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Garden Route’s Regional Waste Facility a ground-breaking Public-Private Partnership

The GRDM minds behind the Regional Landfill Facility – hard work paid off: (FLTR): Johan Gie (District Waste Management Officer, Johan Compion (Manager: Municipal Health and Environmental Management Services), Clive Africa (Executive Manager: Community Services) and Morton Hubbe (Manager: District Waste Management).

Above: The GRDM minds behind the Regional Landfill Facility – hard work paid off: (FLTR): Johan Gie (District Waste Management Officer, Johan Compion (Manager: Municipal Health and Environmental Management Services), Clive Africa (Executive Manager: Community Services) and Morton Hubbe (Manager: District Waste Management).
(Credit: Michelle Pienaar)

A first of its kind for South Africa

Garden Route District Municipality’s (GRDM) Council, on 13 December 2019, approved a ten-year and eight-month contractual agreement for a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) between GRDM and Eden Waste Management. The facility will include integrated disposal services to accommodate household and hazardous waste from four municipalities in the Garden Route – Bitou, Knysna, George and Mossel Bay.

According to Executive Mayor of GRDM, Cllr Memory Booysen: “This is a first PPP of its kind for South Africa. We are the first district municipality out of 44 district municipalities in South Africa to champion such an initiative.”

“We are also planning a sod-turning event for early 2020. Thereafter, construction of the facility will start in February 2020, with the first truckloads of domestic waste expected to be delivered by September 2020,” said Cllr Booysen.

Cost and Services

The total cumulative cost to the district municipality over the contract period is projected at R790 million.

According to Mr Morton Hubbe, GRDM Manager: District Waste Management: “The Regional Waste Management Facility will have a life-span of approximately 30 years”. He also said: “Provision was made to accommodate waste from Hessequa, Kannaland and Oudtshoorn Municipalities – if the need arises.” Hessequa Municipality also recently indicated that they are interested to dispose the domestic waste generated in Gouritzmond and Albertinia at the regional facility when in need of such a service.

The municipal services and support activities that will be provided by the Regional Waste Facility, will include the following:

  • The safe disposal of general waste;
  • a hazardous waste cell for the safe disposal of regional hazardous waste;
  • bulk waste transport;
  • chipping of green waste;
  • crushing of builder’s rubble; and
  • alternative waste treatment technologies, but only if the alternative waste treatment technologies can be incorporated on a no-additional cost basis.

The services of a roaming chipper, use for green waste, and crusher, used for builder’s rubble, will be made available to Mossel Bay, George and Knysna municipalities on a rotational basis. Bulk waste transport services will be available to George Municipality for the transport of domestic waste from Uniondale and George waste transfer stations to the Regional Facility.

Editor’s note:

Section 83 of the Local Government: Municipal Structures Act, 1998 (Act No. 117 of 1998), requires a district municipality to seek to achieve the integrated, sustainable and equitable social and economic development of its area, by:

  • Ensuring integrated development planning for the district as a whole;
  • Promoting bulk infrastructure development and services for the district as a whole;
  • Building the capacity of local municipalities in its area to perform their functions and exercise their powers where such capacity is lacking; and
  • Promoting the equitable distribution of resources between the local municipalities in its area to ensure appropriate levels of municipal services within the area.