A R2,5 million compactor truck was handed over by the deputy minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment to the Matjhabeng Local Municipality on 7 April.
Makhotso Sotyu handed over a waste collection compactor to Thanduxolo Khalipa, executive mayor of Matjhabeng, to support the municipality’s efforts in delivering effective waste collection and landfill management.
Sotyu challenged the community of Welkom to work toget-her with their municipality to ensure their areas, especially open spaces, are kept clean and green.
“Communities are using illegal sites to dump their refuse as a result of insufficient waste collection services. The illegal dumping and littering has created serious environmental and health hazards, and our intervention today is aimed at addressing that challenge,” said Sotyu.
During her assessment of the waste management in Matjhabeng, Sotyu found that landfill sites are not adhering to regulations by compacting the waste before disposing of it, due to the lack of equipment and landfill fleet.
The department, in partnership with Matjhabeng, has conceptualised various projects as support to address the challenges of waste services in unserviced areas.
This truck will help with waste collection and improved landfill operations, says Sotyu.
