State of KZN landfill sites to be tabled in Legislature

THE KZN Conservation and Environmental Affairs Portfolio Committee is set to table a report in the Legislature about the state of the landfill sites in the province.

This after AfriForum in July audited 162 landfill sites nationwide and reported that just one in nine in KZN met national standards.

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According to the report, in KZN, only King Cetshwayo District’s site met national requirements for the management of landfill sites.

Speaking to the Zululand Observer about today’s (Thursday) tabling of the report to the KZN Legislature, portfolio committee chair Sthembiso Mshengu said it would be based only on four landfill sites they visited between January and March.

“Subsequently to this, a number of other sites were visited, including King Cetshwayo District’s landfill,” said Mshengu.

He said the reasons for their landfill oversight visits emanated from the rise in illegal dumping occurring across the province, which may have an impact on the current climate change the province is experiencing.

“It is everybody’s responsibility to ensure we have a clean environment,” said Mshengu.

Meanwhile, DA KZN spokesperson on Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs (EDTEA) Heinz de Boer is adamant the province’s landfill site mismanagement was the result of political ineptitude.

He said, though often obscured and hidden from the public, landfill sites are a critical element in the growth and sustainability of cities.

“The economic potential of waste reclamation is enormous, but the associated environmental impacts are equally challenging,” said De Boer.

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