The construction of the first of nine new regional waste disposal facilities in the Western Cape has started in Mossel Bay.
The new facility will serve multiple municipalities along the Garden Route and is aimed at stimulating the waste economy, creating jobs and reducing the environmental impacts of waste management in the region.
Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning Minister Anton Bredell says about 500 temporary and 60 permanent jobs will be created.
This facility will provide landfill space to the communities of Bitou, Knysna, George and Mossel Bay for the next 30 years and provision was also made to accommodate the Hessequa and Oudtshoorn municipalities in the future.
Bredell says the project has always been one of the top priorities for the department in terms of waste disposal in the Western Cape.
“South Africa has a serious waste problem. We are running out of landfill space everywhere and the increased cost and growing environmental issues is a problem that we must tackle head-on before it is too late,” he laments.
This, Bredell explains, is why the provincial Department of Environmental Affairs and Development Planning has been driving a process to establish nine big regional waste facilities that will provide waste disposal options to the 25 local municipalities across the province.
“This project is an excellent example of what can be achieved if municipalities cooperate to provide a better service for all their communities,” states Bredell.
The disposal of waste generated by communities and any related cost, is constitutionally mandated to be the responsibility of the relevant local municipality.
“Given rapid population growth and urbanisation, the growing waste disposal problem is one that cannot be ignored. Programmes we run together with our municipalities include minimisation of waste, recycling and budgeting sufficiently for waste management,” he further notes, adding that efficiently run municipalities remain key to delivering the services needed to make the province a better place for all who live in it.