Linda Godfrey

Linda Keren Godfrey
Alma mater	University of KwaZulu-Natal University of the Free State Rhodes University
Scientific career
Institutions	Council for Scientific and Industrial Research
Thesis	The role of waste data in changing behaviour : the case of the South African waste information  (2011)

Linda Keren Godfrey is a South African engineer who is a Principal Scientist at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research in South Africa. She is a specialist in the circular economy. She was elected a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering in 2025.

Early life and education

Godfrey studied chemistry at Rhodes University. She earned a master's in hydrogeology at the University of the Free State. Godfrey earned her doctorate in engineering at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, where she studied waste data. ^{[1] [2]}

Research and career

Godfrey manages Circular Innovation South Africa, a program that looks to move the country to a more circular and sustainable economy. ^[1] She has argued that half of climate impacts and most biodiversity loss comes from the extraction and processing of resources. ^[3] Godfrey is concerned that society consumes and disposes of too much waste, and that the majority of that ends up in landfill. ^[3] Waste disposal typically occurs at uncontrolled dumpsites, and South Africa is decades behind other developed countries in how they handle waste. ^[4]

Godfrey has helped local, regional and international circular economy initiatives. ^{[5] [6] [7]} She led the development and implementation of the Waste Research, Development and Innovation roadmap, which advocates for the uses science, technology and innovation in decision making. ^[5] The decisions include shifting to recycling, using artificial intelligence and plant automation. ^[5]

In 2023, Godfrey ws awarded the Mail & Guardian STF-South32 Green Economy Award. ^[8] Godfrey was elected Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering in 2025. ^[9]

Publications

• Winnie W Y Lau; Yonathan Shiran; Richard Bailey; et al. (23 July 2020). "Evaluating scenarios toward zero plastic pollution". Science . Bibcode:2020Sci...369.1455L. doi: 10.1126/SCIENCE.ABA9475 . ISSN   0036-8075. PMID   32703909. Wikidata   Q97681094.
• Anton Nahman; Willem de Lange; Suzan Oelofse; Linda Godfrey (17 May 2012). "The costs of household food waste in South Africa". Waste Management. 32 (11): 2147–2153. doi:10.1016/J.WASMAN.2012.04.012. ISSN   0956-053X. PMID   22608682. Wikidata   Q43344337.
• Linda Godfrey (10 January 2019). "Waste Plastic, the Challenge Facing Developing Countries—Ban It, Change It, Collect It?". Recycling. 4 (1): 3. doi: 10.3390/RECYCLING4010003 . ISSN   2313-4321. Wikidata   Q128567245.

References

1. "Prof. Linda Godfrey | CSIR". www.csir.co.za. Retrieved 2025-10-02.
2. "The role of waste data in changing behaviour : the case of the South African waste information system (SAWIS) | WorldCat.org". search.worldcat.org. Retrieved 2025-10-02.
3. "Prof Linda Godfrey – NSTF" . Retrieved 2025-10-03.
4. "WMW | Interview with Linda Godfrey:: "We need to rethink our relationship with resources, this includes with waste."". WMW. Retrieved 2025-10-03.
5. "Keynote Announcement: Prof. Linda Godfrey – World Resources Forum 2025". wrf2025.org. Retrieved 2025-10-03.
6. "Pioneering South Africa's circular economy". news.nwu.ac.za. 2024-08-30. Retrieved 2025-10-03.
7. Sedieane, Kelebohile (2025-08-11). "Circular Economy beyond waste: SA's bold manufacturing strategy". Industrial Efficiency. Retrieved 2025-10-03.
8. Krige, Jamaine. "2023/2024 NSTF-SOUTH32 Awards". The Mail & Guardian. Retrieved 2025-10-03.
9. "RAEng International Fellow 2025: Professor Linda Godfrey FREng". raeng.org.uk. Retrieved 2025-10-03.