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Less than 20 percent of landfills are fully compliant, while the collection services that bring trash to them are also failing.
A landfill site for illustration. Picture: iStock
While South Africans struggle with persistent service delivery issues, problems with waste collection have added to the failing state of many provinces.
In a briefing held by the portfolio committee on environment, forestry and fisheries in Parliament this week, compliance and service delivery failures were raised as red flags.
The South African Local Government Association (Salga) highlighted problems with households receiving waste collection services at least once a week. As of 2022, only one in three households in Limpopo had their waste collected. Western Cape and Gauteng had the highest collection rates, 88.7% and 85%, respectively.
This was lower than the national average of two in three households (or 66.3%).
While not providing more current research, Salga highlighted how these statistics showed the urgent need to take action to improve and increase the footprint municipalities cover.
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Salga explained that landfilling is still the country’s main option for waste disposal, despite high rates of non-compliance at landfill sites.
Among the 154 operational municipal landfill sites inspected by the Department of Environment, Forestry, and Fisheries, only 16% (25 sites) were compliant.
In addition, 24% (37 sites) were partially compliant, while 60% (92 sites) were completely non-compliant.
The department explained that most non-compliance was due to a lack of adequate equipment and sites without access control.
It also highlighted political instability as a reason for service delivery failures.
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A total of 168 landfill sites have been issued with notices or directives. Mpumalanga has the highest number of notices, sitting at 33, followed by Limpopo with 25. The lowest is the Eastern Cape with five.
52 criminal cases have been opened against municipalities for non-compliant landfill sites. From these, eight cases have been concluded through the Plea Bargain Agreements. These include cases for two sites in the Eastern Cape, three in Mpumalanga, and one in the Free State.
Attempting to tackle the issue of the increase in non-compliance, SALGA encouraged municipalities to explore private-public partnerships to rehabilitate and manage some of the sites.
In addition, they are working with the national treasury to support metros through the Metro Trading Service programme.
“For now, it’s at the first phase, and it’s focusing on metros. That’s one programme that we believe can assist in improving the status quo in terms of the whole waste value chain, said the association.
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The presentation comes as Joburg residents struggle with full bins not being emptied.
Pikitup spokesperson Muzi Mkhwanazi told The Citizen that resources and efficient management of trucks were behind delays in collection.
“[A depot will help] if one has completed its waste collection rounds and another requires a truck to help complete its collection.”
“The main cause of delays is vehicle breakdowns. Additionally, the city has been experiencing torrential rains recently, leading to congestion and traffic at landfill sites.
“Due to slippery and wet conditions, this results in slow disposal at these sites. This, in turn, contributes to waste collection delays in some depot areas,” he explained.
However, the DA’s Johannesburg spokesperson on environmental health Emi Koekemoer said the problems stemmed from historical contract payment delays and budget limitations. She stressed the urgency of dealing with the matter.
“More emphasis needs to be placed on waste diversion as there [are] 18 months left on landfill airspace,” she warned.
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