MARLOTH PARK – The furnace at the dumping site has been removed due to its poor condition and because it posed health and safety risks for the workers and residents.
It was used to burn the refuse after workers had removed all recyclable materials.
Residents of the village complained about the burning of the waste and the consequent smell and smoke.
The dumping site is very old and although Nkomazi Local Municipality has identified a new one, the move has not taken place yet.
Care 4 Marloth, a non-governmental organisation, was founded to assist with the cleaning of the town and waste removals.
The organisation established recycling stations to reduce the amount of refuse and achieve a cleaner environment.
The people doing the recycling are employed by Care 4 Marloth, although the Nkomazi Local Municipality has one worker at the dumping site.
Removing the recyclables is labour intensive as most people do not bother to separate the waste at the source.
Recycling is a new project in Marloth Park, but it is going well, according to Mr Dean Jonas, who assists at the dumping site. “Recycling is working for us. Our waste has been reduced by more than 80 per cent. At the moment we are bagging the waste. Because we are not using the furnace the flies have returned. We are working on a bigger plan and that will work for everybody concerned.”
Jonas didn’t want to elaborate much on the new plan but he promised Lowvelder it would be worth waiting for.
He added that Care 4 Marloth ran only on donations and he was happy to report that Marloth Park residents supported the recycling business.
