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Landfill lifespan is commonly used to show
the number of years a landfill site is likely to remain operational
at a certain waste disposal rate. The establishment of a new
landfill site is estimated to take approximately 5 to 7 years from
the time of site identification to waste receival and disposal
(including the EIA
process).
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| Assessment of
Data |
At a provincial level there is currently
acceptable landfill airspace within the province, although certain
regions will experience shortfalls in the near future, requiring
either the establishment of new landfills or the identification of
larger landfills in neighbouring regions. It is clear that the
lowveld and escarpment regions face an immediate waste management
crisis as the remaining landfill lifespan is only two years.
Existing upgradeable airspace is that which is currently not
environmentally acceptable but which can be made environmentally
acceptable (in terms of the DWAF Minimum Requirements). To
ensure sufficient acceptable landfill airspace in the long-term it
is critical that those landfill sites that can be upgraded to meet
the minimum requirements, are upgraded and those that cannot meet
these minimum, are closed and rehabilitated. The table below
provides an indication of the projected landfill lifespan and
existing and upgradeable airspace and future landfill airspace
available.
| Region |
Existing Acceptable Airspace
(m3 ) plus
Existing Upgradeable Airspace plus Future
Landfills |
Current Waste Disposal (Tons /
annum) |
Projected Landfill Lifespan
(years) |
| Eastvaal |
2 727 000 |
94 000 |
29.0 |
| Highveld |
6 388 000 |
156 000 |
41.0 |
| Lowveld |
3 785 000 |
231 000 |
16.5 |
| TOTAL |
12 900 000 |
481 000 |
27.0 |
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