GEORGE NEWS - Phase 1 of the construction of the Regional Waste Management Facility is currently scheduled to be concluded by 30 June 2023, at which time waste disposal can commence.
Garden Route District Municipality (GRDM) provides an update on the work that is done behind the scenes to make this project a reality for the whole district.
Tenders and supervision
GRDM appointed Zutari (Pty) Ltd to design and draft tender documentation and contract supervision for the Garden Route Regional Waste Management facility and associated infrastructure on Farm 419 in Mossel Bay.
The design drawings and report were submitted on 6 May to the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) for statutory approval.
Cost of the new site
The final cost of the site can only be determined once the loan tender, construction tender and the operations and maintenance tender have been concluded. The loan tender will require funding institutions to provide 10-, 15- and 20-year loan funding options.
The costs will include the construction of the landfill and associated infrastructure, the loan repayment and associated interest rates, operation costs including plant and equipment, and rehabilitation costs.
What will the site include?
The Regional Waste Management Facility will include a domestic waste cell (Class B) and a separate hazardous waste cell (Class A) to accommodate hazardous waste with low and medium hazard ratings.
Other infrastructure includes roads, storm water pipelines, a leachate storage dam, a storm water dam for contaminated liquids, offices, a laboratory, weighbridges, a workshop and security infrastructure.
Provision has also been made to accommodate a waste tyre recycling facility by means of a three-hectare portion of land for long-term lease to the Waste Bureau.
Both the domestic waste Cell 1 and the hazardous waste cell will have a lifespan of 20 to 25 years.
How far has the project progressed?
An environmental impact assessment was concluded in 2012 and GRDM received environmental authorisation.
A Waste Management Licence was issued by DFFE in 2014. A section 78 investigation in terms of the Municipal Systems Act, concluded to provide the Regional Waste Management Services by means of a public-private partnership (PPP).
A private partner was appointed to construct the facility and operate it for a period of ten years, however, it withdrew from the PPP at the final stages of the process on 29 September 2020.
GRDM then concluded to no longer pursue the PPP process and opted to rather make use of loan funding to construct the facility and to outsource the operations and maintenance to a reputable service provider.
The geotechnical and geohydrological investigations required to finalise the designs of the facility have been concluded and the design drawings and design report have been finalised and submitted to DFFE on 6 May for approval, which is required prior to commencement of construction.
The loan tender was advertised on 15 May and closed on 21 June. The construction tender specifications are being finalised and scheduled to be advertised in July.
The operations and maintenance tender will also run concurrently to the construction tender process.
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