The Luipaardsvlei Landfill Site will be temporarily closed to the public with immediate effect.

Mogale City Local Municipality (MCLM) confirmed on May 8 that the closure will remain in place until further notice.

Assistant manager for media and PR at MCLM, Refilwe Mahlangu, said this follows a directive from the Gauteng Department of Environment to carry out urgent rehabilitation work and upgrade the site’s capacity.

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She explained that the upgrade will also make provision for additional waste cells. The planned Phase 5 upgrades include the construction of a leachate pond, a pollution control dam, and a still tap, all aimed at improving environmental compliance and enhancing waste management operations on site.

A leachate pond, as described by Tingeo (a company specialising in the design and construction of safe containment systems), is a specially constructed pond with multiple containment layers. These layers are designed to ensure complete watertight protection in the event of any damage, due to the nature of the materials it holds.

Residents are encouraged to make use of neighbouring municipalities’ landfill sites during this period.

“We remind you, it is illegal to dump and can have serious health and environmental consequences, so dispose of waste responsibly,” she added.