10th U6+ Consortium of African Universities International Conference

Landfill licensing is a key regulatory tool for enforcing South Africa’s waste-management hierarchy and protecting water resources. However, the operational performance of licensed municipal landfill sites remains poorly documented. This study assessed the relationship between landfill authorisation, licence-condition compliance and environmental protection in the Upper Vaal Catchment Area. A sequential explanatory mixed-methods design was applied to 31 operational municipal solid-waste disposal facilities. Data were collected through structured and unstructured questionnaires, a site-observation checklist, geographic positioning system mapping and photographic verification. The findings reveal a clear authorisation-compliance gap. Although 85% of facilities had some form of authorisation, most operated under older Environmental Conservation Act permits rather than licences aligned with the National Environmental Management: Waste Act. Only 8% had the required equipment complement, 32% had adequate access control, 13% showed evidence of active recycling, 42% monitored groundwater and only 29% submitted groundwater-monitoring reports to the licensing authority. These weaknesses were linked to limited municipal capacity, underfunded operations, weak enforcement and slow transition from legacy permits to current licensing standards. The study concludes that landfill licensing functions more effectively as a document-based authorisation system than as a performance-based compliance mechanism.