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Johannesburg - The waste sector is vital to the generation of jobs within the green economy, Water and Environmental Affairs Minister Edna Molewa said on Monday.
"It is in this light that the department is increasingly expanding its programmes in job creation and enterprise development programmes in this sector," she said in launching a youth jobs in waste programme in the Free State.
About 1 000 jobs would be created by placing young people in municipalities as landfill site assistants, waste collection administrators and environmental awareness educators, the department said in a statement.
A 2007 departmental study had found there was a backlog in solid waste service delivery in all municipalities.
The jobs initiative was developed to address it and create capacity within municipalities to lessen the burden of providing of waste services.
"It was also developed in recognition of the fact that the waste sector is now, more than ever, ready for major investment in both infrastructure development as well as capacity building programmes to create decent jobs and fuel the green economy," it said.
The programme was being rolled out in the Free State, North West, the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and Limpopo.
"It is important that the state improves its capacity to deliver waste services," Molewa said.
"This is not only to meet service delivery needs, but also to provide dignity and quality of life to our people."
