NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES
(For written reply)
QUESTION NO. 451.
INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO 33 CW531E
DATE OF PUBLICATION: 05 November 2010
Mr M P Sibande (ANC-Mpumalanga) to ask the Minister of Water and
Environmental Affairs:
Whether her department will take any steps to curb the practices of
illegal dumping of (a) medical waste, (b) waste from (i) mines and (ii)
construction, (c) rubble, (d) obsolete pesticides and (e) old tyres; if
not, why not; if so, what steps?
451. THE MINISTER OF WATER AND ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS ANSWERS:
a) The Department of Environmental Affairs is vigorously combating the
illegal dumping of health care risk waste. The enforcement measures
have resulted in the successful clean up of four areas in Welkom where
(Health Care Risk Waste)HCRW was illegally dumped.
b) (i) With respect to waste from mines, it is noted that mine residue
and stockpiles are not included in the ambit of the Waste Act. Mining
waste is therefore managed by the Department of Mineral Resources with
support from the Department as required.
(ii) With respect to construction waste and builders rubble, it is noted
that the management of this waste stream is a local government function
managed through municipal by-laws. Where requested, the Department would
support Municipalities to curb illegal dumping.
c) As per (b) (ii)
d) The Department is currently running a program to collect obsolete
pesticides from farms in the country. To date obsolete pesticides have
been collected from the Limpopo province and two additional provinces
will be added in 2011. Industry will continue with the program through
a voluntary levy into the future. There should therefore not be any
need for the dumping of unwanted pesticides into the future. The
Department will enforce should dumping incidents be identified.
e) With respect to the management of waste tyres, the Department prepared
Waste Tyre regulations in February 2009 and is currently finalizing
the review of the Industry Waste Management Plan prepared by the tyre
sector. This plan indicates how the industry will manage and finance
the management of waste tyres into the future. The Departments
Regulatory arm does enforce the regulations to curb dumping of tyres.
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