Turning informal dump sites into mini drop-offs

A PROACTIVE APPROACH BY DRAKENSTEIN MUNICIPALITY

Managing waste in low-income, high-density urban areas is not easy. Open spaces can become littered and unhygienic, which is problematic – especially if children play there. By Hugh Tyrrell*

Drakenstein Municipality has taken a new approach and is siting small drop-off facilities at such hotspots where residents can take excess rubbish for collection into the formal waste management stream.

The initiative was the subject of a research project led by Professor Rinie Schenck of the DSI/NRF/CSIR Chair in Waste and Society, supported by GreenEdge Communications and funded by the IUCN’s MARPLASTICCs programme.

Municipalities in South Africa and around the world spend millions annually to clear open areas and waterways of illegally dumped materials, including plastic and other packaging, food, and general household waste. A social and environmental health hazard, illegal dumping is a drain on municipal budgets and a complex problem that regular clean-ups alone cannot solve in the long term.

Drakenstein Municipality is about 80 km from Cape Town and has been experimenting with various innovative approaches, including the roll-out of mini drop-offs. The first was sited at Mbekweni, a township between Paarl and Wellington, in March 2019. It was constructed with low brick wall surrounds, a timber roof and an opening in front. Soon after installation, however, the roof was burnt off, but the structure remained in operation. A design rethink was necessary.

The solid waste management team came up with a prototype based on precast walling sections with no roof, which could be placed in a U-shape around a concrete slab. This made for easy removal of gathered waste materials by a front-end loader. These are to be installed as part of the next phase of the roll-out into Paarl East, a low-income/high-density area with flat blocks, formal ‘RDP’ houses, backyarders and pockets of informal settlements.

Community buy-in

Engineering innovations, however, can only go so far. Communities need to make good use of the new technology, which requires an understanding of their circumstances, what they think and feel and how to engage with them.

As part of its work, the DSI/NRF/CSIR Chair in Waste and Society undertook research surveys to determine attitudes and perceptions about illegal dumping before and after the launch of the drop-offs in Paarl East.

Before the launch, results showed that there was resistance to the installation of the structures from residents, unless they were involved in it or remunerated for assisting in its use. Regular servicing also came up as one of the concerns. Engaging and informing community members before the installation of facilities was also raised as helping to offset negative perceptions of top-down development.

What also came clear was that 65% of residents surveyed in the area lived in shacks or were tenants in backyard dwellings. The municipality does provide bins for regular refuse removal services to formal houses and black bags to those in informal settlements. Yet much of the waste from backyarders and informal settlements was not getting into the formal collection system, and ended up being dumped illegally.

Public launch

A public launch was organised at the site of one of the new drop-offs on 25 May 2021, when Mayor Alderman Conrad Poole formally handed over the new facility to the community for their use. He also announced the start of the ‘Tannie Dinah’ programme. This was his wife’s idea, who suggested that a civic-minded, well-known woman in the community should be paid to help supervise the day-to-day running of the drop-off site, assisted by other local women.

Once the drop-off was in operation, it was monitored to assess perceptions and usage by the community. Most were aware of the drop-off

and just under half (47.5%) used it to drop off their ‘rommelvullis’, such as garden waste, builder’s rubble, bulky waste, mattresses and broken furniture.

Residents also said they take their excess household waste to the drop-off. This provides an alternative if the refuse collection day was missed. Backyarders said they use the mini drop-off for their household waste too, as they do not have their own wheelie bins. Others said they do not use the drop-off because the municipality removes their household waste regularly.

Acceptance of the site

From the survey results and other observations, several factors contribute to the positive acceptance of the mini drop-off:

• Waste materials can now be more safely and efficiently contained, ready for removal.

• The municipality provides a regular waste management service by collecting the gathered materials from the drop-off every day except weekends.

• The Tannie Dinah project, where members of the community take responsibility in overseeing the cleanliness of their community, has also had job creation spin-offs for members of the community in maintaining the mini drop-off.

In general, greater cooperation between Drakenstein’s Solid Waste and Landfill Management Department and others would also be beneficial, such as with Social Development and Housing, which have special skills and experience in community engagement and networks to encourage greater participation.

This is underlined by an observation from one of the researchers: “We cannot look at the ‘illegal dumping’ in a silo – it has to be looked at in relation to the broader socio-economic condition of the area.”

*Hugh Tyrrell is the director of GreenEdge – a specialist communications agency and collaborating consultancy with the DSI/NRF/CSIR Chair in Waste and Society. Thanks to Drakenstein Municipality’s waste management team and members of the Paarl East community. The support of Peter Manyara and the IUCN’s MARPLASTICCs programme is also kindly acknowledged.