integrated sustainable solid waste management plan for Thalahane village that accounts for indigenous solid waste management. Employing a qualitative method, 65 participants were purposively selected and interviewed using an unstructured interview guide to gather data. The data were analysed qualitatively using a thematic approach. The results show that separation of waste, burying, composting, burning, repurposing, recycling, reuse, reduction, and avoidance are the indigenous solid waste management (SWM) practices within Thalahane village. Some of these solid waste management (SWM) practices have positive effects on the environment and were integrated and adopted to enhance the management of municipal solid waste. The study resulted in a theoretical framework to develop an integrated, sustainable solid waste management system that accounts for indigenous solid waste management practices in Thalahane. The study recommends the design of homegrown solid waste management that incorporates indigenous solid waste management practices for a sustainable environment in rural municipalities.