NATIONAL NEWS - The City of Tshwane is running out of space for landfill sites.

“If no alternative waste disposal sites are developed, the city will run out of landfill space in five years’ time,” said mayoral spokesperson Samkelo Mgobozi.

This comes as a major landfill site in the city – Onderstepoort in the north of Pretoria – will have to be closed down soon.

Mgobozi said the city’s waste disposal woes were also made worse by the disruption at some of existing sites by encroaching informal waste recyclers and vagrants.

“Illegal dumping – mostly building rubble or construction waste – is also an issue throughout various parts of Pretoria.

“Another problem is that the metro has not developed any new landfill sites since 2 000 to cope with the growing population in the city.”

The situation has been made worse by a huge influx of people moving to the city for work or educational purposes, said environmental management services head Mthobeli Kolisa.

“The city must use other means of disposing of waste,” said Kolisa.

Read more on the Caxton publication, The Citizen.