ROYAL SOCIETY OF SOUTH AFRICA

Lecture Series 2017

Chris Whyte

Managing Director, USE-IT eThekweni Waste Materials Recovery

Industry Development Cluster

will present a lecture entitled:

"Drowning in Waste that should be a Resource”

Thursday, 23 March 2017

Time: 5.45 pm

Venue: John Bews Lecture Theatre,

Life Sciences Campus, Carbis Road, Pietermaritzburg

For at least the last 20 years, Pietermaritzburg has been struggling with its waste management functions - as have most cities in South Africa.  Unfortunately, we continue with old practices of “hump-and-dump” whilst new technologies and international best-practice offer multiple alternative solutions that are not only economically viable, but create many jobs in the waste value-chain.  Why then do we continue with the old and ignore the new?  Chris Whyte is a loyal citizen of Pietermaritzburg having fallen in love with the city as an undergraduate student in the late 80’s and then making this his permanent home.  Chris has a BSc. (Hons) in Geology from UKZN (Pmb), a Diploma in Business Management from Damelin College; an MSc. in Geographic Information from the City University of London, and is a registered Professional Natural Scientist. He was actively involved in the Chamber and PMB Tourism for many years as his commitment to give back to the city.  Chris first started getting involved in waste issues through the Pietermaritzburg Chamber of Commerce and Industry (now PBC) in 1999 and this culminated in his ideas for the Waste Park in 2004.  Unfortunately, the city rejected these opportunities and Chris was forced to take the waste beneficiation ideas elsewhere.  USE-IT is an NGO he started in Durban in 2009 and today this is a multiple award-winning organisation that was recently acknowledged by the World Economic Forum for its global leadership in Circular Economy Development.  The USE-IT initiative has created almost 2500 jobs in the sector since 2009, and is a cost-negative investment for Durban as it saves more than 4 times its funding in landfill diversion costs alone. 

Chris will present some of the history and achievements in waste beneficiation achieved locally, and will illustrate the bright future to which every city should aspire, a holistic waste management system that adds value, as opposed to waste being a financial burden, as is currently the case.

All welcome, please support!  Light refreshments will be supplied.

Enquiries: Dr. Edith Elliott, Tel. 082 4159435/ Charmaine Ahrens 033 2605435