The Deputy Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs, Ms Rejoice Mabudafhasi led the handover of the first domestic waste collection pilot project at the Barolong Community Hall in Mahikeng, today, 18 September 2012.
The Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) identified the Mahikeng Local Municipality to participate in the waste collection pilot, which is an Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) initiative. The pilot is geared towards job creation, poverty alleviation, small and medium enterprise development, as well as skills development within communities in Mahikeng.
Speaking at the handover ceremony, the Deputy Minister said, “This handover is a great milestone and it further reiterates the significance and importance of integrated waste management. The waste sector offers great potential for job creation by extending waste services into areas that are currently un-serviced and improve the waste collection systems in serviced areas.” The Deputy Minister added that sustainable waste management practices also form part of the eight focus areas of the Green Economy Strategy.
In 2007, research was undertaken in six municipalities to determine the feasibility of implementing the waste collection model. As part of this process the model was introduced to the Mahikeng Local Municipality on 30 May 2007, and on the 18 August 2007 a letter of intent was signed by the Mafikeng Local Municipality to participate in the project.
The objectives of the pilot project were to develop a small and medium enterprise-driven and labour intensive implementation model for Domestic Waste Collection for municipalities, so as to:
- Reduce backlog in domestic waste collection services through technical and financial support
- Achieve the objective of job creation, skills development and poverty eradication set for the Expanded Public Works Programme
- Implement a community-based approach to waste management and reduction that is aligned with the National Environmental Management: Waste Act (No 59 of 2008)
- Government policy of waste reduction, reuse and recycling.
Before the inception of this ground-breaking project, 15 000 urban households received domestic waste collection services in Mahikeng, while as many as 55 000 rural households did not have access to refuse collection services. Challenges with the waste collection services include the clearing of illegal dumpsites being compromised by insufficient and unreliable waste removal machinery. An additional challenge is in the form of the misuse of skips. All of these challenges are compounded by the fact that the Mahikeng Local Municipality has only one permitted landfill site that is privately managed. There is also limited recycling in Mahikeng. However, in recent months a recycling forum has been established by the municipality with a view of reducing indiscriminate littering.
The project has brought dignity to, and improved the quality of life of many citizens in this area. Currently, more than 31 000 households which previously did not receive waste management services are now beneficiaries. The project also illustrated that the waste sector offers great potential for job creation.
Five waste collection trucks were procured and five contractors appointed to use trucks for waste collection. A total of seventy (70) workers were further appointed to do actual waste collection from targeted households for the duration of the project. Each contractor was allocated 14 workers. Training was provided to both contractors and workers in order to capacitate them in areas of waste management and business management.
Based on the lessons learnt through this pilot, DEA aims to establish a model for municipal waste management that addresses backlogs in service delivery in the rest of the country.
While lauding projects such as the pilot which see government giving effect to the Constitutional right of all citizens to an environment that is not harmful to their health and well-being the Deputy Minister also recognised the recently-celebrated World Ozone Day.
As part of its work in ensuring the environmental rights of citizens, South Africa ratified several multilateral environmental agreements, of which the Montreal Protocol on substances that deplete the ozone layer is one. On 16 September every year, parties to the Protocol celebrate the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer.
To access the Deputy Minister’s speech, click on the link below:
http://www.environment.gov.za/q=content/mabudafhasi_mahiken_wastecollection_pilotproject
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