The City has a licence to close the Tygerdal dump site but has not done so because plans to build a new one in Beaconvale got bogged down.
That’s according to area north Mayco member Suzette Little who responded to complaints about the Oranje Street facility by Tygerdal resident James Calitz (“No end in sight for dump,” Northern News, March 7).
Ms Little said the City had a licence to close and decommission the Tygerdal facility.
“As there are a number of users at the Tygerdal facility daily, it was hoped that the Beaconvale facility would be able to accommodate these users. Hence plans were in place to proceed with acquisition of land in Beaconvale and to proceed with an environmental impact assessment so that the closure of Tygerdal and opening of Beaconvale could coincide.”
But the City’s solid waste management department had not been given the green light to build the Beaconvale facility “due to concerns about its location in relation to the flood line”.
Ms Little said the City wanted a “network of drop-off facilities within at least seven kilometres of a community”.
The closest alternative site to Tygerdal is at De Grendel.
Ms Little said the City was looking for alternative land to site a dump in Beaconvale.Ms Little said the chipping contractor at Tygerdal had been instructed to chip under a cover.
“Site management will ensure that this requirement is complied with.”
On the damage to the roads, due to the heavy-duty trucks, Ms Little said: “In terms of the licence to close and decommission, the site will have to be rehabilitated. The rehabilitation will include any repairs required.
“The City’s District Roads office is responsible for 1 800km of road length, maintaining the general condition of roads.”
Mr Calitz had questioned why the trucks could not use a nearby service road to enter the facility, but Ms Little said: “The contractors have been instructed to use the route along Alice and Oranje roads. The service road is not adequately engineered and constructed to cope with the traffic flow.”