On the back of last year’s revelation that the City of Tshwane incurred an estimated R148 million loss over five years due to malfunctioning landfill sites, the metro’s Environment and Agriculture Management Department is set to implement corrective measures.
The proposed measures will focus on restoring power and repairing weighbridges at the landfill sites, according to a report compiled by the head of the department Abel Malaka.
Illegal power connections by people hijacking landfill sites have often been highlighted among grave concerns raised by the Section 79 committee tasked with monitoring the department’s work.
The committee has constantly expressed concerns over the unreliable power supply at the Bronkhorstspruit and Hatherley landfill sites, resulting in disruptions to the weighbridges, hindering accurate recording and billing of landfill users.
There have also been concerns raised about weighbridges that are being operated manually, inhibiting the city’s ability to collect enough revenue.
In a report recently endorsed by the council, Malaka outlined an action plan aimed at repairing the landfill weighbridges and restoring reliable power supply to the facilities to improve revenue recovery.
The report was compiled following an on-site inspection conducted on August 22, 2024, at the Bronkhorstspruit and Hatherley landfill sites.
Malaka said: “During the inspection, it was established both facilities have no power supply, which, in turn, is affecting the operations of weighbridges for accurate recording and billing of landfill users. In the absence of electricity and weighbridges, the department is relying on the use of a manual recording system to record incoming waste.”
To boost revenue recovery, he said, several key measures have been implemented, including the direct deduction of landfill fees from city contractors’ invoices and stricter enforcement of transportation permits.
Despite these efforts, Malaka acknowledged that revenue gaps and potential losses still exist, suggesting that leveraging weighbridges and other electronic systems for collecting landfill fees could help address these shortcomings.
“Furthermore, the action plan explored, acknowledged the need to reinforce security to safeguard the landfill infrastructure and electronic systems to be implemented,” Malaka said.
He highlighted that challenges faced by the landfills included lack of power supply, insufficient security measures, lack of secure storage facilities on site and limitations to connectivity to the network.
The report proposed the installation of pay-as-you-use electronic machines at landfill sites, which would require customers to make payments upon entry for waste disposal services.
“A speed point will be issued to the administration staff and will be battery operated with a lifespan of 48 hours. Each site will be allocated with spare/extra devices to enable interchangeable recharging of the devices off-site,” it said.
Furthermore, the report said, landfill users will be mandated to register on the service provider’s online portal, where they will be required to provide detailed information about their company or user profile, including a list of vehicles in operation.