Emakhazeni Local Municipality sent out a notice that the following landfill sites will be closed down.

Petition against the closure of the Dullstroom, Machadodorp and Waterval Boven dumping site.

I, the undersigned member of the communities of Dullstroom, Machadodorp and Waterval Boven, hereby request that the decision of the Emakhazeni Local Municipality to permanently close the above dumping area be reviewed.

Reason for the petition:

The closure of these three dumping areas will have serious negative consequences for our communities and environment. The closure is likely to result in:

1. Illegal dumping of refuse: With no nearby, accessible refuse area, residents and businesses will have few options to manage their refuse. Illegal dumping in nature, our streets and rivers will increase causing environmental pollution and health risks for our people.
2. Income loss and economic damage: Local tourism and businesses are likely to suffer if visitors stay away due to polluted and deteriorating environments, which will negatively affect the image of our towns.
3. Insufficient capacity at Belfast dumping site: The Belfast dumping area is already inadequate and struggles to deal effectively with the current waste. Adding refuse for three other towns will worsen the situation and pollute the environment even further.

Our requests:

We request that the Emakhazeni Local Municipality:

• develop a sustainable solution for waste management that will prevent the closure of the dumping areas;
• put alternative dumping facilities in place before any closure takes place; and
• upgrade the Belfast dumping site before it has to deal with the extra waste.