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A striking feature of the new site, also lacking at the Vondeling site, is the massive grey membrane, lining the first of many dumping pits. The membrane is there to stop unwanted chemicals and contaminated water from seeping into the ground and polluting the underground water sources. Pictured to the left is Makhado waste manager Mr Phineas Nndwakhulu.

New site promises better waste management

 

The Makhado Municipality has placed a huge emphasis on doing things right with regard to waste management at their new municipal dumping site.

The new site, situated about 4km out on the municipal airfield road behind Tshikota, was scheduled to become operational on 1 April, but due to logistical and technical problems, this site will now only open on 1 July.

The Zoutpansberger, accompanied by municipal waste manager Mr Phineas Nndwakhulu, visited the new site on Tuesday to ascertain the readiness of the new site.

From the onset, it was clear that there is just no comparison to what residents have been used to at the old Vondeling dumping site. The old site became operational in the mid 1980’s and was nothing more than a huge hole in the ground. It has reached maximum capacity and is scheduled for rehabilitation when it closes.

According to Mr Nndwakhulu, the new site, situated on some 20ha of land, has a projected life span of 50 years. “It could be even longer, if we manage it correctly,” said Nndwakhulu.

During the newspaper’s visit, it became clear that Mr Nndwakhulu is passionate about his job. “Waste management is very important. When people are talking about waste, they don’t understand it,” he said, adding that you will find that even authorities may argue that waste management takes up too much of a budget. “But if you look at legislation, that is where you need to put money,” said Nndwakhulu.

Nndwakhulu is visibly proud of the new site and eagerly took the newspaper on a tour. It was obvious that a lot of time and money went into the planning and building of the new site. Not only is the complete terrain fenced off by concrete palisades, the new site also features a weigh bridge, something that was lacking at the old site. “The weigh bridge is important for better waste management as you can work out exactly how much waste is coming in and going out,” said Nndwakhulu.

With regard to waste going out, Nndwakhulu was referring to the recycling centre situated on site. The contract for recycling at the site was given to Matongoni (Pty) Ltd, a local company. It is the same company which took responsibility for the recycling function at the Vondeling site. “We appointed Matongoni to do the recycling. You see, government’s policy is to say: Let us receive less at the landfill site, because most of the material collected are recyclable. They want to emphasise the issue of recycling. If we recycle here, we will have a lot less waste to manage,” said Nndwakhulu.

A striking feature of the new site, also lacking at the Vondeling site, is the massive grey membrane, lining the first of many dumping pits. “The new site is constructed according to the license (prescriptions). The license conditions specify you do it in this way, otherwise you leave it. Even the guard house is prescribed in the licensing conditions,” said Nndwakhulu.

The membrane is there to stop unwanted chemicals and contaminated water from seeping into the ground and polluting the underground water sources. Water accumulating in the pit filters out of the pit into an evaporation dam situated next to the pit. This water is then to be transferred to the water waste plant in town. Next to this evaporation dam, a borehole was drilled where water tests will be conducted once a month to determine if the membrane was compromised and contamination has taken place. The sample here will also be compared to another test borehole drilled in the most western corner of the site.

The issue of safety is also addressed at the new site. “We are in the process of appointing security guards, two for the day shift and two for the night shift. The recycling contractor must also have his own security,” said Nndwakhulu.

Overall, everything promises a more pleasant experience for users of the new dumping site. “We need to run this site professionally. It needs to be an example,” said Nndwakhulu.

But before residents can experience this new “professional” approach, they must wait a bit longer. “We need to be 100% ready as we don’t want to frustrate the public. As soon as the site’s electricity is connected, we will start to divert municipal trucks to dump here. The site will, however, only be open for the public from 1 July,” said Nndwakhulu.

Water accumulating in the pit filters out of the pit into an evaporation dam situated next to the pit. This water is then to be transferred to the water waste plant in town.

The new site also features a weigh bridge, something that was lacking at the Vondeling site. “The weigh bridge is important for better waste management as you can work out exactly how much waste is coming in and going out,” said Nndwakhulu.

The new Makhado landfill site, sheduled to open on 1 July.

 

Date:09 April 2017

By: Andries van Zyl

Andries joined the Zoutpansberger and Limpopo Mirror in April 1993 as a darkroom assistant. Within a couple of months he moved over to the production side of the newspaper and eventually doubled as a reporter. In 1995 he left the newspaper group and travelled overseas for a couple of months. In 1996, Andries rejoined the Zoutpansberger as a reporter. In August 2002, he was appointed as News Editor of the Zoutpansberger, a position he holds until today.

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