Ongoing concern re Solid Waste Management in Ward 2

SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT WITHIN WARD 2

With the ongoing concern about the Solid Waste Management within the Ward 2 area, the Ward 2 Forum in conjunction with the Transformation Committee, other member organisations and concerned residents of the area have monitored the Genadendal Landfill site on a periodic basis.

The situation of Solid Waste in the Ward 2 area has worsened particularly over the last 8 months. Waste volumes have increased and the management thereof reduced. Ward 2 Forum submitted to the Local authority a full Viability Report on this with proposals in March 2016, after the debacle of the proposed Solid Waste drop-off at the entrance to the Greyton Village. This was not the first time though as a similar Project Presentation Report was submitted in 2008/9 by Derek Crabtree and George Juries to TWK through the then Ward Committee (Caroline Wood being the councillor at that stage).

The area contaminated has grown substantially, with still no fencing of the area to assist in curbing the pollution of the surrounding area by windblown plastic and paper and the keeping out of those Animals roaming and rummaging through the waste. See Videos below showing the current situation. Yet, the oxidation ponds in Greyton have partial fencing topped with razor wire.

CONCLUSION

A concerted effort is now urgently required by all interested and affected parties. The Ward 2 Forum is currently engaging with Province and Boetie Bantam to assist in finding a workable, viable and sustainable solution for the Sorting and Recycling (S&R) of Solid Waste for the Ward 2 area. The legislative requirements are prohibitive in starting a large scale project but allows for smaller projects to be operated without having to go through the prescribed EIA, scoping and application exercise.

Our problems are compounded by the fact that both the Greyton and Genadendal Landfill Sites, in terms of the Waste Management Licence (WML) granted to TWKM on the 14th November 2014, are scheduled to be decommissioned by the year 2019. The WML for the closure of the Facility by TWKM was submitted as part of the final Basic Assessment Report dated 1 April 2014, and must be implemented together with all the conditions stipulated. For which there is, we believe, no budget for any of the requirements.

Although the proposal in the Environmental Management Programme (EMP) is generic and as such, the various design features should be properly assessed, to include the following:

  • Future waste should be sorted rather than disposed of.
  • Waste salvaging should be reconsidered as a possible way of reducing the existing waste volumes.
  • The fence should be erected but allowing easy access by the community to the facility at all times, otherwise illegal dumping may increase in the area.
  • The rehabilitation of the site must be done with local indigenous plants.
  • And much more – rebuilding of the pipe culvert over the Scholtz, security system (gate and attendant), construction of a disposal cell including clay liner and engineered drainage, monitoring of ground pollution at specific boreholes.

For this to be achieved we, the Ward 2 Forum, invite all individuals, organisations and associations to assist in a participatory process to find workable solutions to the ever increasing challenge of Solid Waste management in our area.

A very positive project that would require the assistance of a specific and specialised group of individuals from our area is the Landcare Initiative being championed by the Department of Agriculture of the Western Cape Provincial Government. The Ward 2 Forum was invited to be part of the Transformation Committee delegation to attend the inaugural Plenary Workshop session held at Gabrielskloof.

The Landcare initiative is an Areawide Planning methodology that aims to include all role players and affected parties and will remain a community-based initiative. Additional information on this will be published on the Ward 2 Forum platform.

Should you wish to participate in the Solid Waste project or any other of the Ward 2 Forum initiatives please contact us on the following email:

info@ward2forum.org

Ward 2 Forum Team

Viability Report 1.1

PRESENTATION OF Ward 2 Refuse Issue

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Ward 2 Municipal Waste Facility – Progress report 2

THE REALITY OF WARD 2

The ward originally comprised Greater Greyton (Heuwelkroon & Greyton), Farm 39, which is the old Moravian Church property and farmland, comprising the villages of Genadendal, Boschmansklooof, Voorstekraal, and Bereaville (totalling 4773 ha). Over the last few years, the area of Ward 2 has been increased thrice and now also includes much of the farmland along the R406 towards the N2. The population based on the 2011 Census is said to be about 9000, although local estimates suggest over 17,000 people.

All of Ward 2 is not only affected by what happens in the Theewaterskloof municipal area, but also beyond in the rest of the Overberg. Agriculture is the main contributor to the local GDP; with tourism having the greatest growth potential. Significant pollution of the Riviersonderend River from inadequate capacity and treatment of sewage at the facilities in Greyton and Genadendal will determine the future of the downstream fruit farms, now under severe threat of loosing their export markets, which would significantly affect the local economy and employment.

Local elections are due this year, and there is no way of anticipating the outcome. Most of the Directors of TWKM are due to retire. It is essential that plans for new projects in Ward 2 must be agreed and initiated before any adverse political and other changes put these at risk.

The immediate future of Farm 39 is still uncertain, pending agreement with the Department of Land Affairs. The community is likely to become a Communal Property Association, which will allow them to retain control and ownership of all their land. One of their development projects is to enlarge the waste recycling facility, making it fully sustainable. After the years of conflict between the Transformation Committee (TC) and TWKM, which has undoubtedly affected Greyton, it is clear that a new and fully cooperative approach has been adopted, which will bind together the mutual aspirations and all the communities of Ward 2 and the municipality.

Several joint projects have been planned between the TC and W2F, of which the first was the new fencing of the R406 to reduce the hazards of the roaming Farm Animals. It has been agreed that the waste project is the second joint project, to be followed by the sewage project, and thereafter as our joint needs dictate.

 THE WASTE PLAN

The 2 old waste dumps in Greyton and Genadendal have already been licensed to close down and be rehabilitated over the next 3 years. At the moment, the Greyton waste, except for the garden material, is disposed of at the Genadendal site; this includes the recyclables collected by Boetie Bantam. An estimated daily average of 10 tons is collected in Ward 2; this is about 45 cubic metres of waste (a large skip contains 30 cubic metres.)

The municipal plan is that all TWKM waste, that cannot be reused or recycled, will be transported 64 km to the Overstrand District Municipal landfill site at Karwyderskraal, near Hermanus. It was always understood that there would be a waste facility at Genadendal, which would include sorting and recycling functions, whilst a much smaller drop-off would be constructed in Greyton – the garden waste function would remain. TWKM would implement a 2-bag system and motivate sorting of recyclables at source.

CHANGE OF PLANS

Late last year TWKM found additional funds (about R2 million) that was made available to allow the construction of a drop-off, which would be the first phase of a full sorting and recycling waste facility to cater for all of Ward 2, which would be located at the entrance to Greyton. It became clear that the environmental impacts and consequential risks to tourism were substantial, there was no significant community support, and Boetie Bantam’s recycling business in Genadendal was under threat.

This money would only cover the construction of a drop-off facility (Phase 1), its approval had to be urgently motivated and specific expenditure identified and confirmed within a few weeks, otherwise it could be diverted to another project in another ward. However further budget would have to be sought for the phases 2 & 3 which have not yet even been fully specified.

It was indicated that TWKM could have major difficulties in allocating municipal funds for facilities to be constructed on “non-municipal” land in Genadendal. Therefore, three additional sites were identified in Greyton each with its own problems:

  • Site B: north of Park Street, opposite the Old Moravian church, on the edge of a potential housing development area, with access problems for large vehicles from Main Road either up Uitkyk Street or through part of Heuwelkroon and over the Scholtz River, which is highly vulnerable to severe damage from flooding.
  • Site C: on the slope below the Eskom substation, too far from the main road out of Greyton and too near to a perennial watercourse and wetland, also in an area designated for housing.
  • Site D: Further, down the road to the old dump, over a hazardous bridge that is often flooded, too close to and in full sight of the Country Village, also too near potential future housing land.

LEGAL ASPECTS

The NEM: Waste Act (No 59 of 2008) includes a list of activities that require a basic environment assessment as part of a waste management licence application in terms of Notice 921 (29 November 2013):

  • The sorting, bailing, chipping etc of general waste at a facility with an operational area in excess of 1000 m²;
  • The recycling of general waste at a facility with an operational area in excess of 500 m²;
  • The disposal of general waste to land covering an area more than 50 m² but less than 200 m², and with a total capacity not exceeding 25,000 tons;
  • The construction of a facility for any of the above activities;
  • The expansion of an existing facility for any of the above activities.

The proposed transfer and recycling facility proposed by TWKM in Greyton was designed such that it would not quite trigger the need for a license. However, it is considered far too limited in capacity and space to accommodate the waste requirements for Ward 2, which would mean that it would have to be expanded later, thus requiring a very costly environmental assessment and license application.

However, construction of a pilot facility may permit exemption from a license, and provide alternative funding sources.

The current By-law may need revising to better control fly-tipping and littering with seizure of any vehicle involved in illegal dumping, only released on payment of a substantial fine.

IMMEDIATE ISSUES

Confirmation by the Transformation Committee that they and the communities of Farm 39 agreed with the W2F proposal to go ahead in principle with the sorting, recycling and transfer station for Ward 2 on Genadendal land;

  • Confirmation that TWKM will allocate the R 2 million of municipal funds for a drop-off facility just off the R406 near the old bus depot in Genadendal;
  • Formation of a team from Ward 2 and TWKM to jointly specify and plan the whole waste management facility, and to complete the specifications and funding requirements for the IDP;
  • Agreement with TWKM and Greyton Transition Town (GTT) on the development of facilities in Greyton and Genadendal for the collection, treatment and re-use of garden waste (Composting plant);
  • Agreement with TWKM & TC on the designation of suitable disposal sites for builders’ rubble.

LONGER TERM PLANS

  • Development of plans to monitor and assess the performance of the Ward 2 sorting and recycling operations, in order to determine the most effective and cost efficient methodology to be implemented for the rest of TWKM. This would inform revision of the 2014 draft TWKM Integrated Waste Management Plan.
  • Research into ‘best practice’ used by other municipalities (eg Overstrand, Paarl) and other countries (existing connections with UK and Sweden).
  • Coordination of above plans with the requirements for closure and rehabilitation of the Genadendal and Greyton dumps.
  • Finalisation of the visionary concepts to enhance the visual impact of the Genadendal waste site and the approach to Greyton.

 

The Ward 2 Forum Team

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Change of Venue – Public meeting on Thu, 25th Feb 2016

Please note that the venue for the Public meeting on the 25th at 5pm has been changed to:

Moravian Hall, next to Library.

Main Road, Greyton.

The purpose of the meeting is to present the Ward 2 Forum’s plan for addressing Waste Removal in Ward 2. We are hoping that this plan will be favourably received by the residents, TWKM and all the other organisations in our valley.

The plan is the culmination of many years’ work by the Ward 2 Forum and the Genadendal Transformation Committee. It comprehensively addresses the Waste Removal problem in a holistic way, as well as creating jobs and many other opportunities. It will also pave the way to address other infrastructural problems, like Sewage and provide opportunities for Tourism, Training, Conferencing etc. We therefore urge as many people and organisations as possible to attend the meeting so that the W2F can have as much public participation as possible.

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Report back – Greyton Drop off site

We are pleased to announce that no further work on the cheap NBA jerseys proposed Drop-off and Waste Transfer site, which was planned adjacent to the R406 at the Greyton entrance, will be done until a full Journummer! assessment has been carried out.

The Ward 2 Forum has proposed an alternative business plan to holistically address the problems, which we believe will be wholesale NFL jerseys acceptable to all the community, with considerably less potentially damaging impacts on the environment and on tourism. This is currently being considered by TWKM. Once TWKM have cheap jerseys fully considered the alternatives and agreed the technical and management requirements, we will be able to inform Lake the community of the revised details of the facility.

The Ward 2 Forum, with the financial assistance of concerned members of the community, have secured the services of a Senior Council and will seek legal relief by means of an interdict should this be required to prevent the unilateral implementation of a Solid Waste Drop-off/Transfer site that would not be in the interest of the larger Ward 2 community. We sincerely trust that this won’t be necessary, but at the same time we are determined not to let this ill-conceived plan be implemented.

We wish to thank the many members of the community for the overwhelming response & support against the original at proposed plan and the adverse effects the that would have had on our communities. There is now an opportunity to work with TWKM in support of an acceptable waste management policy in Ward 2, that should ensure the continuation of local sorting & recycling as well as creating jobs, opportunities and skills training.

Should you want to be placed goes on the Ward 2 Forum Database please subscribe on the right of this post.

Ward 2 Forum Team

 

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