Surveillance cameras for Roundhill dumpsite

Vagrants scavanging in search for any material to recycle in order to put food on the table have put up shacks to live in at the Roundhill Landfill Site in Berlin.
Vagrants scavanging in search for any material to recycle in order to put food on the table have put up shacks to live in at the Roundhill Landfill Site in Berlin.
Image: RANDELL ROSKRUGE

New CCTV cameras will be installed at the troubled Berlin Roundhill landfill site as part of a multimillion-rand upgrade to try and get the site to be legally compliant.

BCM spokesperson Samkelo Ngwenya told the Daily Dispatch on Thursday the cameras would be installed to:

  • Ensure the safety and security of the BCM staff working on the site;
  • Ensure that clients using the landfill site are safe;
  • Ensure that infrastructure on site is secured and not vandalised; 
  • Ensure that waste coming on site is permissible; and
  • Prevent fraudulent activities.

Ngwenya said: “The budget for the cameras is R100,000 in the current financial year. The cameras have not been installed yet, we are still in the process of procurement.”

Sums of R67.4m and R85m were allocated over two financial years for the construction of cell 3 and cell 4 and ancillary works in the previous and current financial years.

Waste including toilet seats were seen dumped outside the Berlin Roundhill dumpsite. Locals have raised concerns about the cows eating plastic waste.
Waste including toilet seats were seen dumped outside the Berlin Roundhill dumpsite. Locals have raised concerns about the cows eating plastic waste.
Image: MAMELA NDAMASE

While the metro is fighting a losing battle with illegal and hazardous dumping outside the upgraded site, Ngwenya boasted that construction of the new cells was completed along with a leachate treatment plant and waste sorting facility.

News of the progress comes after a five-month delay in the project, which started in 2017.

Acting municipal services head Howard Sikweza, in a progress report tabled in council recently, explains: “Contractual issues led to both consultants (Envitech Solutions) leaving the site in December 2018 and the contractor (Stefannutti Stocks Road and Earthworks) leaving the site in March 2019.”

Sikweza said waste inspection cameras were required at the weighbridge area and near the landfill area to monitor the various types of waste being sent to the site.

Ngwenya said the works at the Roundhill landfill site were addressing non-compliance notices issued to BCM.

“This work was initiated by the rehabilitation of old and overfilled cells 1 and 2. The construction of cells 3 and 4, as well as implementation of ancillary works, are to address these non-compliances. The ancillary works included construction of the leachate treatment plant and installation of the surveillance and waste inspection cameras, as well as construction of the waste sorting facility,” Ngwenya said.

He was asked when BCM would address the illegal dumping eyesore outside the site, but had not answered that question by print deadline on Thursday.

mamelan@dispatch.co.za


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