Landfill sites in DBNLM in dire straits
Toward the end of last year, multiple complaints regarding waste management at the landfill site and transfer station in Graaff-Reinet were raised. It's apparent that this problem extends beyond Graaff-Reinet, as landfill sites in various towns across the municipal area are facing significant challenges. This is still ongoing despite the municipality's commitments to prioritise the rehabilitation and maintenance of these sites.
Nieu-Bethesda
The landfill site in Nieu-Bethesda is situated about 2,5km from the village. A concerned resident says that refuse is transported from the village to the landfill site on an open trailer, resulting in some of it falling off along the way. "At the site the refuse is dumped and very seldom burnt. The wind sweeps the refuse from the site across the Karoo veld. It is an eyesore. An incinerator was planned for the landfill site but did not materialise."
Steytlerville
According to Hanli Buber, member of the residents and ratepayers action group, the Steytlerville upgrade of the landfill site is an improvement, but it is still not properly managed. "Instead of filling the landfill site from the back to the front, refuse is dumped next to the access roads and is constantly being blown across the road onto sensitive environmental veld areas and surrounding farms. It is aesthetically unappealing in terms of attracting tourism, as well as a threat to endangered wildlife and farm animals in our area," she says. She adds that expensive infrastructure built for "recycling" is not being optimised and residents are not being made aware of what can be recycled and what cannot.
Willowmore
The smoke emanating from the burning of waste at the Willowmore landfill site behind the Willowmore Nursery and Aquaponics Cooperative remains a matter of concern. According to the cooperative members, the burning continues throughout the day and the smoke that emanates from the fire is so severe that they sometimes find it impossible to continue working.
This adversely impacts on the cooperative's day-to-day activities and on the health of cooperative members. Since the landfill site is located close to Willowmore, it also impacts on the health of residents as the smoke permeates almost all neighbourhoods.
This issue has been raised with the municipality on several occasions but to date there has been no positive intervention.
Aberdeen
The Aberdeen landfill site remains a sight for sore eyes, and it is evident that there is no waste management plan in place at this landfill site. After a shocking video that showed how garbage was dumped on the access road to this landfill site, even by a municipal vehicle, went viral in February 2022, Mayor Willem Safers announced that the municipality was in the process of rehabilitating the Graaff-Reinet and Aberdeen landfill sites. See article, Landfills real dumps, 2 February last year at www.graaffreinetadvertiser.com
At present, however, waste is still dumped along the access road to the Aberdeen landfill site,
This issue has been raised with the municipality on several occasions but to date there has been no positive intervention.