Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning

11[1] Many of the Municipalities within the Western Cape suffer similar waste management challenges, such as the lack of funds to allocate to waste management, human resource challenges, rapidly decreasing landfill airspace and the continued absence of operational regional waste disposal facilities. While the Department of Environmental Affairs and Development Planning [“the Department”] provides waste management guidance and support to all the Municipalities, the following Municipalities in particular need guidance and support:

• The Central Karoo District [i.e. Central Karoo District, Beaufort West, Prince Albert and Laingsburg Municipalities]: The District is sparsely populated with long distances between towns, which makes waste management difficult and expensive, and which makes regional waste management challenging. Compliance and performance in respect of the legislated waste management requirements in the District are therefore particularly challenging.

• Laingsburg Municipality: The waste disposal facility has reached the current permitted height restriction. An airspace determination report together with a motivation for a height extension variation application are currently being explored. However, the required funds for the topographical survey and resultant application process are reportedly unavailable. The Department is currently considering whether the Department will be able to assist with the topographical survey.

• Kannaland Municipality: The Municipality’s efforts in waste management are hindered by limited funding and a shortage of the required personnel. The Municipality has consolidated the disposal of all their municipal waste to one facility at Ladismith. The most critical need in the short-term is sourcing and collecting sufficient suitable daily cover material as the facility is in a rocky area. The decommissioning of three of the now disused waste facilities is less urgent, however, assistance with even a temporary closure or capping and the establishment of drop-off facilities could greatly improve the waste management situation in the Municipality.

• Oudtshoorn Municipality: Landfill airspace is not a major problem in the Municipality, but a constant challenge is the mismanagement of the Waste Disposal Facilities. The Grootkop facility has a significant number of unauthorised individuals on the facility that need to be addressed.

• Langeberg Municipality: There is currently no remaining landfill airspace available. The Municipality was depending on the anticipated establishment of the regional facility. However, the Municipality is in discussions with the Department on possible interim measures and for short- to medium-term measures to increase the operational lifespan of the Ashton facility.

• Witzenberg Municipality: The Wolseley Waste Disposal Facility has been abandoned by the Municipality without the required decommissioning process and it poses a serious risk to the surrounding community. Internal and external audit reports have not been received by the Department and no action plans on Departmental audits conducted have been forthcoming in recent years. The Municipality has shown little to no tangible improvement at its waste disposal facilities, except for Tulbagh facility. Security and buffer zone encroachment are ongoing issues that lead to incidences, and windblown litter blocks drainage infrastructure.

• Cederberg Municipality: The Municipality has a lack of infrastructure, machinery, and the required human resources. While waste collection in the Municipality is not an issue, the management of the waste facilities is an ongoing challenge as the facilities are currently non-compliant. The most concerning issue is a lack of finances that prevents implementation of improvement measures at these facilities. The Municipality is relying heavily on the completion of the regional facility to be located in Matzikama Municipality.

• Matzikama Municipality: There are eleven waste disposal facilities in the Municipality. The Municipality is struggling with lack of infrastructure, machinery, and adequate human resources. The Municipality is also struggling with compliance due to a reported lack of finances. The regional facility is to be located in Matzikama Municipality.

The following municipalities are currently doing well in terms of waste management, but need urgent access to operational regional waste disposal facilities:

• Mossel Bay Municipality
• Knysna Municipality
• Bitou Municipality
• Drakenstein Municipality
• Stellenbosch Municipality

The regional waste disposal facilities planned across the Province is the medium to long-term solution to waste disposal, in conjunction with waste separation [at source] and waste diversion, together with waste management education.

11[2] In terms of the National Environmental Management: Waste Act, 2008 [Act No. 59 of 2008] [“NEMWA”], the National Minister can set National Norms and Standards for certain aspects of waste management. National Norms and Standards have been set for Domestic Waste Collection; Assessment of waste for landfill disposal; Disposal of waste to landfill; Remediation of contaminated land and soil quality; Storage of waste; Extraction, flaring or recovery of landfill gas; Scrapping or recovery of motor vehicles; Sorting, shredding, grinding, crushing, screening or baling of general waste and Organic waste composting amongst others [copies of the National Norms and Standards on the Department’s website at: https://www.westerncape.gov.za/eadp/about-us/meet-chief-directorates/environmental-quality/waste-management]. The Norm and Standard that has been developed in respect of landfill site lining [“Containment Barrier Design”] is, however, a cause for serious concern. This Norm and Standard assumes the worst-case scenario [that there are no natural containment barriers present] and therefore requires a minimum engineering design that are not based on the actual specific risk to be managed in terms of the specific case. This results in a requirement for prohibitively expensive landfill site linings, which are causing delays in the expansion of existing landfill sites as well as the establishment of new landfill sites, but is also taking already limited resources away from necessary waste management measures. While the mining sector have been granted exemption from having to comply with this Norm and Standard, the Western Cape Government together with the Municipalities have not yet been able to obtain a similar exemption.

11[3][a] In respect of how the Municipalities in the Western Cape compare to the Municipalities in the other provinces in regard to solid waste management:

In terms of service delivery:

According to the General Household Survey [2020] the top three performing Metropolitan Municipalities in South Africa, with regard to their status of waste services, are Ekurhuleni [93%] and Nelson Mandela Bay [91%], followed by the City of Cape Town [87%].

In terms of the Provincial Status of Waste Services, the General Household Survey [2020] found that the Western Cape Province is performing the best with 89%, Gauteng Province in second position 85%, and North West Province in third position with 81%. The lowest scoring province, in terms of the status of waste services, is Limpopo Province with [46%]. The average status of waste services in South Africa is 72%. The Municipalities in the Western Cape Province are performing better than the national average.

 In terms of Municipalities with Integrated Waste Management Plans [IWMPs]:

The Western Cape Province has the highest number Municipalities that have Integrated Waste Management Plans [“IWMPs”] with 30 of the 30 municipalities [100%] having IWMPs, followed closely by Free State Province [20 of out 23 [86.95%]], Mpumalanga Province [17 out of 20 [85%]]; with the Eastern Cape the lowest [only 2 out of the 40 [5%]].

In terms of Waste Management Facilities:

The Western Cape Province has the highest number of licensed Waste Disposal Facilities in the South Africa, namely 154 facilities. This is followed by the Eastern Cape Province, which has 103 facilities and the Northern Cape Province which has 92 Facilities.

In terms of Municipal Landfill Sites Compliance:

The Western Cape Province has done more compliance audits at Waste Disposal Facilities than any other province in South Africa. Between 2017/2018 and quarter 1 of 2020/2021, a total of 91 inspections were conducted. The next highest is Mpumalanga, with 42 inspections during the same period, followed by Limpopo and Eastern Cape with 35 and 34 inspections respectively.

From these inspections, 27 of the 91[29.67%] facilities in the Western Cape were deemed to be compliant [compliance score of more than 75%], with 20 [21.97%] partially complaint [compliance score between 50% and 74%] and 44 [48.35%] deemed non-complaint [compliance score of less than 49%].

 

In comparison with the rest of the provinces, during the same period, in the Mpumalanga Province, 7 out of the 42 [17%] facilities were complaint, 11 [26%] were partially complaint and 24 [57%] were non-complaint; in the Limpopo Province, 4 out of the 34 [12%] facilities were compliant, 4 [12%] were partially compliant and 26 [76%] non-complaint; while in the Free State Province and in the Northern Cape Province no facilities [0%] were deemed to be compliant.

11[3][b] Illegal dumping of waste has become an increasing concern over the last few years in the Western Cape Province, with municipalities struggling to find solutions on mitigating or preventing it from occurring. This has become even a greater issue since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020. The Department, in consultation with the Municipalities, has developed a Strategy to Reduce Illegal Disposal for the Western Cape Province which were informed by the inputs received from Municipalities on the current situation in each Municipality, financial implications and possible solutions.

A wide spectrum of possible mitigation measures or solutions were identified, keeping in mind that what works in one Municipality, might not work in another Municipality.

Municipalities have opted to increase the collection days, provide more containers or skips in communities, provide more bins and increase the issuing of fines. While certain Municipalities opted for these mitigation measures, others were focusing on identifying illegal dumping hotspots. This allows Municipalities to establish whether the hotspot is temporary, or whether a formal facility such as a mini drop-off must be established.

In some instances, municipalities make use of technology to assist in reporting of illegal dumping. One such platform is that of the Drakenstein Municipality, with the introduction of the “SeeClickFix” platform which allows the public to report illegal dumping.

Incentives need to be implemented to encourage individuals to dispose of waste at waste disposal facilities, instead of public open spaces. Some Municipalities implement methods which allow the public to dispose of construction and demolition waste free of charge, if the load is below 1 tonne. Clean/uncontaminated builder’s rubble is discounted at other Municipalities, and some Municipalities have introduced a cost reduction of 50% for disposal at the waste disposal facility irrespective of the quantity disposed of.

Community involvement is key when it comes to optimal implementation of waste management solutions and the prevention of illegal dumping. In many Municipalities the communities assist in clean-up events.