Integrated management of municipal and hazardous waste is one of the challenges facing the new
municipalities in South Africa, especially those located in previously disadvantaged rural areas.
However, much of the research on solid and hazardous waste management in South Africa has
examined waste management problematics in urban areas, the majority of which are located within
the jurisdiction of local governments which are comparatively effective in terms of providing
adequate disposal services. By contrast, this study has examined the environmental risk
assessment associated with unregulated landfill sites in the Albert Luthuli municipality, in the
Mpumalanga province. The determination of the environmental risk was achieved by the use of
questionnaire surveys and landfill analysis forms in selected study areas.
The findings have highlighted a very high environmental risk, nearly four times and above, the
threshold limits set by the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (DEAT, 2005:15) for
all of the landfill sites examined. Several exposure pathways stemming from associated
environmental impacts have also been identified for the study. The higher environmental risk
determined for the problem sites is ascribed to numerous factors, including their ill-planned
location, the sensitivity and vulnerability of the natural environment and adjacent rural settlements,
the lack of appropriate waste pre-treatment processes prior to disposal, and most significantly, the
lack of regulatory and control measures to contain the myriad of environmental problems
generated. In conclusion, it is recommended that several measures (including closure) should be
taken in order to reduce and contain the magnitude of environmental risks involved. / Environmental Sciences / M.Sc.(Environmental Sciences)
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:unisa/oai:uir.unisa.ac.za:10500/2274 |
| Date | 31 August 2008 |
| Creators | Mnisi, Fannie |
| Contributors | Rampedi, I.T., Jordaan, M. |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | 1 online resource (viii, 100 leaves : col. ill., photos., maps.) |
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