Toxic fumes from fires that sporadically break out at Buffalo City’s main Roundhill tip are likely to be a thing of the past from the end of next month.
Interwaste site agent Gabriel Pereira said the final leg of the project to reconstruct and rehabilitate the Roundhill regional landfill site in Berlin is almost complete. The process involves capping waste, he said.
“Existing waste cells were over-filled and dangerously shaped and were not covered with material such as soil, meaning that the waste was left exposed and the site had odour and vermin problems,” he explained.
“Daily waste was also being illegally tipped into the open veld in an unprotected area.
“Road surfaces were covered in waste and trucks were dumping wherever they could find space. Contaminated water was present all over the site in unlined areas.”
Interwaste, the Johannesburg-based company awarded the R47-million tender to manage the regional landfill, started with a clean-up operation before constructing a temporary emergency cell, according to Pereira.
“Once the cell was complete, all illegally dumped waste was moved to the new cell and daily landfill operations continued – under our supervision – in the new emergency cell.”
Once the major clean-up was complete, smaller amounts of daily maintenance were necessary to maintain the site, he said.
Fires at the site have been a frequent hazard, polluting the air and reducing motorists’ visibility in the area.
Last year Buffalo City Metro called experts to do damage control. Existing landfill cells had not been trimmed, compacted or covered as required by waste management laws since 2006.
Metro spokesman Thandy Matebese said this week that the implementation of corrective measures at the site, mismanaged for more than a decade, have been progressive since June last year.
“We have assessed the level of non-compliance (84%) of the site with the waste management laws and the site permit.
“The purpose of this assessment was also aimed at determining the proper corrective measures necessary to bring the site to a state of compliance.”
Matebese said the metro also plans to correct non-compliance at other sites in the city.
Interwaste would train BCM staff to maintain the site, he said.
“Interwaste will train staff relevant to their responsibilities so as to ensure they are able to carry on with their responsibilities and maintain work once Interwaste’s contract expires in June next year. — mbalit@dispatch.co.za
End to tip fires in sight
Interwaste site agent Gabriel Pereira said the final leg of the project to reconstruct and rehabilitate the Roundhill regional landfill site in Berlin is almost complete. The process involves capping waste, he said.
“Existing waste cells were over-filled and dangerously shaped and were not covered with material such as soil, meaning that the waste was left exposed and the site had odour and vermin problems,” he explained.
“Daily waste was also being illegally tipped into the open veld in an unprotected area.
“Road surfaces were covered in waste and trucks were dumping wherever they could find space. Contaminated water was present all over the site in unlined areas.”
Interwaste, the Johannesburg-based company awarded the R47-million tender to manage the regional landfill, started with a clean-up operation before constructing a temporary emergency cell, according to Pereira.
“Once the cell was complete, all illegally dumped waste was moved to the new cell and daily landfill operations continued – under our supervision – in the new emergency cell.”
Once the major clean-up was complete, smaller amounts of daily maintenance were necessary to maintain the site, he said.
Fires at the site have been a frequent hazard, polluting the air and reducing motorists’ visibility in the area.
Last year Buffalo City Metro called experts to do damage control. Existing landfill cells had not been trimmed, compacted or covered as required by waste management laws since 2006.
Metro spokesman Thandy Matebese said this week that the implementation of corrective measures at the site, mismanaged for more than a decade, have been progressive since June last year.
“We have assessed the level of non-compliance (84%) of the site with the waste management laws and the site permit.
“The purpose of this assessment was also aimed at determining the proper corrective measures necessary to bring the site to a state of compliance.”
Matebese said the metro also plans to correct non-compliance at other sites in the city.
Interwaste would train BCM staff to maintain the site, he said.
“Interwaste will train staff relevant to their responsibilities so as to ensure they are able to carry on with their responsibilities and maintain work once Interwaste’s contract expires in June next year. — mbalit@dispatch.co.za
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