Disaster looms at local burning landfill site
Landfill sites must also be properly fenced off to keep people and animals out. Scavengers, children and domestic animals should not be allowed onto any these site for safety reasons. Access control at the gate is required to monitor the types and volumes of waste being dumped there.
LYDENBURG – For more than a year the dump site outside town has been a looming disaster with no service provider appointed to manage the waste.
It has now become so inaccessible that the dumping of waste is taking place outside the premises.
TCM has contracted out the management of the three dumping sites in Lydenburg, Sabie and Graskop to Eco Mare Waste Management during 2012. The municipality did, however, not pay this contractor for services rendered, and as a result, the company withdrew their services in August 2013.
The local dump site has been burning for most of the time with no action being taken by TCM to prevent this.
According to the National Environmental Management Waste Act, 2008 everyone has the constitutional right to have an environment that is not harmful to his/her health and to have the environment protected for the benefit of present and future generations through reasonable legislative and other measures that prevents pollution and ecological degradation, promote conservation and secure ecologically sustainable development and use of natural resources while promoting justifiable economic and social development.
The act also states that the minimisation of pollution and the use of natural resources should be implemented through vigorous control to ensure the environment is protected from the impact of waste.
Not only are none of these systems as per the act in place, there is currently no control over the dumping of any potential hazardous waste matter.
Landfill sites must also be properly fenced off to keep people and animals out. Scavengers, children and domestic animals should not be allowed onto any these site for safety reasons. Access control at the gate is required to monitor the types and volumes of waste being dumped there.
Landfill management entails daily compaction and soil coverage of the waste at the work face to prevent wind scatter and fly breeding.
Fires on landfill sites are difficult to control due to the presence of gas. In addition, fires release harmful substances into the air.
DA Cllr Nicko Janse van Vuuren said he found it absolutely shocking that TCM could not find a solution to the problem that was already turning into a huge health hazard. “It seems that when you talk to officials there is an urgency to solve the numerous problems but when it comes to real action the wheels fall off. This is a situation that needs to be solved with the utmost of urgency.”
TCM did not respond to any of the questions posted with regard to the landfill site.
