George Municipality busy with platform B of new composting plant
George Municipality is currently busy with the construction of platform B of the new composting plant to be established at the George Landfill site on the R102 (airport road). The main reason for this facility is to address the extraction of organic and garden waste. Currently, collected household waste is disposed of at the Petro SA landfill site, and the ability to extract organic waste means that food waste and garden refuse will be taken to the compost facility rather than being disposed of at Petro SA. The end goal is that only non-recyclable material must go to the landfill.
The facility will assist the municipality in the reduction and re-use of waste, in particular green and organic waste. The Western Cape Department of Environmental Affairs and Development Planning (DEADP) has set targets for all local municipalities to have an organic waste management plan with targets. The first target will be that by 2022 the municipality is diverting 50% of their organic waste, and by 2027 there must be a total ban of organic waste at the landfill site. This facility places the municipality in a better position to respond to these targets. The portion of organic waste currently disposed of at the Petro SA landfill site equates to approximately 15340 tons per year. This waste is currently landfilled and it could be utilised if composted.
According to Allen Paulse, Director of Community Services, the plant should start operating in early 2022 as soon as a service provider is appointed through the Supply Chain Management process. Green waste will be diverted from the landfill to the platforms where it will be further processed into compost by the service provider. Once garden refuse is diverted to the composting facility, there will be an opportunity to use a portion of the Gwaing WDF as a facility for the crushing of builders’ rubble and re-use it for other purposes.
The project is currently halfway with the completion of platform A and platform B that is in process. The plant has also been fenced. The city is committed to waste reduction, not only because the region was running out of landfill space but also because it is the environmentally right thing to do. Waste management is increasingly expensive, which ultimately impacts on our citizens.
Our residents are encouraged to recycle their waste by using the blue and green bag system.
Uncollected BLACK bags 044 802 2900/20/27 or ymali@george.gov.za / jstuurman@george.gov.za
Uncollected GREEN and BLUE bags: 044 878 0688/ lgewaste@george.gov.za mabotha@george.gov.za /jstuurman@george.gov.za
Caption
Platform B of the new composting plant is in process.