EIA · WML · AEL · WUL · DFFE · NEMWA

Environmental authorisations that hold under scrutiny.

End-to-end environmental permit management — Environmental Impact Assessments, Waste Management Licences, Atmospheric Emission Licences, Water Use Licences, and municipal compliance — for industrial, circular economy, and development projects across South Africa.

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EIA

Basic & full scoping

WML

Waste management

AEL

Atmospheric emission

WUL

Water use licensing

Environmental services

The complete environmental authorisation stack.

Environmental projects require a layered set of approvals. Mishonga manages the full permitting process — from initial screening and scoping through EIA preparation, submission, public participation, and authority liaison — so projects move forward without regulatory delay.

Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)

Basic Assessment and full Scoping/EIA applications to DFFE or provincial environmental authority — for listed activities including waste treatment, energy generation, chemical processing, and development projects.

Basic AssessmentScopingEIADFFENEMAListed activities

Waste Management Licence (WML)

WML applications under NEMWA for waste storage, treatment, recovery, and disposal — coordinated with the relevant provincial Department of Environment and covering all listed waste types.

NEMWAWMLHazardous wasteGeneral wasteTreatmentRecovery

Atmospheric Emission Licence (AEL)

AEL applications for listed activities under NEMAQA — combustion installations, pyrolysis plants, industrial dryers, incinerators, and chemical production facilities requiring air quality authorisation.

NEMAQAAELAir qualityCombustionPyrolysisEmissions

Water Use Licence (WUL)

DWAS Water Use Licence applications — effluent discharge, water abstraction, wetland activities, and watercourse impacts associated with industrial, agricultural, and circular economy projects.

DWASWULEffluentAbstractionWatercourseWetland

Public participation process

Full public participation process management — notice publication, information availability, comment collation, specialist response preparation, and authority submission for EIA and WML applications.

Public participationPPPInterested partiesCommentsNotices

Environmental compliance monitoring

Ongoing environmental compliance monitoring — EMPr implementation tracking, condition of authorisation compliance, annual environmental reports, and audit preparation for operational sites.

EMPrComplianceMonitoringAnnual reportAudit

Permit types managed

Every environmental permit and authorisation.

Mishonga manages applications across the full range of environmental authorisations required for industrial, waste, energy, and development projects in South Africa.

NEMA

Environmental authorisation (EA)

Environmental Authorisation under NEMA for listed activities — covering Listing Notice 1, 2, and 3 activities requiring Basic Assessment or Scoping/EIA process.

NEMWA

Waste Management Licence (WML)

WML for Category A and B listed waste management activities — including storage, treatment, recovery, and disposal of general and hazardous waste.

NEMAQA

Atmospheric Emission Licence (AEL)

AEL for Category 1 and Category 2 listed activities under the National Environmental Management Air Quality Act — industrial combustion, chemical processes, and waste treatment.

NWA

Water Use Licence (WUL)

WUL under the National Water Act for water uses requiring licensing — effluent discharge to watercourse, abstraction, storage, and land disposal of wastewater.

NERSA

Generation licence (waste-to-energy)

NERSA small-scale embedded generation registration and generation licence for waste-to-energy and biogas projects feeding power to grid or operating behind the meter.

Municipal

Municipal by-law compliance

Municipal zoning, building plan approval, and by-law compliance coordination for industrial and waste processing facilities — liaison with local environmental health departments.

Frequently asked

Common questions from clients.

When does a project need a full EIA versus a Basic Assessment?

The type of EIA process depends on which Listing Notice the project activity falls under. Activities listed in Listing Notice 1 require a Basic Assessment. Activities in Listing Notice 2 and 3 require a full Scoping and Environmental Impact Report (EIR) process. Some activities trigger both a NEMA authorisation and a WML or AEL — Mishonga screens projects against all three Listing Notices and NEMWA to identify the complete authorisation requirement upfront.

How long does an EIA authorisation take?

Basic Assessment processes typically take 5–8 months from appointment of the EAP through to authorisation. Full Scoping/EIA processes take 12–24 months depending on application complexity, public participation outcomes, and authority workload. Mishonga's pre-application engagement with authorities often reduces total timelines.

Does a pyrolysis plant need a WML and an AEL?

Yes — pyrolysis plants typically require both a Waste Management Licence (for the thermal treatment of waste) and an Atmospheric Emission Licence (for the combustion installation). A NEMA environmental authorisation is also likely required under Listing Notice 1 or 2. Mishonga manages the full authorisation stack as a single coordinated engagement.

Can Mishonga manage the public participation process?

Yes. Mishonga manages the full public participation process required for EIA and WML applications — including notice publication (newspaper and site notices), information availability, comment collation, specialist response preparation, and submission to the relevant authority.

Environmental authorisations that hold under scrutiny.

The complete environmental authorisation stack.

Every environmental permit and authorisation.

Common questions from clients.

Get your environmental permits moving.