The City of Johannesburg (CoJ) Environment and Infrastructure Services Department, through its Waste Management and Regulation Unit, will rehabilitate the decommissioned Kya Sands landfill site.

The R150-million project is aimed at restoring environmental integrity, improving air quality and safeguarding public health, it says.

Specifically, the project will involve clearing and recycling illegally dumped waste and developing and implementing a rehabilitation plan. It will also include the installation of security measures, such as fencing, lighting and a guardhouse, and the restoration of the landfill’s boundary wall.

The project will also conduct long-term environmental monitoring of water and air quality, the CoJ says.

Through this initiative, the city aims to ensure long-term environmental compliance, curb illegal dumping and contribute to healthier and more sustainable communities.

“The rehabilitation will cover surveying, identification and quantification of illegal dumping; clearing and recycling dumped waste; developing a rehabilitation plan for the closed landfill; and restoring the boundary wall, among other measures,” says CoJ Waste Management and Regulation Unit director Makhosazana Mtshali.

“This project will restore environmental integrity, improve air quality and create a safer, healthier space for the community. Public consultation and air quality testing are already under way,” she adds.

Further, the city will also install security infrastructure to prevent re-dumping, establish long-term air and water quality monitoring, enforce environmental compliance, engage the community in reporting illegal activities and implement an approved rehabilitation and maintenance plan.

The local community will be consulted and offered job opportunities in waste clearing and site monitoring.

The landfill site closed in 2010 after reaching capacity and has since become a hotspot for widespread illegal dumping, which negatively impacts the environment, local businesses and nearby communities.

Smoke from burning waste has also reduced air quality in areas such as Fourways, Cedar Lakes and Bloubosrand, affecting an estimated 80 000 residents.

Over the long term, the project should help to renew business confidence in Kya Sands and Bloubosrand by providing cleaner, safer spaces for communities, with potential job creation.

The project will restore the closed landfill and also reduce pollution entering the water stream.

The project will also help to improve biodiversity and compliance with national waste management standards, and enhance community wellbeing through healthier air, and reduce exposure to hazardous waste and provide better living conditions for citizens, the CoJ says.