Something rotten
Dumping of suspect sludge continues while mining, waste firms take battles to court
MOST people agree it smells — and now an investigation into one of South Africa’s biggest rubbish dumps will reveal whether dirty secrets are buried there.
The FG landfill between Johannesburg and Pretoria is at the centre of a legal standoff amid fears that, should it be closed, huge amounts of waste in the country’s economic heartland will be left on the streets.
It has also emerged that the giant landfill has received hundreds of tons of treated hazardous waste that was delisted by the Department of Environmental Affairs four years ago.
The delisting of this waste, a potentially carcinogenic sludge produced by mining companies, is the subject of a separate legal battle.
The FG landfill, operated by JSE-listed waste disposal firm Interwaste, receives 60 000 tons of waste a month.
Local residents have raised concerns about the site’s odour, and earlier this year the Gauteng department of agriculture and rural development issued a compliance notice to Interwaste, claiming it had no valid licence to operate the site.
Interwaste has applied for a legal review to have the compliance order set aside.
“Until that process is finalised, Interwaste can lawfully HAZARDOUS: The Interwaste landfill site is being probed accept waste and is entitled to proceed with its business operations,” the company told the Sunday Times.
In documents before court, Interwaste warned of a waste “disaster” if its trucks are prevented from dumping.
“This will have disastrous consequences not only for Interwaste but for the fleets of industrial and municipal roleplayers,” the company said.
“Two municipalities that dispose of waste at the FG site will, at least for the short term, be without a disposal site, causing them to leave their waste around Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni to the detriment of their residents.”
Concerns have also been raised that periodic odours from the FG landfill are caused by the treated delisted waste, called calcium sulphite sludge.
The sludge was delisted by the Department of Environmental Affairs four years ago, enabling it to be dumped at several sites countrywide.
The delisting has sparked a court battle involving mining company Lonmin, Interwaste, the Department of Environmental Affairs and EnviroServ — another large waste disposal company.
In papers before court, EnviroServ claimed the delisted sludge should not be allowed at the FG site due to its hazardous chemical composition.
Interwaste and Lonmin this week declined to comment on the matter because it was still before court. EnviroServ would not comment.
The Department of Environmental Affairs confirmed the delisting of calcium sulphite sludge but said this was a legal process that predated new waste management and classification regulations.
“Delisting was allowed based on the lab analysis results submitted by the requester/licence holder,” said spokesman Albi Modise. “Delisting was a legal process followed until new waste management and classification regulations came into effect on August 23 2013.”
Many classes of hazardous waste are not allowed to be dumped at landfill sites. Under the old waste regulations, the department could delist a hazardous waste stream if a company could prove that treating it and dumping it at a “secure” facility would not be harmful to the environment.
But documents before court question whether calcium sulphite should have been delisted, due to high levels of leachable manganese.
Interwaste this week insisted its operations were all above board and that bad odours were not necessarily linked to calcium sulphite sludge.
“Odours may emanate from landfill sites from time to time, as a result of the natural decomposition process of wastes disposed of, and not necessarily due to any particular waste stream or substance it contains,” the company said.
“There are a number of operations in the area of the FG landfill that produce a variety of air emissions and odours. These include a hazardous waste incinerator, medical waste treatment plant, sewage treatment plant, and the Olifantsfontein and Clayville industrial areas. Illegal disposal of waste in the veld is also problematic.
“The air quality in the Olifantsfontein area is affected by numerous sources, which has been confirmed by independent air quality monitoring agencies, and is also being investigated by the Department of Environmental Affairs.”
Lonmin spokeswoman Wendy Tlou confirmed that calcium sulphite sludge had been disposed of at the FG site for four years. The waste was generated during the “capturing and cleaning of the sulphur dioxide gas stream at the smelter stack [of Lonmin subsidiary Western Platinum] with the addition of lime.
“This matter is sub judice and we are advised not to have the issues ventilated in the public space before the court has made a ruling.”
This will have disastrous consequences for . . . industrial and municipal role-players
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