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South Africa

The New Age4/30/2013 12:57:09 AM
Sandton in rubbish talks

Rudolph Nkgadima  http://www.thenewage.co.za/94166-1008-53-Sandton_in_rubbish_talks


The city of Johannesburg needs new ways to properly manage general waste as it runs out of landfill space.

In an effort to try and solve this problem the city, in collaboration with Pikitup, will host the inaugural Joburg waste summit on May 15 and 16 at the Sandton Convention Centre.

The summit will focus on the diversion of general waste away from landfills through waste treatment technologies and recycling technologies.

“Waste is a growing concern to all of us. We will involve big industries, communities and government to try and devise how we tackle this issue.

“We want to reduce the amount of waste that gets to the landfill but that cannot be achieved without community participation,” Pikitup spokesperson Desiree Ntshingila said.

The summit will also enable the city to present its new waste management strategy to all delegates; explore opportunities that flow from the implementation plan; and solicit support of this strategy from the waste management fraternity and communities.

Ntshingila said: “Education is very important because many of our people dump and litter illegally without realising the dangers of it.

“We urge communities to start recycling because it will not only ensure safe health but also because it has financial benefits.”

Issues such as waste minimisation and recycling – which include the separation of recyclable waste at source, and waste treatment technologies such as waste to energy, composting, incineration, anaerobic digestion, gasification, mechanical biological treatment, plasma arc waste disposal, pyrolysis, UASB (applied to solid wastes) and waste autoclave – will be thoroughly debated.

Last week a three-year-old baby, Jordan Louis of Cape Town, died after inhaling dangerous fumes from toxic chemicals which were dumped near her home.

She and a group of friends were playing next to bags which were illegally dumped.

Three policemen were also admitted to hospital after they inhaled the fumes when they responded to urgent calls from residents.

rudolphn@thenewage.co.za

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