Johannesburg is on the brink of a waste disposal disaster, with all four of the city’s landfills expected to be full by the end of next year. The Marie Louise landfill has already stopped taking domestic waste, and experts warn that the situation has consequences.

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The remaining landfills include:

• Robinson Deep
• Ennerdale
• Goudkoppies

According to Associate Professor Melanie Samson from the University of Johannesburg (UJ) Department of Sociology, this crisis has been years in the making. “More than a decade ago, the government knew we would have a major problem if they didn’t invest in maintaining and expanding existing infrastructure,” she explained. “But despite this knowledge, they didn’t do what needed to be done, and now we are in a situation where landfills are already closing, reclaimers are already losing their jobs, and by this time next year, all of Pikitup’s landfills will be full.”

Samson warned that the City of Johannesburg (CoJ) and Pikitup’s failure to act responsibly has left residents and waste reclaimers facing dire consequences. Thousands of reclaimers, who depend on landfill work to survive, are already struggling to feed their families. “The city will drown in its own waste,” she cautioned, “as there will be nowhere to send residents’ refuse.”

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The crisis, Samson added, exposes a deeper problem: “It shows that the city and Pikitup simply do not care about the health and welfare of reclaimers and residents.”

Rather than resorting to private landfills or costly incinerators, Samson believes the solution lies in dramatically reducing the amount of waste going to landfills. She pointed to the African Reclaimers Organisation (ARO) as key to this shift. “When ARO ran a resident-reclaimer separation at source pilot programme in Brixton and Auckland Park, more residents participated because they developed a relationship with reclaimers and wanted to support them,” she said.

With international funding already backing ARO’s initiatives, Samson argues that it’s time for the city and Pikitup to collaborate meaningfully with the organisation. “Residents need to support ARO by signing the petition to reclaim the future for all of us,” she urged. “Reclaimers are alerting us to the looming crisis — and they’re showing us the way out.”

Residents who want to support ARO, click on the link: Awethu.amandla.mobi/

The publication sent media queries to Pikitup and CoJ on this issue; no comment was received. The article will be updated once received.

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