Too expensive; Residents rather dump waste
New regulations meant to keep the Mogalakwena Municipality’s waste disposal site effective and well-organized, might exacerbate the problem of illegal dumping.
Rubbish dumped by residents in open fields or public spaces is a headache in many municipalities.
These concerns were raised after the municipality published a notice that the Potgietersrus and the Rebone Land Fill Sites will only allow those with permits to dispose of waste. The permits, however, come at a cost beyond the means of many residents. There is also a waiting period of 7-14 days of it being issued.
The two dumping sites cater to thousands of residents across this municipality.
The municipality says that it plans to implement a “no permit, no entry” principle from Friday, September 1 at the waste disposal sites, seeking to ensure compliance with the prescripts and to manage waste in a sustainable manner. Illegal dumping of waste material is a problem in the area, with the municipality having identified several hotspots.
According to DA Councilor Yolandi Coetzee, more planning is needed before the policy can be implemented. The DA in Mogalakwena has written to the Municipal Manager, Morris Maluleleke, and the Community Services Manager, Leonard Mashishi, to urgently address multiple concerns before implementing the policy.
“It has become glaringly obvious that the municipality is not ready and has not addressed major challenges such as an outcry from residents over the exorbitant fees for permits to access legal dumping areas,” Coetzee said. “These excessive permit fees may increase incidents of illegal dumping and threaten to affect the profitability of many small businesses that contribute to employment in the municipality. The fees also do not take affordability into consideration in ensuring access to municipal services as set out in the Municipal Waste Management by-law.”
The municipality intends to use the weight of a vehicle as a guideline for determining the tariffs, as the weighbridges at the landfill site are not in working order. According to Coetzee, this does not make sense, as one resident may want to dispose of a whole bakkie load of refuse, while another may only have two bags to dispose of.
The cost of a waste disposal permit, according to Coetzee, is R175,43 for 1 to 100 kg waste, R350,96 for 100 kg to 200 kg, R2637,38 for 1 000 kg to 5 000 kg, and R4395,92 for 5 000 to 10 000 kg of waste.
Suggestions by Coetzee included that tariffs need to be reviewed and to take into account the affordability for residents and businesses, the need for working weighbridges, the permit system must be implemented on an annual basis instead of monthly, those doing recycling must be exempt from this permit system as they contribute to lessening recyclable waste. Lastly, all ward councilors must meet for a proper briefing by the municipality.
