Buffelsdraai Landfill Site set to re-open in phases
The
newly refurbished Buffelsdraai Landfill Site in the north of Durban is expected
to be back in operation soon.
eThekwini Municipality said the waste disposal area in Verulam will be reopened in two phases.
The site will first open for garden refuse, builders’ rubble, and sand cover material from April.
It will be followed by the complete opening in May for all other general waste, including domestic waste.
Food and any other consumable waste are still prohibited from the site for health reasons.
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The site was closed nearly two years ago after a man was killed and 17 others hurt during a violent confrontation between waste-pickers and security guards.
Eight people, including security guards, were arrested.
The closure also meant many waste reclaimers who depended on the landfill to earn a living had to find other ways to make ends meet.
eThekwini mayor Cyril Xaba met with the residents on Thursday.
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He said they have set up a sorting facility so that pickers don't go into the landfill.
"We worked with business section in the municipality to formalize them. They now formed into about 50 or so cooperatives that would be working there," said Xaba.
"Gone are those days where people flood the landfill site and, in some cases, get injured by our machines that operate in the site because we'll be working outside the site in the sorting facility, removing whatever waste they need and go and sell it and come back."
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