The growth in the Durban Metropolitan Area's (DMA) population and economy has resulted in increasing levels of waste production throughout the city. Pressures promoting the unsafe disposal of this waste include increasing costs of waste disposal and the poor servicing of some informal settlements in the outer regions of the DMA.

Population growth and increasing income levels
The rapidly growing Durban Metropolitan population has resulted in increasing volumes of domestic waste being produced. In addition, as income levels rise, so does the amount of waste produced per person.

Growth of the economy
Industrial and commercial activities can generate large quantities of waste including hazardous waste. As the DMA's economy has grown, so has the amount of industrial and commercial waste produced.

Increasing costs of waste disposal
The Environment Conservation Act 73 of 1989 requires that all landfill sites meet defined minimum standards in order to qualify for an operating permit. As a result, many landfill sites are increasing charges to cover the increased costs of meeting higher environmental standards. They are also becoming stricter with regard to the type of waste they are willing to accept, in order to meet the requirements of their permits. The DMA does not have a facility for the disposal of high hazardous wastes, largely due to community opposition,resulting in expensive transportation to other provinces for disposal. Although higher costs provide an incentive to reduce the quantity of waste produced, they have also resulted in an increase in illegal dumping to avoid the cost of proper disposal.

The lack of housing to accommodate the DMA's increasing population has resulted in the growth of numerous informal settlements around the city. Some of these settlements lack formal waste management systems and their waste is often disposed of in nearby open spaces. Informal settlements also lack formal sewerage systems and the use of pit latrines can result in soil and water pollution.