AN INVESTIGATION ON MANAGING THE RECOVERY OF HAZARDOUS HOUSEHOLD WASTE IN RUSTENBURG, SOUTH AFRIC (A PRELIMINARY OPERATIONAL PLAN OF PILLERI II)

 AN INVESTIGATION ON MANAGING THE RECOVERY OF HAZARDOUS HOUSEHOLD WASTE IN RUSTENBURG, SOUTH AFRIC (A Preliminary Operational Plan of Pilleri II) ENVIRONMENTAL PROJECT TOPICS AND MATERIALS

ABSTRACT

Due to the growth of population and the standard of living in the Rustenburg Lo-cal Municipality, also the amount of waste is increasing rapidly. The current situa-tion is that all the hazardous waste is disposed of with the general waste to the landfill sites without any separation. In the end of the year 2011, Rustenburg will promulgate a new by-law. It states that any person who generates hazardous waste is responsible to ensure that the waste is treated or disposed of at a waste disposal facility designated by the Municipality or at a waste disposal facility that is au-thorised to receive such waste.

The purpose of this study was to scrutinise the requirements for a planned waste sorting station regarding especially hazardous waste. The legislation of South Af-rica regarding hazardous waste and also the current situation and future prospects of Rustenburg are presented. Working and observing methods were based on in-dividual experiences, literature and also on the interviews of the key-persons and the local community.

As a result of the study, an operational plan presents the most important issues which should be taken into account when planning and constructing the waste sorting station Pilleri II. The study indicates that the waste sorting station Pilleri II has all the possibilities to be efficient and functional if the local community and other stakeholders are involved in the system.

Keywords: waste management, hazardous waste, waste sorting, recycling, opera-tional plan

1      INTRODUCTION

1.1      North South Local Government Cooperation

The aim of The North South Local Government Cooperation Programme is to assist local governments in developing countries in getting long-lasting results on good governance, sustainable development and reduction of poverty. The program is coordinated by the Association of Finnish Local and Regional Authorities (AFLRA) and funded by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland. The city of Lahti has been involved in the program since 2002 with Bojanala Platinum Dis-trict Municipality (BPDM), South Africa. The co-operation focuses especially on developing environmental administration. It is based on mutual learning and col-league-to-colleague interaction by exchanging expertise and ideas (Lahti-Bojanala 2011).

Starting from 2010, the Southern partners of the city of Lahti included also the Ho Municipality from Ghana and 3 local municipalities under the Bojanala Platinum District Municipality, namely Rustenburg LM, Madibeng LM and Moses Kotane LM. The local municipalities have signed a Declaration of Co-operation with the city of Lahti and take part in the planning, implementation and evaluation of the Lahti-BPDM co-operation activities.

1.2      The City of Lahti

The City of Lahti, located in southern Finland has over 100 000 inhabitants. It is not further than 100 kilometers from Helsinki, the capital of Finland. Therefore Lahti is considered to be a part of the Helsinki Metropolitan area.The location of the city of Lahti makes it easy to reach, the Helsinki-Vantaa international airport is only an hour away. Good train connections to Helsinki and St. Petersburg, Rus-sia create good opportunities for economic development in an international world. (Lahti 2011). The City of Lahti is well-known for its environmental and design expertise. One of the aims of the Lahti Strategy 2025 is to promote sustainable development. Lahti is number one in Finland, when it comes to separation at source, recycling and utilisation of waste. (GreenCity 2011).

 AN INVESTIGATION ON MANAGING THE RECOVERY OF HAZARDOUS HOUSEHOLD WASTE IN RUSTENBURG, SOUTH AFRIC (A Preliminary Operational Plan of Pilleri II) ENVIRONMENTAL PROJECT TOPICS AND MATERIALS