Whose responsibility is it? A call for a regional approach to South Africa’s deposit return system debate

Abstract

Glass packaging waste is an escalating environmental and economic challenge in South Africa, yet the regional impacts of South African beverage exports have received little attention. While a national, mandatory deposit return system (DRS) shows promise, one issue remains overlooked: the environmental fallout of South African glass exports across southern Africa, where imported bottles bypass local DRS frameworks and strain weak waste systems. Drawing on our experience and policy engagement from within the DRS debate, we argue that exported containers must be included in South Africa’s DRS. A phased, regionally coordinated system could yield broad environmental, social and economic benefits. We identify key knowledge gaps – export volumes, alignment with Southern African Development Community (SADC) policy, infrastructure and informal sector roles – and argue that these must be addressed to build an inclusive, regionally harmonised DRS for southern Africa.

Significance:

This article contributes to ongoing debate in South Africa’s waste management and circularity landscape: the design and implementation of a nationwide, mandatory DRS. We highlight the overlooked transboundary impacts of South African beverage exports, particularly the burden of non-returnable glass waste in neighbouring southern African countries. We argue that a comprehensive DRS should not only be mandatory but also include containers exported to regional neighbours. A phased, regionally coordinated system, we suggest, could generate environmental, social and economic benefits.