2 minute read
TIPPING POINT
A recent case brought against a KwaZulu-Natal municipality for mismanaging a landfill site highlights the threat that these pose to the environment and people’s health
SOUTH Africa is fast running out of landfill space and potential new sites are in short supply.
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Many are not being properly managed by local authorities.
A document from the Department of Environmental Affairs and Development Planning says: “Waste management is mainly focused on providing guidance to district and local municipalities. Disposal at landfills is considered unsustainable as it leads to soil, water and air pollution if poorly managed.”
The department said the waste economy contributed R24.3 billion to the South African GDP in 2016.
It provided 36000 formal jobs and supported an estimated 80000 informal jobs or livelihoods.
The Western Cape Integrated Waste Management Plan for 2017 to 2022 indicated that by 2017, 93 out of 164 landfills in the province had closed, having reached the end of their natural lifespans.
The City of Cape Town has three operational landfill sites – in Bellville South, Coastal Park near Muizenberg, and Vissershok, near Table View.
According to GreenCape’s 2016 Market Intelligence report, the Western Cape generates about 7.7 million tons of waste annually. Almost half of that – 48% – comes from the Cape Town Metro.
In KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg High Court judge Rishi Seegobin recently gave the Msunduzi municipality 30 days to come up with an action plan to deal with the disastrous New England Road landfill site.
The judge found the municipality had breached several environmental laws, including section 24 of the Constitution which highlights everyone’s right to a healthy environment protected from pollution.
The case had been brought by the SA Human Rights Commission after the municipality battled to manage the site. It regularly catches fire, releasing toxic fumes into the air.
Also in KZN, a detailed report this year on the province’s landfill sites painted a grim picture, saying municipalities were failing to manage their dumping facilities efficiently.
They were also failing to turn them into lucrative economic opportunities.
The Department of Environmental Affairs said economic opportunities were being squandered which could be derived from proper management of waste rather than taking it to dump sites.
Director for Waste Management Noloyiso Walingo, who delivered the report, said that South Africans were consuming and then disposing, with very little recycling of waste taking place.
The report established that of the nine district municipalities in the province, only two – eThekwini and King Cetshwayo – were managing their landfill sites well.
Staff shortages and lack of equipment were factors contributing to the poor management of landfill sites.
Some municipalities, the report said, had unregistered landfills and there were about 339 illegal dumps across the province.
Walingo says there are options like recycling and disposal of waste should be the last resort.
The report also said South Africa was recycling poorly and economic benefits that could be derived from recycling were being lost, adding that people opted for disposal more than any of the other options.
The report highlighted numerous challenges to do with waste management. – compiled by Vivien Horler
