Work on the Berlin landfill site is almost complete and the energy renewal company responsible for the revamp is to hand it over to the Buffalo City Metro (BCM) soon.
While the work on the site is not 100% finished, Envitech Solutions, the main contractor in the project, said the level of non-compliance was only at 30% compared with previous years where it stood at 84%.
The municipality had been under public scrutiny for spontaneous fires which affected both the surrounding community and motorists who travel past the landfill site.
Envitech Solutions project leader Nash Dookhi said unmonitored vehicles that used to dump “all sorts of waste” in undesignated areas contributed to the problem. Also the waste had not been capped and covered daily as required.
Dookhi said they were due to construct final cells over the next 12 months as well as to channel the leachate, a liquid 300% more toxic than raw sewage, which oozes out of landfills and becomes a significant threat to surface and groundwater.
Interwaste managing director Leon Grobbelaar said the site was the worst he had come across in his 26 years of experience.
“We’ve had a great team commit to turn the site around and while doing so we have also employed 45 members from the community who have been trained on how to run and maintain the site.”
Interwaste also initiated a R1-million learnership programme for 20 students from the metro.
Acting HOD municipal services Neo Moerane said the municipality aimed to host an integrated waste management indaba as part of their soon to be launched campaign “Keep BCM clean, let’s go green” campaign. — mbalit@dispatch.co.za
Rehabilitation of Berlin landfill forging ahead
While the work on the site is not 100% finished, Envitech Solutions, the main contractor in the project, said the level of non-compliance was only at 30% compared with previous years where it stood at 84%.
The municipality had been under public scrutiny for spontaneous fires which affected both the surrounding community and motorists who travel past the landfill site.
Envitech Solutions project leader Nash Dookhi said unmonitored vehicles that used to dump “all sorts of waste” in undesignated areas contributed to the problem. Also the waste had not been capped and covered daily as required.
Dookhi said they were due to construct final cells over the next 12 months as well as to channel the leachate, a liquid 300% more toxic than raw sewage, which oozes out of landfills and becomes a significant threat to surface and groundwater.
Interwaste managing director Leon Grobbelaar said the site was the worst he had come across in his 26 years of experience.
“We’ve had a great team commit to turn the site around and while doing so we have also employed 45 members from the community who have been trained on how to run and maintain the site.”
Interwaste also initiated a R1-million learnership programme for 20 students from the metro.
Acting HOD municipal services Neo Moerane said the municipality aimed to host an integrated waste management indaba as part of their soon to be launched campaign “Keep BCM clean, let’s go green” campaign. — mbalit@dispatch.co.za
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