14 February 2024 Frequently Asked Questions: Questions and Answers about Waste Management at the Garden Route District Municipality (GRDM)

Local or metropolitan municipalities collect waste generated by households. District Municipalities provide technical support to local municipalities and assist with regional planning and coordination.

According to Section 84 of the Municipal Structures Act, regional solid waste disposal sites is a function of the District Municipality, in so far it relates to the determination of a waste disposal strategy; the regulation of waste disposal; and the establishment, operation and control of waste disposal sites, bulk waste transfer facilities and waste disposal facilities for more than one local municipality in the district.

The GRDM Council resolved that a service provider will operate the site for a period of ten years.

Local municipalities are responsible for managing their own local waste disposal sites like Grootkop Landfill site in Oudtshoorn Municipality and Steynskloof Landfill Site in Hessequa Municipality. Due to the technical nature of operating a landfill site in accordance with Waste Management Licence conditions, it is common practice that municipalities outsource the operations to external service providers.

• It was completed in 2012.

• GRDM received Environmental Authorisation & a Waste Management Licence was issued by the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment in 2014.

The reason is because Bitou, Knysna, George and Mossel Bay Municipalities do not have landfill sites available anymore, requiring the GRDM to establish a regional waste management facility. These municipalities currently make use of the PetroSA Landfill site in Mossel Bay, which is near its full capacity. It is also a better choice to have a regional waste management facility because of economies of scale. It offers a reduced capital and operational costs and improved overall compliance. Further, the National Waste Management Strategy (Department of Forestry, Fisheries & the Environment) and the Provincial Department of Environmental Affairs and Development Planning (DES&DP) advocates the regionalisation of waste management and disposal. DEA&DP is the licencing authority for general landfill sites and has indicated that they licences will only be issued for regional sites going forward.

• Pooled funds ensure compliance to Waste Management Licence conditions, cost of compliance and rehabilitation is exorbitant.
• Avoids detrimental environmental impacts – as opposed to a number of landfill sites spread across the district.
• Reduces the utilisation of limited land for landfill sites.
• Access control to the regional waste management facility will be limited – waste pickers and muggings will not happen at a regionally controlled site.
• Waste will not be burned illegally.
• Accurate reporting will be possible when it is controlled at a district-level because there will be weighbridges and sampling done.

• The process already started in 2006 when municipalities agreed to pursue a regional waste management facility. The finalisation of all environmental processes and authorisations were concluded in 2014. The project first followed a Public Private Partnership approach, which includes substantial red tape and legislative processes, and unfortunately the appointed service provider withdrew from the PPP at the final stages of the process on 29 September 2020. The GRDM Council subsequently resolved to make use of a loan for funding the construction and to appoint a service provider to operate the facility on GRDM’s behalf.

Zutari (Pty) Ltd was appointed for the design, drafting of tender documentation & contract supervision for the Regional Waste Management Facility and associated infrastructure. A Service Level Agreement with Zutari was signed on 11 October 2021.

• The loan tender process was finalised and Standard Bank appointed. This required a Debt Agreement to be in place, which was signed on 03 July 2023.

Tefla Group was appointed as contractor to construct the Regional Waste Management Facility for R320 million.

GRDM’s Municipal Health Services monitors this in accordance with the provisions of the Health Act and reports on non-compliance to the local municipality or issue non-compliance notices to businesses in the private sector. The DEA&DP is the licencing authority and is responsible for the enforcement of waste management licences. The Environmental Management Inspectorate further enforces the National Environmental Management Act in terms of any environmental degradation emanating from non-compliance issues.