The controversy around Oatlands landfill site and its imminent closure has been raging for a couple of years now, with Ray Nkonyeni Municipality (RNM) and residents arguing about how many weeks of landfill capacity we have left, how much it will cost to sell our solid waste to someone in Durban or how to take legal action against perceived wrongdoers. The problem with this whole debate is that it starts and ends with the assumption that the earth is the logical place to put our litter.
It might well be argued that we are biologically programmed to discharge our waste directly into our environment – after all, our ancestors happily discharged all their waste (whether from their own bodies or objects they used) straight into the ground and water without a problem for countless centuries. Their waste easily broke down and returned to the earth (which is why archaeologists find ancient objects made of stone and metal that have been in the ground for millennia, and sometimes bones, but typically not flesh, clothing or wooden objects). But since the industrial revolution of the 19th century, and especially since the end of the second world war in 1945, people have been creating and using more and more materials that are toxic and/or don’t easily biodegrade, such as plastic and other petrochemicals, and waste has become a life-threatening issue.
On the upside, we also live in the information age and have access to many new technologies and ways of thinking, and the landfill concept has actually become all but obsolete. Right here on the South Coast (technically just across the provincial border), we have had systems in place which result in zero waste to landfill… since 2016! Yep, while the mountain of solid waste at Oatlands has continued to grow for the last six years (and, by the way, includes vast quantities of plastic waste, clear recycling bags, food waste and plant material), the Wild Coast Sun near Port Edward has managed to avoid sending over 670 tonnes of annual waste to landfill.
The system used at the Wild Coast Sun is simple, elegant and effective: food waste and plant material is separated and composted on site; recyclable materials are sold to recycling vendors; and ‘tailings’ (everything that remains – single-use plastics, polystyrene, building rubble, mixed materials, certain types of glass, etc) are processed into CSRI-rated paving and building blocks. Furthermore, sewage from the resort is effectively cleaned in a constructed wetland (using living plants), ensuring clean water onsite with no damage to the river.
Various efforts have been made to introduce this system at Oatlands or elsewhere in the region, but these have been blocked, for reasons other than the technical and practical merits of the system. The Green Net calls upon RNM and other concerned parties to investigate the ‘zero waste to landfill’ option as a matter of urgency. This would require a simple network of waste disposal stations for residents across the region, coupled with efficient recycling services and a centralised, regional plant for the processing of ‘tailings’ to produce pavers and other useful materials for filling potholes, creating pedestrian walkways and installing cycling lanes. The technology is right here and it costs a whole lot less than chronic contamination and disease, maybe even less than a new landfill site. Let’s apply our minds and clean up our act!
HELEN DODGE and JOAN GALLAGHER
The Green Net
RESPONSE: Municipality confirms action on landfill site
The Ray Nkonyeni Municipality (RNM) as the operating authority is confident that the Oatlands landfill site will remain legally operational.
RNM spokesperson Simon April said the leadership of the municipality is disappointed and concerned that there are individuals or formations with no regulatory status issuing statements on the issue of Oatlands landfill site.
“These individuals or formations happen to sit or be represented on the Oatlands waste disposal site.”
The monitoring committee uses the information on the discussions of the committee to issue statements with no substance but more disturbing insinuating a crisis situation.
The RNM as the operating authority wishes to dispel these statements as action and engagements continue to take place to ensure that RNM has a licensed and legally operational landfill site.
April added that it is not the first instance that there is a report on a cell being strained in terms of airspace and this was dealt with as it is happening now. Whilst the current measures are short to medium in ensuring that the site remains a licensed operational site, a long-term solution on the matter is being explored.
SIMON APRIL
RNM spokesperson
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