SEDGEFIELD NEWS - Residents are getting fed up with the state of the Sedgefield waste storage and transfer yard, which is grossly overflowing and infested with cockroaches, rats and flies.
Apart from being an eyesore, they say, it also is a potential fire hazard.
Knysna-Plett Herald (KPH) visited the yard last Friday after receiving calls from residents. The dumpsite is situated at the western entrance of Sedgefield, mere metres from the sign welcoming people to the town.
The area around the yard is used as a dumping site for road construction materials such as waste bitumen and gravel.
'Going through hell'
According to a resident who wants to remain anonymous, the yard is an unmitigated disaster waiting to happen. The waste has been in the yard for months - a contravention of the waste regulations.
"The site is a fire hazard. There are bitumen drums lying on their side on unpaved ground next to the waste storage yard and next to where vehicles drive. If they were ruptured, this would seep into the ground and cause subsurface pollution. The drum storage of what is classed as a hazardous material is illegal in terms of environmental legislation," said the resident.
Ronél Whatley, who lives across the yard, said they are ''going through hell with the abomination'' and the 24/7 noise from the machinery and idling trucks.
"Weekends are the worst. This is being totally ignored by the Knysna Municipality for years now. We live right across from this hell and have to take sleeping tablets to sleep. I can't take it anymore," she said.
Whatley said the municipality does not respond when they ask about the dumpsite.
"Whether they are trying to solve our problems or not, the noise and filth pollution is getting worse by the day. I have even been to the Public Protector in George about this. He can't even sort it out," she said. She said there are flies and cockroaches coming from the dumpsite.
The overflowing Sedgefield waste storage and transfer yard.
Working on it
Knysna Municipality spokesperson Christopher Bezuidenhoudt indicated that their solid waste department has commenced cleaning up the site. He said the municipality is currently revising its waste management services and has recently published its Integrated Waste Management Plan 3rd Generation - 2020 - 2025 for public comment.
"The aim of the plan is to highlight shortfalls in current waste management activities and to formulate waste management objectives for the next five years," he said.
"We are in the process of decommissioning the existing recycling sites in Sedgefield and Knysna. A three-year tender to manage recycling services in Greater Knysna will be re-advertised soon. While the tender process is underway, a contractor will be appointed on a month-to-month basis to operate the recycling service from a site that is not located in the CBD. A call for applications for the latter will be advertised within the next few days," he said.
Bezuidenhoudt said the existing sites will wind down their operations as soon as a new operator is appointed.
"The site is licensed, the operator is thus aware of what is expected in terms of legislation. The waste bitumen was dumped by Sanral. They will be contacted to clean up the site. The remainder of the site will be maintained by the municipality shortly after the municipal yard has been revamped."
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