Plett’s way forward for waste removal
PLETTENBERG BAY NEWS – “It is fact that the land fill site in Plett is full and we must all accept that,” said Thomas Nqolo, Bitou Municipality’s administration manager.
Studies concerning the development of new landfills have been conducted since 1992 and all results conclusively indicate that the last remaining suitable landfill areas in the Southern Cape are to be found in Mossel Bay and Riversdale.
“This means the option for land-filling is not available,” said Nqolo. The next option is transportation.
The municipality has plans to build a Refuse Transfer Station (RTS) in Plettenberg Bay, from where a service provider will transport waste to Mossel Bay for land filling.
The RTS will include an area for composting of organic waste and the recycling project will be enhanced to assist people who make a living from the site.
Regarding builders’ rubble, discussions with a local quarry are underway and all builders’ rubble will be disposed of locally and therefore at less cost. According to the Plettenberg Bay Community Environment Forum’s (PBCEF) comments on the Final Basic Assessment Report for Bitou Municipality, the site which at this stage is deemed to be the most suitable for the RTS, including a material recovery facility and compost facility, is portion 40 of the farm Hillview No. 437.
It is agricultural land with very little natural vegetation left, close to the N2 and therefore easily accessible. The PBCEF applauds the fact that Bitou Municipality is showing commitment to the recycling of household and other waste. The PBCEF has submitted comments and questions regarding this development to the municipality, the details of which will be discussed in a future edition of the Knysna-Plett Herald, following responses from all role-players.
Together with Eden District Municipality, Bitou Municipality is reportedly exploring other, alternative waste disposal mechanisms including conversion of waste to energy. According to Nqolo, most of the preliminary work has been done and the district municipality is at a stage where it can make a decision on the service provider to undertake this task at no cost or risk to the municipality and the rate payer. “We are confident that should this be successful there will be no need for transporting of waste any more,” said Nqolo.
Source: Knysna – Plett Herald
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