Impacts on waste planning and management

Abstract

It is reported that “problems related to mining waste, may be rated as second only to global warming and stratospheric ozone depletion in terms of ecological risk” (European Environmental Bureau (EEB), 2000). The potential impacts of waste from shale gas development (SGD) is therefore of particular concern in the study area where supporting infrastructure is limited. Municipal solid waste landfill sites in the study area do not meet the design requirements as outlined in the national norm and standards for disposal of waste to landfill. It is unlikely that the municipalities in the study area will be able to afford the required upgrades in the near future. There is also lack of available capacity, in terms of infrastructure, access control and skills to deal with different types and additional volumes of waste in the study area including hazardous waste disposal facilities licensed to accept Type 1, 2 or 3 hazardous waste. An imminent amendment to the Waste Act, 2008 may result in SGD waste being classified as general waste in which case municipal waste disposal sites are at risk of receiving waste from SGD in future. Municipal landfills in the study are not designed or equipped to receive waste of this nature and staff do not have the skills or experience to manage this waste responsibly. Available waste water infrastructure in the study area is under pressure and requires urgent intervention. The technologies and capacity at these already stressed facilities are not sufficient or appropriate to treat waste water from SGD. Waste must be managed in an integrated way in-line with the waste management hierarchy and the principles for integrated waste management in South Africa. The emphasis here is to minimise waste arisings, promote the use of non-hazardous chemicals, re-use and recycling and minimise the impact of waste on water, the environment and communities.