Design of a waste to landfill minimisation model for South Africa's mining towns

Abstract

The study was carried out in order to design a waste to landfill minimisation model for South Africa's mining towns. The study area covered four provinces and for each province a single local municipality with a major mining town was selected. Focusing on Klerksdorp, Carletonville, Witbank and Welkom as major mining towns, interest centred on waste generation rates, storage, treatment, directorates and reduction programmes. Built on a quantitative survey research design, primary data was collected through observation and secondary statistics accessed from official sources. Initial data processing used Excel™ to generate descriptive statistics. Inferential statistics made use of correlation and linear regression techniques. The key findings were that there are very few programmes implemented for waste minimisation programmes in place, in addition to the inherent problems of organisational design within the waste management systems, poor waste management structures, the dominance of waste disposal by land filling, run down and dilapidated vehicles and equipment, lack of proper waste management data, low priority for waste stream analysis-recycling and waste minimisation, and low levels of awareness of waste minimisation in the general public. An integrated waste process model was then constructed based on a series of linear regression equations. The novelty of waste minimisation modelling developed here centres on the ability to minimise waste at stages along the waste chain from generation to final disposal.