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Mariannhill Landfill Conservancy
e'Thekwini Municipality
South Africa

The Problem

The United Nations Agenda 21 observed that waste management is among the issues of greatest concern to the global community. It sets out objectives and activities aimed at minimizing waste, maximizing environmentally sound recycling and promoting safe waste disposal and treatment.

There are two land uses which often battle to obtain new land amidst the developmental pressures of urbanization: land for conservation purposes and land for new waste disposal sites. The e’Thekwini Municipal Area (EMA) contains over a third of the KwaZulu Natal province population and 60% of the province’s economic activity. The area has an estimated population of 3 million, of which 80% are in areas with a predominantly urban character. As a result, much of the province’s waste is produced in the EMA. Given these facts, the municipality was faced with a serious problem with regard to how to dispose of waste considering that very little vacant land was available for waste disposal. New landfill sites in close proximity to urban settlement became a necessity but, because landfilling is a dirty job that suffers from the “not in my backyard syndrome,” it was not going to be easy for the municipality to select a site. Most landfill sites have the following features: battered access roads (due to heavy truck loads), flies, dust, odours, and windblown litter. In addition, they are only rehabilitated once they are completely full and are thus both an eyesore and an environmental hazard for the 25 years or so that they are in operation. The Mariannhill Landfill Conservancy, in e’Thekwini Municipality, KwaZulu Natal is a compromise between environmental and waste management goals.

Solution and Key Benefits

 What is the initiative about? (the solution)
The Mariannhilll Landfill Conservancy receives 450 tonnes of general municipal waste per day from the Pinetown, Westville, Queensborough, Kloof area. This represents about 15% of the EMA’s total waste. What is unique about this landfill is that it is environmentally friendly, so much so that it has achieved Conservancy status.

The landfill contains several ‘cells’ that hold waste. To create the cells, soil from the landfill area is removed and stored, to be replaced once the cell is full. Vegetation is also removed and placed in a large holding nursery on site called PRUNIT (Plant Rescue Unit). A barrier system in each cell prevents harmful waste by-products from seeping into the environment. As waste cells reach their optimum capacity, they are rehabilitated.

The Plant Rescue Unit has proven to be both environmentally and economically successful. It has provided indigenous vegetation for the rehabilitation of the peripheral ‘buffer zone’ areas of Mariannhill, as well as the ongoing rehabilitation of the Bisasar Road Landfill Site. In fact, PRUNIT growth has realised the low cost remediation of several defunct ‘dumps’ throughout the e’Thekwini Municipal Area. It is estimated that these rescued plants have saved the municipality more than R2 million in rehabilitation costs.

Leachate, produced as a result of rainfall passing through waste, is treated on site via a biological primary treatment involving sludge followed by a ‘polishing treatment’ by a reed bed. Mariannhill treats landfill water to reduce the leachate content until the water is reusable. This reduces the load on the municipal sewer system (where leachate is normally diluted) and allows Mariannhill to use effluent from the reed bed for on-site dust control and irrigation. Mariannhill can treat up to 50 cubic metres of leachate daily.

Mariannhill also set up a landfill gas extraction scheme which has been operational for 4 years. Landfill Gas is drawn from the wells through a system of pipes by extraction equipment and fed to electricity generation units, with any surplus gas being flared. It is estimated the e’Thekwini Municipality will generate R50 million from the sale of Carbon Credits over the next 10 years.

Mariannhill conducts weekly environmental lectures to between 60 and 120 children. Topics include waste management, recycling, biodiversity and conservation. They also use this opportunity to explain various unique features of the Mariannhill Landfill Conservancy. Lectures are given in an open-air amphitheatre that overlooks the conservancy. To date, more than 2000 people have attended these lectures. The site also has a bird hide and conservation area with nature trails that link up with existing green space in the Metro. This serves as an important natural corridor for species migration.

In addition, Mariannhill has created employment opportunities for 18 permanent staff members and 25 litter pickers who are used on a rotational basis on all sites.

Actors and Stakeholders

 Who proposed the solution, who implemented it and who were the stakeholders?
The Mariannhill Landfill Conservancy project was driven by the Cleansing and Solid Waste Branch of the e’Thekwini Municipality, under the leadership of the Deputy Head, John Parkin and was made possible through ‘Carbon Finance,’ which is channelled through the World Bank’s Prototype Carbon Fund (PCF)—a public-private partnership with participants from several countries worldwide.

Enviros UK did some consulting for Mariannhill on leachate treatability. The Provincial Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife Board was responsible for granting Mariannhill its conservancy status and guided this process. Other stakeholders include the Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa, the Mariannhill Landfill Monitoring Committee, Mariannhill Monastery, Siyenza Engineers and the Ratepayers Association who provided input and voiced their concerns during the planning and implementation stages of the Mariannhill Landifill Conservancy initiative.

(a) Strategies

 Describe how and when the initiative was implemented by answering these questions
 a.      What were the strategies used to implement the initiative? In no more than 500 words, provide a summary of the main objectives and strategies of the initiative, how they were established and by whom.
The main objective of the Mariannhill Landfill Conservancy project is to preserve and upgrade the natural environment, while managing a landfill site. Phased rehabilitation at Mariannhill releases open green spaces back into the environment and maintenance of the indigenous ecosystem minimizes biodiversity loss in the area. The Conservancy status of the landfill site and the benefits thereof to the local ecology and community has elevated the status of this land use. Mariannhill is the only landfill conservancy in Africa.

(b) Implementation

 b.      What were the key development and implementation steps and the chronology? No more than 500 words
In December 1995, Durban Metro (predecessor of e’Thekwini Municipality) took over responsibility for municipal landfills. The process then began to locate a new landfill. Mariannhill was identified as a possible site and was the first landfill in the area to conduct a full Environmental Impact Assessment. In the process of consulting with stakeholders, the Cleansing Branch proposed to have the site registered as a National Conservancy. Construction of the landfill began in 1996. Rehabilitation of full cells has been ongoing since 1998, when the first cell reached optimum capacity. Leachate treatability trials began in 1998 by DSW in collaboration with Enviros UK that demonstrated that Mariannhill leachate can be treated to high standards, within the limits of the discharge standards required by the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry for discharge of wastewater by irrigation. The Plant Rescue Unit was established in 1999. In 2000, Mariannhill began its landfill gas extraction and electricity generation project and in the same year, the Municipality began its environmental education programme. Mariannhill was awarded Conservancy status in 2004 by Ezemvelo Wildlife.

(c) Overcoming Obstacles

 c.      What were the main obstacles encountered? How were they overcome? No more than 500 words
The main obstacle encountered by the Mariannhill Landfill Conservancy arose while the site location was being selected. A lot of negative energy was directed at the determination of a site for the landfill because of landfills’ association with foul smells and pollution. Initially, the Council, environmental Non Governmental Organisations and the community were in conflict about the location of the landfill. Via public meetings the tension was resolved, and in 1996 the infrastructure for the landfill commenced.

(d) Use of Resources

 d.      What resources were used for the initiative and what were its key benefits? In no more than 500 words, specify what were the financial, technical and human resources’ costs associated with this initiative. Describe how resources were mobilized
Running a landfill site as a conservancy places additional demands on skills and capacity. With more people on site performing more tasks, extra care needs to be taken with safety and security aspects. A Conservation Officer is employed on a full-time basis to oversee the management of the site and the nursery and to assist with the environmental education. It has been estimated that the EMA has saved more than R2 million in plant material alone from PRUNIT, and ongoing rehabilitation accounts for a further R6-7 million savings.

The leachate treatment plant comprises of one Sequencing Batch Reactor unit, constructed of reinforced concrete 10 metres in diameter and 6 metres deep, a lined reed bed of some 280m2, and a balance tank as well as computer systems to monitor treatment. In addition, the landfill gas extraction unit consists of six gas wells, linked to a 500Nm3/hr flare unit.

Sustainability and Transferability

  Is the initiative sustainable and transferable?
The initiative is sustainable. The Mariannhill Landfill Conservancy will be operational for a total of approximately 25 years. At the end of this period, the whole area will be either rehabilitated or partially rehabilitated, unlike most other landfills where rehabilitation would normally start at the end of the landfill’s lifespan. Also, Mariannhill as a conservation area has a greater chance of functioning as a sustainable ecosystem because it is linked to other green areas. The Conservancy status of the Mariannhill Landfill is rooted in regulations and guidelines set out by Ezemvelo Wildlife. In order to maintain its Conservancy status, Mariannhill must simply continue to abide by these.

The initiative is transferable. The landfill-conservancy model could be replicated where the need for a new landfill site is established and where conservation authorities are brought on board very early on in the process. This model is highly desirable not only because of its benefits for the environment and the community, but the cost-savings on rehabilitation, and sewage treatment to local government and the opportunity to harness valuable energy from a city’s waste.

Lessons Learned

 What are the impact of your initiative and the lessons learned?
The key elements that make the Mariannhill Landfill Conservancy a success include its strong and lasting partnerships, its ability to find multiple sources of funding and the fact that it is driven by government, proving that the public sector can deliver services in an environmentally friendly manner. Mariannhill is on the cutting edge environmentalism in waste management as a result of the extensive consultations with international partners and experts in the planning and implementation stages.

This initiative takes the concept of a landfill—something ‘disgusting’ that people tend to avoid—and turn it into a beautiful place where plants and animals thrive. The whole municipality is able to enjoy this landfill for leisure and learning experiences by spending time at the nature reserve, the bird hide, the open-air amphitheatre, or walking down one of the nature trails on-site, making Marianhill Landfill Conservancy an asset to the community rather than an eyesore.

Contact Information

Institution Name:   e'Thekwini Municipality
Institution Type:   Government Agency  
Contact Person:   John Parkin
Title:   Deputy Head, Plant and Engineering  
Telephone/ Fax:   +27-031-311-8820
Institution's / Project's Website:   +27-031-263-1119
E-mail:   johnpa@dmws.durban.gov.za  
Address:   17 Electron Road
Postal Code:   4000
City:   Durban
State/Province:   KwaZulu Natal
Country:   South Africa

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