The Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) on Tuesday suspended the acceptance, treatment and disposal of waste at EnviroServ Waste Management’s Shongweni landfill site, in eThekwini, KwaZulu-Natal, which failed to comply with provisions of the law and conditions of its waste management licence.
The suspension, under Section 56 of the National Environmental Management: Waste Act 2008, is effective within four working days and remains in force until the department deems fit to lift the suspension.
“Despite many interventions implemented by EnviroServ to comply with the instructions contained in the compliance notice, there is still an unacceptably high level of landfill gases being emitted from the Shongweni landfill site, which the authorities have confirmed to be the source of the malodour emanating from the site,” the DEA said in a statement.
“In arriving at the decision, the department carefully and meticulously considered all of the reasons provided by EnviroServ as to why the company would consider it unfair and inappropriate for its licence to be suspended or revoked, and has made a decision to suspend the part of the licence which allows for the acceptance, treatment and disposal activities at the site.”
The National Prosecuting Authority has formally charged EnviroServ, which is expected to appear in court on April 11.