A new drop-off site is being designed for the Helderberg region, which will provide a safe and legal option for residents to dispose of waste that is not allowed in wheelie bins, and hopefully curb illegal dumping in the surrounding areas.
But not everyone had initially supported the location of the facility, situated in Main Road, Firgrove.
According to the City of Cape Town, six objections were lodged regarding the Draft Basic Assessment Report during the commenting period.
“In all instances, a formal response was given by the environmental assessment practitioner (independent) and it was further documented in a transparent manner in the Final Basic Assessment report for consideration by the competent authority at the time,” stated Grant Twigg, Mayoral Committee member for Urban Waste Management.
One such objection, from Christo Pienaar, manager of Schonenberg Estate, a property estate in Somerset West, stated that the Schonenberg Homeowners’ Association (SHOA), representing the interests of the estate’s owners and occupiers, submitted a consolidated objection representing an established residential estate of more than 500 houses directly adjacent to the proposed development.
He said: “Some of our concerns included the contents of the Basic Assessment Report, a non-integrated approach to the project, lack of consultation during the process, proximity to Schonenberg and other businesses, the concern of the visual impact, time frame for storing the waste, the site selection and effects on the surrounding areas, the negative impact of increased noise levels, air pollution and foul odours and control over material separation at the proposed site.”
According to Twigg, the City understands residents may be concerned about possible impacts on their area, including property values.
He said local residents were involved in the site design and during the public participation process undertaken as part of the Environmental Impact Assessment, and residents were assured this had been taken into account, and the impact on surrounding properties would be negligible.
“There is a 600 m buffer between operations on site and neighbouring households. Furthermore, the facility is designed to store waste in a bunker arrangement, with bins that prevent litter from being blown around the area. The waste containers, once full, are also hauled off site daily to prevent overfill.”
Furthermore, said Twigg, a residents’ monitoring committee will be established once the drop-off becomes operational, to give residents a platform to have concerns or complaints addressed.
“The development of a drop-off facility has a number of direct benefits for any community, such as the convenience of dropping off up to 1,5 tons per trip of bulky garage waste (such as timber off-cuts), builders rubble and/or garden waste as well as recyclables free of charge,” he said. “A resident has the opportunity to drop off up to three such loads per day, free of charge, which provides them with a free service for a significant amount of their bulky waste.
“Secondly, drop-off facilities have indirect benefits to a community in terms of the reduction of illegal dumping in the area. Due to the increased convenience of free access to a drop-off facility, residents or entrepreneurs who may have been tempted to dump their loads on the side of the road, would have access to the drop-off site, reducing unsightly dumping in the neighbourhood streets.
“The control of waste handling is thus expected to significantly reduce the amount of uncontrolled ‘fly-tipping’ in nearby open space areas, and reducing the existing risk from such waste to the surrounding community. This could even have a positive effect on property values.”
Pienaar also mentioned that a transport impact assessment was undertaken for the proposed waste management facility in October 2008. This study used a growth rate of 3% per year, which assumes that the data obtained from the Arcus Gibb study and RTS are correct and that the growth over the projected period until 2020 will be “average” in nature.
The statement indicates that development along the DR1012 is expanding rapidly in the next few years. Therefore, the traffic volumes used for the assessment are expected to be well below the current and future ones as the projected growth rate is too low. It is unclear whether the traffic-volume data took all the developments surrounding the property into account.
Twigg stressed that the proposed facility will have a low traffic impact and minimised visibility from the main roads.
The City further stated the site will provide a more convenient option for residents in the western part of Somerset West and Macassar who wish to dispose of unwanted recyclables, garage waste, builders’ rubble or garden greens. In general, the municipality aims to establish a drop-off site within 7 km of any resident.
Approximately R65 million has been budgeted for the project, and in future the site will be further developed to include the construction of a refuse transfer station to improve the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of refuse collection.
As is the custom in City construction projects, provision will be made for the employment of residents from nearby marginalised communities.
The current targeted completion date for the drop-off component of the project is August 2025.
The City urged locals to report illegal dumping in their areas. If you have the culprit’s vehicle registration number and/or can identify him or her repor contact the following channels:
. Telephone: 021 444 6231, 021 444 6224, or 021 444 6223
. Email: solidwaste.bylaw@capetown.gov.za.
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To notify the City about dumping that needs to be cleared call 0860 103 089.
