In light of the Listeriosis outbreak which has now claimed the lives of some 183 people throughout the country, LETABA HERALD thought it pertinent to contact the Greater Tzaneen Municipality (GTM) in order to find out whether they have protocols in place to deal with any potentially contaminated meat should it be received at the GTM landfill.

Read: #Listeriosis has been traced to an Enterprise Foods facility in Polokwane

Solid Waste Manager of GTM, Henk Meinie, advised that the Chief Director of Hazardous Waste Management & Licensing at the Department of Environmental Affairs sent out the following directive:

1a) In light of the recent outbreak of Listeriosis and given the potential for it to cause food-borne life threatening disease a number of food products have been recalled and require disposal.

b) You are notified that such waste may only be accepted for treatment at a licensed cedi:- i) Incineration (non-burn or co-processing facility) ii) At a Class A landfill.

c) Any condition of the respective waste management licence (WML) of the receiving facility that may prohibit receipt of such waste will be suspended until such time as all of this waste has been treated and/or disposed of.

d) Please be informed of the above requirements and you are requested to ensure that waste pickers are advised not to touch this waste

2) Inform all staff members at the Landfill accordingly with IMMEDIATE effect Mienie advised that the GTM landfill site is not categorised as a Class A landfill and so they cannot officially receive any material to be regarded as ‘hazardous waste’.

The protocol is for all potentially contaminated meat products from supermarkets and food outlets to be returned to the Enterprise factory in Polokwane.

From there, all of the potentially hazardous waste is sent on to landfill sites in Johannesburg that are Class A listed.

Mienie further reported that the staff at GTM landfill site have been informed of the dangers associated with Listeriosis and have been advised not to handle or consume any returned products that may have entered the landfill via household waste.

It is important to note that unlike many other landfill sites across the country, Tzaneen landfill does not permit the presence of ‘scavengers’ at the site, meaning that nobody other than those contracted to work there, are allowed access to the site.

‘Scavengers’ are prevalent at other sites, with informal settlements being built on the edge of the landfill and the residents surviving largely off of food stuffs gathered from the site.