PAARL – Drakenstein residents have until 30 November to comment on Drakenstein Municipality’s (DM) newly proposed Integrated Waste Management Bylaw, which sees several changes to waste management in the valley, including the disposal of compost and a ban on single-use plastics such as straws.
According to Thys Serfontein, DM’s Senior Manager of Solid Waste, the municipal council is expected to approve the bylaw by February 2026.
The municipality is taking a gradual approach to introducing the proposed bylaw. At one of the stakeholder meetings held to date, specifically with the Drakenstein Business Chamber on 10 October, the DM outlined the intended objectives of the bylaw, Serfontein said.
To aid with enforcement, the municipality is currently in the process of appointing two “Bylaw Enforcement Officers”. The officers will play a key role in ensuring compliance with the municipality’s proposed bylaw. While the municipal council is taking a phased approach to allow stakeholders time to adapt these officers will be responsible for applying penalties if individuals or businesses fail to meet the requirements once the bylaw is in effect, Serfontein explained. The DM did not provided details on the measures the “Bylaw Enforcement Officers” will undertake to implement the proposed Integrated Waste Management Bylaw.
Single-use plastics
One of the main elements of the proposed bylaw is the prohibition of “single-use plastics” including items such as “straws, polystyrene cups and containers and plastic stirrers”.
This measure supports the aims of the National Environmental Management Waste Act 58 of 2009, which encourages waste reduction, recycling and environmental protection to safeguard a sustainable and healthy environment for future generations. Chapter 1, section 4, point 1(f) of the draft document specifies that “a holder of waste matter take all reasonable measures to prohibit the use of any single-use plastic material such as straws, plastic shopping bags with a thickness of less than 30 micron and replace it with material that is re-usable.”
“If endorsed, DM will be the first municipality in South Africa to include the outlawing of single-use plastics in a bylaw,” according to Serfontein.
Organic waste
He added that the DM is stepping-up efforts to cut down the amount of organic waste sent to landfills, with composting identified as a key solution.
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For residents in high-density areas, such as in flats or retirement homes, where home composting might not be feasible, the first phase of a new composting project, called the Food2050 machine, has been completed at the refuse transfer station in Distellery Street in Paarl.
The machine, which Paarl Post reported on in August, is in place to ensure that, once food waste is collected and separated it can be processed into a soil enhancer rather than being disposed of as general waste. “Informal areas [such as settlements or areas without formal housing infrastructure] are provided with refuse bags for waste disposal,” Serfontein said, “while formal households receive clear bags to separate recyclable waste which should be placed on the pavement on collection days.”
Draft bylaw
Other noteworthy points on the draft Integrated Waste Management Bylaw include:
- Chapter 1, section 4, point 1(g): The occupier living in the main buidling is responsible for providing vidence to DM how much waste is generated on the erf and to how waste, generated on the property is managed and disposed of.
- Chapter 1, section 4, point 1(p): The taxi organisation responsible for the regulation of taxis within the DM area is responsible for all taxi-rank drop-off areas within Drakenstein, to be kept clean of litter and illegal dumping.
- Chapter 1, section 4, point 1(q): The owner of a vehicle, truck, bus or transporter of people is responsible for ensuring, in the place where the vehicle is parked to collect travellers or drop them off, workers or staff, a radius of 50 m surrounding the vehicle is free of litter before departure.
To view the rest of the draft bylaw, the municipality can be contacted.
