Waste Not competition sheds light on the link between environmental health and child health

27 July 2026

Waste Not competition sheds light on the link

between environmental health and child health

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It’s a collaboration between Create Change — an initiative of the DG Murray Trust (DGMT) and Hold My

Hand — a national campaign in support of the National Strategy to Accelerate Action for Children

(NSAAC). The NSAAC places children and teenagers at the centre of South Africa’s national development

goals and calls for their inclusion in actions to protect our environment and prevent pollution.

Waste Not encourages individuals to take action — big or small — to reduce waste in their communities

considering that waste removal services in South Africa are uneven and unequal. This means that roughly

six in 10 households have their waste collected weekly, sometimes less often.

The burden of uncollected rubbish leads to people burning their waste which pollutes the air and is bad

for children’s health. Survey data shows that 55% of households across the country burnt their waste

weekly or bi-weekly.

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When the environment is sick, we are sick

Regular waste removal reduces environmental pollution and limits the spread of disease. But when waste

piles up, it contaminates water sources, attracts disease carriers like rodents and clogs stormwater drains

causing roads to flood during heavy rain.

“The link between children’s health and environmental health is clear — when the environment is sick, our

children suffer,” says Rahima Essop, Communications Director at DGMT.

Informal and rural communities are worse affected. Children there face exposure to health risks in several

ways: when they play on or around illegal waste heaps and when they inhale toxic fumes from burning

waste. Repeated exposure to infections affects their ability to absorb nutrients and weakens their immune systems.

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“Children who are malnourished and get repeated stomach bugs are at higher risk of stunting because

their ability to absorb nutrients is compromised. Preventing infections through proper waste removal,

along with effective water and sewage management, is one of the environmental pathways to tackling

stunting,” Essop adds.

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Big or small – our actions add up

South Africa produces about 122 million tonnes of waste (which includes household waste) each year and

most of it ends up in landfills, many reaching capacity. To change this, we need structural changes and a

collective response that involves companies, government, civil society and households.

“If we want less waste, we must produce less waste. Companies must stop producing so much packaging

and products that end up in dumps, like single-use plastics and disposable products. This is why

regulations are in place to ensure plastic and packaging companies take responsibility for the volume of waste they produce,” Essop explains.

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At a local government level, municipalities must prioritise regular waste collection, especially in

under-served and rural areas, and they must enable recycling. Currently, only 10.5% of households

separate or sort recyclable packaging from other waste.

“At a community level, individuals can do their part by replacing disposable products with durable

reusable alternatives, cleaning up public spaces like parks and beaches, creating a recycling culture with

neighbours, reusing and repurposing products,” says Mesuli Kama, Social Mobilisation Lead at Hold My

Hand.

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“This is precisely what the Waste Not competition is encouraging people to do, by foregrounding the type

of action that is already taking place in communities,” Kama adds.

For years, national waste management strategies have acknowledged the need for national awareness

campaigns to reduce dumping and littering. The problem is that awareness initiatives tend to blame

individuals for littering without acknowledging the systemic problems with our waste system, from

companies producing too much non-recyclable waste, to the lack of municipal infrastructure for collection

and processing of recyclable material.

“The Waste Not competition is different; it doesn’t blame people but encourages individual action — and

this is what leadership is about,” Kama concludes.

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Competition details

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Start Date: 21 July 2026

Closing Date: 21 August 2026

Who can enter: Any South African resident. Submissions by or featuring minors (under 18 years) must

have parental or guardian consent.

How to enter: Send your entry to 0600 411 111 with your photo or video along with a short voice note or

text explaining what you made or did.

Prizes: 10 prizes ranging from R1 500 to R5 000 are up for grabs.

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