Prior to any EIA process commencing as per the regulations a thorough legal review of the legislation coupled with the identification of listed activities is critical to provide the EIA process to be conducted with a sound legal framework and the correct submission of environmental (NEMA) applications and waste (NEM:WA) licence applications.
The varied nature of the general environmental applications within the waste and waste-water management field requires a sound understanding of;
The National Environmental Management: Waste Act (NEM:WA) and all related policies and regulations
The National Environmental Management Act (NEMA)
The National Environmental Management: Air Quality Act (NEM:AQA)
The Water Act
The Heritage Resources Act
The Occupational Health and Safety Act – Risk Assessments
Mineral Petroleum Resources and Development Act
Biodiversity Act
The National Environmental Management : Integrated Coastal Management Act
The Marine Living Resources Act
RMS has not completed a large number of Integrated Waste Management Plans but prefers to provide a select service from a legal, public consultation and overall waste management perspective.
Due to the recent National Environmental Management Act (NEMA) regulations as promulgated in December 2014 environmental projects in general will require effective project planning, assessment and initial public consultation phases prior to the commencement of the formal application process for projects to be managed effectively and within the prescribed timelines.
Due to the focused nature of the company in terms of the types of projects that RMS is involved in, the Company is well placed based on project management experience gained over the last 14 years to professionally guide and manage projects within the scope of the new NEMA regulatory process.
RMS prides itself in providing an external compliance auditing service where in excess of 30 years auditing experience can be utilized. The Company has completed a range of audits within the industrial, commercial and authority (all tiers of government) sectors and therefore has developed a diverse range of skills in this regard.
Section 21 Applications in terms of the National Water Act are often linked to a waste licence application in some format and therefore as discussed above under the EIA service overview the relevant project needs to be structured to ensure an efficient outcome for a client.
RMS make use of experienced consultants in the water and wastewater management fields to assist with water use licence applications and so as to ensure that all deliverables can be completed timeously and project management is not compromised.
Due to the extensive pool of experience that RMS can provide both from a regulatory and environmental consultancy perspective the Company is well placed to provide selected input into large Policy and Guideline projects.
RMS has a collective experience in managing and facilitating environmental projects within a range of disciplines with the primary focus being within the waste, waste water and water management fields.
The company is well placed based on the experience of the consulting team to manage projects taking into account the continually changing environmental legislative landscape. These changes have required insight into the manner in which legal requirements and processes are integrated into project processes to ensure that clients are provided a professional consulting service whereby projects are where possible fast tracked and completed in a realistic time frame and at a competitive price.
The recent significant and varied changes in the waste management field require waste management consultancies to have broad experience in managing projects which cover all steps in the waste hierarchy.
A primary focus is currently the recovery, reuse, treatment and beneficiation of waste a particular area within which RMS has become a leading consultancy in the country.