October 2012 - Trademax Publications

waste managementThe way forward onwaste managementThe negative impact of waste on the environment and on people’s health isof ongoing concern. Poor waste management places significant, and at timesoverwhelming, pressure on the capability of municipalities to manage waste. Inorder to address this issue, waste management strategies that are advanced,yet easy to implement and have measurable outcomes, are required.Aurecon has a leading multidisciplinary team ofwaste specialists able to develop and manageappropriate waste management strategies. Localknowledge, combined with the group’s globalexpertise, produces innovative, best-in-industry solutions.Each phase of the waste management process is analysedand evaluated in order to produce the best possiblesolution tailored to the specific needs of a client.In this article, Nick Mannie, Aurecon Technical Director –Waste, relates how Gauteng’s Merafong City LocalMunicipality (MCLM) took bold steps towards ensuringsustainable waste management solutions, and shareslessons that can be learnt from their actions.1. Identifying low-hanging fruitsIn 2011, the MCLM was faced with the task of disposing ofover 150 000 tons of waste each year, collected from 36000 households and businesses. After assessing thesituation, Aurecon identified numerous problems, in manycases due solely to the use of plastic bags for the storingand disposing of waste. Key issues were:• Frequent spillages from torn or open bags resulted inunhygienic conditions, such as exposure to noxiousstreams of waste, flies and unpleasant odours• Workers risked sprains from handling heavy bags andcuts from sharp objects in bags• The collection process was time-consuming as workersneeded to pick individual bags up one at a time• The bags were unsightly and were frequently thesource of windblown litter on residential streets. Thiswas environmentally poor practice as the bagsthemselves introduced a secondary waste problemA simple solutionIn order to address the problem quickly and efficiently,Aurecon recommended a switch to 240l trolley (‘wheelie’)bins to replace the use of plastic bags.“Sometimes, when faced with massive challenges, it isbest practice to identify easy actions which deliver biggains,” explains Mannie. “We found this to be true of theMCLM.”Apart from solving the problems listed above, theMunicipality benefitted through a significant reduction inHealth & Safety costs among employees, as well as thecreation of revenue from selling additional wheelie bins tomembers of the community.Discontinuing the use of plastic bags also raisedawareness among residents of the need for responsiblewaste management. In addition, reducing the quantity ofplastics in the landfill results in a reduced carbonfootprint, demonstrating the Municipality’s commitmentto the National Waste Management Strategy (2011) ofSouth Africa.46OCTOBER 2012