A model for public-private-partnership on solid waste management towards sustainable cities: the case of the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan.

Abstract

Solid waste management has become one of the global challenges in the sustainable development of many cities of developing economies around the world as municipalities and the public sector authorities are having difficulties in effectively managing waste due to rapid population growth, urbanization, industrialization, and economic growth. To effectively manage waste within cities around the world and reduce the financial burden and shortcomings faced by the public sectors in providing waste management service deliveries to communities, public-private partnerships (PPP) were developed and are currently being implemented in developed and developing countries. The implementation of the public-private partnerships came about as a result of failures emanating from the public sectors towards waste management. Public-Private Partnerships are implemented to assist the public towards the collection, transportation, and disposal of municipal solid waste properly, as the costs to provide those kinds of services are too high for the public sector. The PPP agreements have provided an effective business environment for the private waste management companies as they have entered into multiple agreements for waste management services, which include the construction of landfill sites and leasing them to the public sector. Furthermore, the PPP agreements that are in place have managed to successfully assist the public sector with waste management services, but that has not been enough, as the public sector is still financially battling to procure private services due to poor financial revenue. The research study explored the forms and conditions of public-private partnerships in cities, described the characteristics and indicators of sustainable cities, and evaluated the processes and strategies used for solid waste management in cities, which assisted in the development of the PPP model for solid waste management within cities. This research study adopted the inductive research design and a qualitative research approach, which resulted in 21 one-on-one, semi-structured interviews with sampled participants who voluntarily participated. The research study has made revelations with regards to the three research objectives, and that within the city of Johannesburg there are PPP agreements that are in place for waste management services, which involve the public sector procuring waste compactor trucks for the collection of waste, transportation, and disposing of waste, which are contractually found. Furthermore, the PPP agreements within the city of Johannesburg also involve the public sector leasing landfill sites from private companies for the disposal of waste and financially reimbursing the private companies and contractors. In relation to the indicators of sustainable cities, it was discovered that the city of Johannesburg is not sustainable economically, socially, and environmentally due to multiple factors that have contributed to the influx of solid waste generation. The findings also illustrated that the city of Johannesburg has multiple strategies and processes being implemented for managing waste in the city that involve different role players from the public and private sectors. Moreover, the research study discovered that there’s a gap within the existing PPP agreements within the city of Johannesburg, as waste management services are not integrated within the city's Integrated Development Plan (IDP), which has resulted in no community participation initiatives for waste management to projects. Therefore, the developed PPP model has regarded community participation as a driver for inclusivity, formalization, and legalization of informal waste collectors towards the enhancement of a circular economy and waste minimization in communities.