1. i
GIS and the selectionof solidwaste landfill sites in
Port Elizabeth, South Africa.
By
Hillary Zuze
215235851
Submitted in partial fulfilmentof the requirements
for the degree of Bachelorof Science Honours
(Environmental Geography) in the Facultyof
Science at the NelsonMandela Metropolitan
University
2015
Supervisor: Dr A de Wit
2. ii
Table of Contents
LIST OF FIGURES..........................................................................................................................i
LIST OF TABLES:.........................................................................................................................iii
LIST OF ACRONYMS:..................................................................................................................iv
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS..............................................................................................................v
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION......................................................................................................1
1.1. Introduction ....................................................................................................................1
1.2 Research Aim ...................................................................................................................1
1.3 Research Objectives.........................................................................................................2
1.3.1 Literature Review......................................................................................................2
1.3.2 Research Methodology.............................................................................................2
1.3.3 Expected Outcome, Results and Contribution of Research......................................3
1.4 Motivation of study..........................................................................................................4
1.5 Study Area ........................................................................................................................4
1.6 Methodology Outline.......................................................................................................7
1.6.1 Questionnaire Survey ................................................................................................7
1.6.2 GIS-Based Suitability Analysis ...................................................................................7
1.9 Outline of the project: .....................................................................................................9
CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW............................................................................................10
2.1 Introduction ...................................................................................................................10
2.2 Problem Identification ...................................................................................................11
2.3 Legislation for Solid Waste Disposal in South Africa .....................................................12
2.4 Methods of Addressing Siting Problems using GIS........................................................13
2.5 Recommendations on Problem Solving using GIS.........................................................14
2.6 Conclusion......................................................................................................................17
CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY...................................................................................................19
3.1 Introduction ...................................................................................................................19
FATAL FLAWS stated by the Minimum requirements .....................................................20
3.2 Description of Criteria for Solid Waste Disposal Sites ...................................................21
3.3. Methods of siting a landfill ...........................................................................................22
3.3.1 GIS- Based Methods................................................................................................22
3.3.1.1 Buffering...........................................................................................................22
3.3.1.2. Overlaying .......................................................................................................23
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3.3.2. Questionnaire on Solid Waste Management in the NMBM..................................24
CHAPTER 4: RESULTS AND DISCUSSION...................................................................................25
4.1 Introduction ...................................................................................................................25
4.2 Thematic maps related to the siting of solid waste landfills .........................................25
4.2.1 Landuse/Land cover................................................................................................26
4.2.2 Buffered Airports ....................................................................................................27
4.2.3. Buffered Built Up Area ...........................................................................................28
4.2.4 Buffered Road Network ..........................................................................................30
4.2.5 Buffered Water .......................................................................................................31
4.3 Overlaying ......................................................................................................................32
4.4 Querying.........................................................................................................................35
4.5 Elimination of Unsuitable Sites......................................................................................37
4.5 Elevation of Suitable Sites..............................................................................................40
4.6 Questionnaire on Current Solid Waste Situation ..........................................................42
4.3 Conclusion......................................................................................................................42
CHAPTER 5: Conclusion and Recommendations .....................................................................44
5.1 Introduction ...................................................................................................................44
5.2 Recommendations .........................................................................................................44
5.2.1 Recommendations for siting solid waste landfills ..................................................44
5.2.3 Recommendations for Future Studies ....................................................................45
Appendix A: Tables on Solid Waste Generation and Disposal.................................................47
Appendix B: Questionnaire on Existing Solid Waste Management in the NMBM ..................48
CHAPTER 6: References............................................................................................................51
4. i
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1.1 &1.2: Map of area covered by Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Bay Municipality
Figure 1.3: Map covered by NMB Municipality displaying current waste disposal sites
Figure 1.4: A map of NMB Municipality showing the informal settlements
Figure 1.5: Flow diagram of study
Figure 4.1: LandUse/LandCover Map of NMBM
Figure 4.2: Airport buffers Map of NMBM
Figure 4.3: Built-up area in NMBM
Figure 4.4: Buffered Built-up Map of NMBM
Figure 4.5: Buffered Road Network of NMBM
Figure 4.6: Buffered Drainage Map of NMBM
Figure 4.7: Map of NMBM showing Overlay of Built-up and Drainage
Figure 4.8: Map of NMBM showing buffered Built-up areas overlaid on the land
use/landcover
Figure 4.9: Potential Suitable Site 1 - Erased Buffered Built-Up Area
Figure 4.10: Potential Suitable Site 2- Landuse/Landcover Showing Potential Suitable Sites
≥ 99 Hectares
Figure 4.11: Potential Suitable Sites Showing Route Connectivity
Figure 4.12: Potential Suitable Sites 3a – Removal of areas near cemeteries, 1 in 50 year
flood zones, Coega IDZ
Figure 4.13: Potential Suitable Sites 3b – Elimination of areas near Housing 10year plan
(Highlighted in blue) and coastal villages
Figure 4.14: Potential Sites 4: Elimination of sites that lie on farms and reserves leaving only
2 suitable sites
Figure 4.15: Google Earth Map of NMBM showing location of Suitable Site 1 & 2
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Figure 4.16: Elevation Profile around Suitable Site 1
Figure 4.17: Elevation Profile around Suitable Site 2
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LIST OF TABLES:
Table 1. Information on current landfill sites in Port Elizabeth
Table 2. Waste received between 1996-2009 for Arlington and Koedoeskloof
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LIST OF ACRONYMS:
ArcGIS: Computer GIS Software
DWAF: The Department of Water Affairs and Forestry
EIA: Environmental Impact Assessment
GIS: Geographical Information System
MIS: Management Information Systems
NEMA: National Environmental Management Act
NMB: Nelson Mandela Bay
NMBM: Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality
8. v
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This project consumed huge amount of work, research and dedication. Still, implementation
would not have been possible if we did not have a support of many individuals and
organizations. Therefore we would like to extend our sincere gratitude to all of them.
First of all we are thankful to Dr A de Wit and Dr M.S Britz for their logistical support and
for providing necessary guidance concerning projects implementation. I would also like to
thank my fellow classmates JP Hetcher, T Master and N Nqoto for their assistance with my
project. Furthermore I would like to thank Melanie from The NMB Municipality for her
assistance with the data collection.
Lastly I would like to thank my Parents for making this opportunity possible and God for
everything I managed to achieve.
9. 1
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
1.1. Introduction
Solid waste management has been the major cause for concern in a lot of cities worldwide.
Poor solid waste management has the potential to cause environmental problems in
Municipalities, especially in developing countries. That is because the uncontrolled growth of
cities in developing countries is influenced by the economic and developmental activities
(UNEP, 2009). Solid waste management involves the application of techniques to ensure
successful execution of final disposal of waste which will lead to the improvement in living
standards and potentially reduce pollution. By providing more convenient ways for waste to
be disposed, it would allow for more collections to be carried out on easier routes.
Studies have shown that poor solid waste management in developing countries is a result of
poor planning practices, in the case of South Africa, siting of landfills has not been done in a
scientific manner. It is also a result of increases in population sizes and a shortage of
appropriate resources for Municipal waste management strategies. The rise in solid waste
percentage increase that was noted in the NMBM after 2006, as shown in Table 2, was
attributed to a rise in lifestyle and this has restricted economic growth at local and
government.
Geographical Information Systems (GIS) have been used as a tool to solve issues associated
with solid waste management. They have been successfully used in siting landfills and
collection bins. In the instances where GIS has failed to do so in developing countries, it has
been the result of poorly kept geographical information databases. This study uses GIS
technology and Google Earth software to select potential sites for solid waste landfills, which
will reduce the impacts of previously poorly sited landfills. This will us Spatial Analyst tools
in ArcGIS to create overlays and buffers that will reveal the possible suitable sites within the
study.
1.2 Research Aim
The aim of this research is to demonstrate how GIS can be used as a tool to locate potential
new solid waste landfills.
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1.3 Research Objectives
In this research, the following objectives are engaged:
1.3.1 Literature Review
I am carrying out a literature review in order to generate a theoretical framework for
problems being faced by the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality (NMBM) and some
urban areas in developing countries when it comes to solid waste disposal
management and how GIS can be used with Legislation to propose new potential
sites. I have done so in the following manner:
The research will use the literature review in order to describe some common
issues associated with the current solid waste disposal system in developing
countries and the Nelson Mandela Bay area.
In this project we will use the literature review in order to explain terminology and
abbreviations used in the research paper.
We will also use the literature review in order to explain the Legislation and
policies in place for landfill site selection in South Africa.
The research will use the literature review in order to explain how GIS has been
used previously to solve problems with solid waste management.
In this research we will use the literature review to generate a methodology that
can be used in order to locate new landfill sites.
1.3.2 ResearchMethodology
Methodology formulation will be carried out in order to:
Describe the research methodology of this study, which is carried out through the
use of GIS in displaying spatial and non-spatial data to assist with solid waste
disposal.
Display sample selection area covered by the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality.
Explain the procedure used for collecting the data and how GIS is used to
represent and analyse data.
Generate an explanation of the techniques used in GIS to analyse the data
discovered.
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A Methodology Application is created in order to:
Display the sample area which is going to be used in research. This will be carried
out by generating Enhanced Landsat+ ETM images of 2005, 2010 and 2015 for
Port Elizabeth.
The Enhanced Landsat ETM+ images will be used in Arc GIS to decide on
potentially suitable areas for landfill sites.
This will be done by making sure that the areas being looked at do not fall within
the “fatal flaws” stipulated in ‘the Minimum Requirements’.
After which a criteria will be created and various shape files can be created and
convert those into coverages for more work in Arc 10.
Attributes will be added to the database map and generate different maps for the
criteria being looked at e.g. geomorphology, lithology, drainage, streams,
population and roads.
Slope will be calculated for the potential sites using Google Earth Elevation tool.
The different coverages in the different themes will make it possible for suitability
of sites to be generated.
1.3.3 Expected Outcome, Results and Contribution of Research
From the results of the research several recommendations will be made in the following
manner:
The first will be an analysis of the information generated and its consistency with
previous research.
Then we will look at the cost-effectiveness of the approach to solving a common
problem in most developing countries.
Finally recommendations will be made on how the issue of poor solid waste
disposal can be rectified if possible and mitigated where necessary.
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1.4 Motivationof study
The benefits of the study will include the creation of new potential landfill sites data base
supported by maps of waste disposal sites within the province. It will also provide an
assessment of the sites currently being used in Port Elizabeth, in order to calculate the current
and future capacity and also an indication in terms of some of the problems associated with
each site. The assessment is based on a comprehensive review of both national and
international literature, including policy and legislation relevant to waste disposal. This
assessment will lead to the development of strategies and recommendations at a municipal
level.
1.5 Study Area
The city of Port Elizabeth lies at the southern tip of Africa in the south Eastern Cape at the
shores of the Indian Ocean. Its centre point geographical coordinates of 33048’S, 25030’E
have the same latitude as Cape Town, which is approximately 660 km to the west (Figure 1a-
1&2) (Arcus GIBB Engineering & Science, 2011). The Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality
covers a land area of about 1900kmsq, with a population of approximately 1.3million as it
encompasses some rural villages, Uitenhage and Dispatch on its outskirts (Arcus GIBB
Engineering & Science, 2011). Fig 1b shows the current solid waste disposal sites within the
NMBM area and Figure 1c shows the informal settlements within the Municipality.
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Figure 1.1. Map of area covered by Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Bay Municipality.
Figure 1.2. Map of area covered by Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Bay Municipality.
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Figure 1.3. Map covered by NMB Municipality displaying current waste disposal sites.
Figure 1.4. Map of NMB Municipality showing the informal sectors (Source: Arcus GIBB
Engineering and Science, 2011)
15. 7
1.6 Methodology Outline
Data collection is an important part of research methodology as it can determine how the
analysis will go. This section of the study creates an overview of the data collection methods
that are going to be put in place in order for the siting of new landfill sites. Government
policy supports the generation of larger regionalised landfill sites and discourages the use of
small decentralised sites regardless of the fact that they might reduce transport costs. This is
due to their lack of sustainability in an urban setting that is constantly expanding. Data is to
be collected in two different forms, that is the GIS based method and through a questionnaire
which will be used in order to gain information from the Municipality on jurisdiction and
recent waste disposal patterns. These methods will be used in juxtaposition during analysis in
order to locate the environmentally acceptable sites.
1.6.1 Questionnaire Survey
This is carried out in the form of a purposive sampling questionnaire that generates
qualitative data. It can be located in the Methodology section was used to understand the
waste management system according to the stakeholders at the NMB Municipality.
1.6.2 GIS-Based Suitability Analysis
The GIS-based suitability analysis research will be carried out in two steps. The first stage
called screening is when will use a certain criteria to eliminate sites with legal restrictions,
physical impracticalities, potential threats to public water supply and environmentally
sensitive areas, proximity to residential areas, and overlying geological fault zones. This will
also remove areas that fall within the ‘fatal flaws’. The second phase is called the suitability
analysis and here the potential sites will be ranked using non-exclusionary data such as soil
suitability, habitat effect, flood resistance, distance from population centre, and hauling
distance. The results of the suitability analysis and the decision-making process can be
demonstrated and displayed with GIS.
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Since this study is interested is locating the most suitable areas for waste disposal in NMBM,
using the capabilities of GIS. The first step taken is to generate Enhanced Landsat ETM+
images of 2013 for the landuse or land cover map of the NMBM area as these were the only
ones available. These Enhanced Landsat ETM+ images were used to determine the available
area that can be used as a potential site for sitting the landfill.
Figure 1.5. Flow diagram of study
AIM
The aim of this research is to use GIS as a tool to locate potential new solid waste
landfills.
LITERATURE
REVIEW
a) Issues
b)Terminology
c)Legislation
d)GIS
e)Methodology
METHODOLOGY
1.GIS-Based
2.Questionnaire
RESULTS
DISCUSSION
CONCLUSION
OBJECTIVES
1.Lit Review
2.Methodology
3.Results
4.Conclusion
5.Recomendations
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1.9 Outline of the project:
Chapter 1: Introduction – This will introduce the problem of poor solid waste
management and mention how GIS can be used to tackle this.
Chapter 2: Literature Review – This will provide generate a theoretical framework
for problems being faced by the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality and some urban
areas in developing countries when it comes to solid waste disposal management
and how GIS can be used with Legislation to propose new potential sites
Chapter 3: Methodology – This will look at the research methodology of this study,
which is carried out through the use of GIS in displaying spatial and non-spatial
data to assist with solid waste disposal.
Chapter 4: Results and Discussion - This will provide an analysis of the information
generated from the methodology.
Chapter 5: Conclusion – This will allow for recommendations, suggestions to be
made on the siting of solid waste disposal sites.
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CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 Introduction
Port Elizabeth is similar to many cities in developing countries. It too is suffering from the
negative impacts of rapid urbanisation. Urbanisation, which can be summed up as the
collective effect of rural to urban migration, logical population increases and the
incorporation of some rural settlements on the outskirts of the city (Yiougu, 2013). An
example of the latter can be generated as the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality (NMBM)
took responsibility for Uitenhage and Despatch as well as some villages on the outskirts of
Port Elizabeth.
The negative impacts of urbanisation are most challenging for the infrastructure and services
management systems in place. That is usually due to the fact that they lack sustainability.
Solid waste management is one of the services provided by the NMBM as it is required for
all the settlements and businesses in the area. Solid waste, if not managed properly has the
potential to threaten and degrade environmental health through pollution of the air, surface
and underground water. For people, that ultimately results in disease transmission, fire
hazards, odour nuisance, atmospheric and water pollution, aesthetic nuisance and economic
losses due to decline in property prices as well as investment (Nishanth, 2010).
The issue of waste disposal is not new in most cities in developing countries as unscientific
methods were used for the landfill site selection (Nishanth, 2010). Traditionally in South
Africa, people just used to dump in quarries or open pits that were available to them. Those
that managed to follow the scientific procedure of site selection, still faced challenges in
terms of sustainability (CSIR Building and Construction Technology, 2000). This meant that
situations could still occur where low-income housing and informal but politically involved
communities ended up lying right next to landfill sites as seen in Port Elizabeth in Fig 1,
where Walmer Township is less than 2km from the Arlington landfill site. Such a situation
can bring about the aforementioned issues with solid waste and has also brings about safety
concerns for people dumping at the landfill site with cases of stabbings being reported in the
past 5 years (Ellis, 2011).
Geographic Information systems have long been in use along with legislations and or policies
to solve waste management problems (CSIR Building and Construction Technology, 2000).
That is because together they formulate a decision making tool for solid waste management.
19. 11
In the same mind frame, the authors in this literature review are all involved in solid waste
management (collection or transportation or disposal). In this study we will only be focusing
on the disposal aspect of waste management in our search of new potential environmentally
acceptable landfill sites in Port Elizabeth. The following sections will try and show some of
the viewpoints taken in trying to achieve this.
2.2 Problem Identification
Urbanisation has surprised many municipalities in both developing and developed countries
in past couple of decades. Twumasi et al (n.d.) states that this is the reason why
municipalities in developing countries are struggling with solid waste management. An
increase in population growth of 4% per annum in Niamey, Niger along with increases in
income patterns are said to have contributed immensely to higher waste generation. Disposal
of which has been left to old landfill sites, open dumpsites and dumping along the road and
storm drains.
Yiougo et al (2013) provides a study that looks at solid waste management systems in
Burkina Faso and provides a definition for urbanisation that is used throughout this literature
review. Waste generation here is explained as a result of increased income leading to changes
in lifestyle and consumption patterns as well as an increase in variety of goods.
Kyessi and Mwakalinga (2009) attributed the problem of poor solid waste disposal to the
increasing consumption patterns as well as the expansion of city borders. This, in their paper
is said to be because of limited resources in one area and therefore increases in population
size are bound to result deteriorating Municipal services delivery and infrastructure.
Furthermore the paper discusses the importance of distance of landfills from communities as
most were created according to old city patterns. The paper also mentions the importance of
climate in landfill site selection but this won’t matter much as the climate for the whole
NMBM is relatively uniform.
Similarly, Oyinloye (2013), through a study of Owo in Nigeria, ascribed the issues faced with
waste management to the results of rapid urbanisation. The paper looks at the current state of
affairs in solid waste management and assumes that poor waste disposal is in some cases, the
result of outdated waste disposal and or treatment sites. Through this study we discover that
20. 12
over 50% of all populations in developing countries live in urban areas. The study looks at
differences between industrialised and developing countries in terms of waste management as
well as composition of waste generated. Also in the same study, we look at factors critical in
landfill site selection.
Nishanth (2010) reminds us that urbanisation is a global environmental problem and not
specifically for developing countries. An increase in commercial, residential and
infrastructure development over the past decade is said to be the main reason for poor waste
management in developing countries.
Chilkias et al (2000) provides an example of the difference in solid waste management
systems of developed countries and developing countries. This comes about as they carried
out a study that searches for resource conservation in solid waste management. This is a
contrast as their study of Greece, looks at specific recycling, recovery and landfill diversion
targets for solid waste, which agrees with the NEMA Waste Act (2008) but is not an
immediate concern for most developing countries.
The CSIR Building and Construction Technology (2000) released a paper on Guidelines for
Human Settlement Planning and Design which explains how some of the effects of
urbanisation have contributed to poor solid waste management in South Africa. The paper
looks at how the high demand for land brought about by population increases resulted in
some low-income communities staying close to landfills, seen with Walmer Township.
2.3 Legislationfor Solid Waste Disposal in South Africa
The disposal of all waste in South Africa is managed in terms of the Environment
Conservation Act (Act 73 of 1989) (ECA) and the National Environmental Management
Waste Act (Act 59 of 2008). Section 20b of the Waste Act stipulates that all waste disposal
sites require a Waste Management license issued by the Minister of Water Affairs and
Forestry. Section 24(5) of the National Environmental Management Waste Act also stipulates
the requirements for licensing waste sites. The landfill site criteria will be created using the
ECA (Act No 73 of 1 989) as some of these regulations are still in effect, as well as the
Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Regulations published in terms of Section 24(5)
read with Section 44 of the National Environmental Management Act (NEMA), 1998 (Act
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No 107 of 1998 as amended) which lists the waste management activities which are likely to
have a detrimental effect on the environment, as well as the required environmental reporting
and waste permitting processes to be adhered to in attaining approval for new waste
management facilities.
The Department of Water Affairs and Forestry (DWAF) was mandated to devise a permitting
system that would improve waste disposal in South Africa. In 1998 DWAF published the
second edition of the 'Minimum Requirements for Waste Disposal by Landfill' (referred to as
the Minimum Requirements). The main objectives of the Minimum Requirements are: to
improve the standard of waste disposal in South Africa, to facilitate the enforcement of the
landfill permitting system provided for in the Environment Conservation Act, and to take
steps to prevent the degradation of water quality and the environment. General waste disposal
sites are classified as (G) in terms of DWAF Minimum Requirements for Waste Disposal to
Landfill. The Minimum Requirements through their steps to prevent water quality
degradation, introduce the importance of leachate management systems to be used in our
study. The National Environmental Management Ac t No. 107 of 1998 (NEMA) builds on the
Environment Conservation Act and provides a link between new developments and
environmental protection. One of the main principles proposed in NEMA is that of Integrated
Waste Management (I WM) which encourages the avoidance, minimisation, recycling and
treatment of waste in preference to its disposal to landfill.
The National Waste Management Strategy (NWMS), is a joint project between DWAF and
the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (DEAT) that implements the
government’s IWM policy on waste, and the action plans arising from it have considerable
implications for the approach that should be used to address the waste management needs of
the NMMB region. The strategy includes short, medium, and long-term action plans that,
once implemented, will lead to greatly improved waste management practices in South
Africa.
2.4 Methods of Addressing Siting Problems using GIS
Nishanth et al (2010) evaluates how Geographical Information Systems software (GIS) can
be an excellent tool for analysing the environment and its resources. This is because they
have the ability to display a large area of the earth, an example of which could be the city of
22. 14
Port Elizabeth. They can do this through spatial data in the form of maps, aerial photographs
and satellite images that are used with non-spatial quantitative and or qualitative expressive
information. Thus GIS can provide a platform for data acquisition and analysis that will be
used in selecting new landfill sites.
The study of Dar es Salaam looks at how GIS contributes to Management Information
Systems (MIS) that are used for service delivery. The paper goes on to point out how a lack
of solid waste management systems database can complicate the process of data collection
methods and eventually site selection when using GIS. The lack of a database would mean a
possibility of a lack of certain data that will be required such as soil type or slope which
would make it hard to find a new site. It is therefore necessary for legal frameworks to be
implemented that will maintain a well detailed database for spatial and non-spatial
information (Kyessi and Mwakalinga, n.d.).
Oyinloye (2013) introduces a GIS analysis of waste composition and proposes that the most
efficient way of siting would require degree of compaction and resulting density along with
volumetric changes during landfilling. It would allow for an accurate maximum capacity to
be calculated.
Twumasi et al (n.d.) looks at the need for a site selection that looks at minimum
requirements. This pulls into question the legislation we are using for our study, which is
stated above. The paper also discussed the issues that might arise when using only the
legislation and GIS for site selection. These include backlash from potentially affected
communities and conflict with interest between groups over alternative land uses.
The CSIR Building and Construction Technology (2000) agrees with the possibility of issues
when GIS and Legislation are the only platforms used for site selection. It suggests that all
parties involved should be aware of the processes. This will mean the training of contractors
and communities on the use of GIS.
2.5 Recommendations on Problem Solving using GIS
In the previous sections we have discussed the problems faced in terms of solid waste
management. Now we are going to look at how other people have solved similar issues, all of
which were completed using GIS. This allowed us to find ways to generate sustainable and
23. 15
environmentally acceptable ways to improve solid waste management. The studies analyzed
also brought about potentially important on-the-ground problems such as cover material
requirements, reduction of litter being blown away (wind direction), vermin infestations and
leachate production.
Oyinloye (2013) addresses the solid waste management challenges by trying to find a suitable
site for waste disposal in the Municipality of Owo in Nigeria. This was carried out by first
generating Enhanced Landsat ETM+ images for three years including the year of the study.
The images displayed landuse or landcover. GIS analysis was performed in the selection of
the most suitable sites in this study involved the multi-criteria evaluation and overlay
operations. The multi-criteria which is conducted by weighing all factor maps and combining
them with the overlaid constraint map suitable site for landfills site in the study area. The
following variables are taken into consideration in the final suitability map. They are land-
use/ land-cover type, distance to surface waters, proximity to urban areas; distance to
transport route, geology (which also included a TIN derived from the contour map of the
study area using surface analysis in Arcview 3.3 that map showed the elevation of the area
and soil type of the study area.
Nishanth et al (2010) used geomorphology maps that were prepared from a toposheet. These
maps were updated and then georeferenced with satellite images. Several shape files were
then created and converted into coverages for topology where topology is the
mathematical is the mathematical relationship built between objects and it makes a
bond between geographic features in the data base. After adding attributes
to the database map, various thematic maps like geomorphology, lithology, drainage, slope, st
reams, populations and road map were created and weightage allocated to them based on
the key parameter. Various coverages in these themes were assigned a suitability score and
converted in to raster format using Spatial Analyst in the Arc Map.
The study on Niamey, Niger is conducted based on data also generated from Landsat ETM+
imagery from the year 2001. The images were sued in conjunction with road networks in
order to show topography. The processing of the topographic data starts with a 1:50,000 scale
topographic map of Niamey which was scanned and on-screen digitizing was performed to
collect the xyz values for the entire study area. These points were later imported into
Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI) ARCGIS 8.3 Spatial and 3D Analyst
extensions to create a Digital Elevation Model (DEM) of Niamey. To allow for the
24. 16
integration of the satellite and DEM data, the DEM was co-registered to the satellite image
using Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) reference system. The spheroid and datum were
also referenced to WGS 84. The road networks (vector), satellite and DEM data were further
exported into ERDAS VIRTUAL GIS for 3D processing of the landscape to show potential
areas suitable for the selection of the landfill sites for Niamey and its surrounding area. This
study used as criteria that made sure that the dumpsite would be outside the buffer zone of the
hydrology, forested areas, roads and existing housing (Twumasi et al, n.d.).
This study neglected important information such as climate and geology which would have
monitored the leachate produced and transported through soil or aquifers. That could
compromise the sustainability of the site selected. It does although mention the need for a
constant modification of landfill sites with new and more and relevant data (Twumasi et al,
n.d.).
Chilkias and Lasardi (2009) used GIS in their research to reduce time and cost of waste
collection through route optimization. A collection of waste management data for almost ten
years. This allowed for static and dynamic data such as population density, waste generation
rate for mixed and specific waste streams, number, type and positions of waste bins , the road
network and related traffic, current routing system of collection vehicles, truck capacity and
characteristics, geographic boarders and waste collection sectors.
The second state of their research involved reallocation of waste bins with the use of GIS
spatial analysis. The third explained how ARCGIS 9.2 Network Analyst could be used for
route optimization when an optimum finding algorithm is used. In the research Dijkstra’s
algorithm was introduced which led to an understanding of how algorythms can be created to
include real life problems such as one way streets.
The study shows the importance of having a readily available database for spatial data which
might be a challenge with the research we are carrying out as most developing countries do
not always have functional databases as in the study carried out by Kyessi et al (n.d.).
The SiVEST- Environment and Town Planning Division (2004) Paper displays the need for
contact with municipalities (district in our case) which can be established through a
questionnaire designed to collect basic information about the waste disposal sites within the
jurisdiction of the municipalities. It also looks at the waste disposal sites of Kwazulu Natal
Province in South Africa and uncovers that close to fifty percent of the waste disposal sites
within the province are not permitted in terms of DWEA requirements and a lot of those
25. 17
unregistered waste disposal sites are managed by local municipalities. It therefore comes with
no surprise that a number of these waste disposal sites are inappropriately sited including
areas with high water tables and streams. A number of social issues connected with the
landfill sites were observed such as the informal communities picking from each site and this
puts them at risk from improperly disposed of wastes or poor management practices on site.
The (Arcus GIBB Engineering & Science) paper from 2011 provides us with literature
specific to the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Bay Municipality such as population increases,
waste generation patterns and the current landfills currently being used right now as shown in
Table 1 and 2 in Appendix A.
The Minimum Requirements from DWEA (1998) provides us with the criteria used for site
selection. This is in conjunction with previously stated legislation can encourages an
approach that looks at economic considerations such as distance from waste, site size, access
and land availability and other costs. It also urges towards the consideration of the
environment and the potential harm that can occur to the physical environment because of
new sites. This will include topography, geohydrology and adjacent land uses. The final
criteria introduced was that of possible public acceptance which addresses the impacts of the
landfill in public safety, quality of life and local property values.
It also discussed the ‘fatal flaws’ which can be located in Appendix B. The paper presented
the use of a Maximum Rate of Deposition in order to calculate the size required for a new
sustainable landfill. This would take into account important information like time and growth
of population for site classification. Methods of calculating potential for significant leachate
are also put forward which shows a recommendation that compromises the sustainability of
the Niamey, Niger study, which neglected the use of such information (DWEA, 1998).
2.6 Conclusion
Solid waste disposal has become a serious problem in major urban cities in South Africa
today. Waste disposal problems often emerge from the inability of district municipalities to
match the collection and disposal of wastes with the generation of wastes and other times the
problem could be traced to lack of a suitable site for disposal. A solution for this problem
requires that collection, transportation and disposal waste streams be analysed. This would
26. 18
involve the use of a solid waste management database that readily contains spatial and non-
spatial data required. With which GIS can be used and act as an effective support tool. This
would provide many uses when it came to problem-solving that required visuals for decision-
making. In the literature reviewed GIS was used to assist with some research in solid waste
management problems such as siting and route optimisation. I suggest these two processes
(siting and route optimization) be interlinked because the landfill sites should not be too far
from the Municipal area it services. Due to health implications, the site cannot be too close
either but due to time constraints we cannot look at the route optimisation in this study.
The use of GIS in handling spatial and non-spatial data is essential in solving solid waste
management problems. It creates a platform for decision making, monitoring of systems and
maybe even policy making. Therefore it should be institutionalised for contractors, municipal
and city councils officials to understand the importance of information management. It would
also be an added bonus if training could be carried out for civil societies, should their input be
required through public participation in issues such as site selection.
Like most town plans, landfill sites were created over a decade ago in most urban areas in
developing countries. The infrastructure development and services provision requires a
system that monitors information management systems in order to keep up with
uncontrollable factors such as an ever increasing population, change in economic activity and
growth of urban sectors.
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CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY
3.1 Introduction
The main aim of this study is to analyse present information of solid waste disposal in Nelson
Mandela Bay (NMB) Municipality. From this analysis an evaluation shall be made in order to
find the appropriate sites for landfills. The methodology will include the collection of
information on the present waste management situation in the NMB Municipality and this
was used to create maps which will allow for the criteria to be visualised in terms of maps
and this will also allow for the solid waste disposal situation to be put into context. The
analysis of this data will allow for a better understanding of how we can position the landfill
sites appropriately in order to meet the current needs of the Municipality, whilst GIS was
used to help with this as well as eliminating unnecessary regions.
In several studies GIS has been used to site various infrastructure, ranging from things such
as coffee shops, to schools and even landfills. It can play a large role in solid waste
management as it can help will positioning collection bins in an efficient manner, calculate
the shortest possible routes that can be taken in order to collect all the waste and finally it can
help determine environmentally friendly landfills according to a criteria that will be required.
This will ultimately reduce pollution and in this chapter we will look at the methodology that
can be used to select potentially suitable sites for solid waste disposal within the NMB
boundary. The methods that are going to be used in this study are a GIS-based suitability
method and data from a questionnaire which will explain the current data on solid waste
disposal in the NMBM. These methods will ensure that suitable landfill sites are located and
that this will be done using the appropriate information.The analysis would be limited to
criteria that would be selected and relevant to the area under investigation. The results
obtained would provide clear areas for landfill sites in the study area and finally arrives at
suitable areas.
The methodology was to identify criteria forpotential landfill sites selection. The criteria were
derived from the ‘fatal flaws’ stated in the Minimum requirements of the South African
Department of Water and Forestry guidelines, and comparative study review of other works
on landfill selection criteria. The criteria included land use, built up areas, landuse and
landcover, water bodies, road, airport and critically biodiverse areas. The slope was
considered last as Google earth only allows for a calculation of specific areas and not the
28. 20
whole city .The database was developed based on the proposed landfill selection site. The
development of the database was achieved after digitizing the different datasets obtained
from the NMBM that were necessary for the study area, and were supported by ArcGIS 10.0
software. All of the map layers were used in vector format. They were generated into
thematic maps according to each criteria. These were overlaid in order to reveal the areas that
did not fall within the fatal flaws. The areas identified then had their slope measured using
Google Earth and then the most suitable sites were identified.
Poor solid waste management poses a threat to the environment in cities in developing
countries such as the NMBM. That is because the use of open dumps that are uncontrolled
leads to them becoming unsafe for use and in some instances overloaded. The open dumps
pose a risk to the environment as different types of waste will have a hazardous effect (CSIR,
2000).
FATAL FLAWS stated by the Minimum requirements
The “fatal flaws” when siting new landfill sites are:
Areas less than 3000m from the end of any airport runway or landing strip
in direct line of flight path and within 500m of an airport or airfield
boundary.
Areas below 1 in 50 year flood lines.
Areas in close proximity to significant surface water bodies e.g. water
courses or dams.
Unstable areas e.g. fault zones, seismic zones, dolomitic or karst areas
Sensitive ecological and or historical areas e.g. nature reserves, areas of
ecological and cultural or historical significance.
Catchment areas for important water resources.
Areas characterised by flat gradients, shallow or emergent ground water
e.g. vleis, pans and springs.
Areas with steep gradients where stability of slopes could be problematic.
Areas that have groundwater recharges on account of topography and or
highly permeable soils.
Areas overlying or adjacent to important or potentially important aquifers.
29. 21
Areas characterised by shallow bedrock with little soil cover (if steep
slopes or unstable).
Areas in close proximity to land-uses which are incompatible with
landfilling such as residential areas or nature reserves or cemeteries.
Areas immediately upwind of a residential area in the prevailing wind
directions.
Areas which, because of title deeds and other constraints can never be
rezoned to permit a disposal facility.
Areas over servitudes are held that would prevent the establishment of a
waste disposal facility e.g. Rand Water, Eskom, Road Department
servitudes.
Any area characterised by any factor that would prohibit the development
of a landfill except at prohibitive cost.
Areas conflicting with Local Development Objectives and Regional Waste
strategy.
(DWAF, 1998)
3.2 Descriptionof Criteria for SolidWaste Disposal Sites
The general site selection criteria that must be satisfied for the most suitable site for landfills
site avoiding the ‘fatal flaws’ is:
i. 500 metres buffer around all surface water.
ii. 150 metres buffer around all transport routes
iii. 3,000 metres buffer zones created around all urban areas.
iv. A landform that is located on flat or undulating land.
v. Land use/ landcover types such as grassland, forests and cultivated land.
vi. 3000 metres from any airport
(DWAF, 1998)
30. 22
3.3. Methods of siting a landfill
In this study two methods were used in order to locate environmentally and economically
friendly solid waste landfill sites. The methods used were GIS suitability analysis and a
questionnaire which provided a current view on the solid waste management system in place.
3.3.1 GIS- BasedMethods
GIS based technology was used in locating potentially suitable sites for landfills within the
NMB Municipality. This method was conducted to find the areas that did not fall within areas
that were defined in the ‘fatal flaws’. These were areas too close to surface water; too close to
transport routes; too close to urban areas; too close to airports; areas lying in critically
biodiversity areas and finally to make sure that the potential sites were not located on flat or
undulating land. The main GIS operations that were used in this study to ensure appropriate
analysis was carried out were buffering and overlaying.
3.3.1.1 Buffering
Solid waste, if not managed properly has the potential to threaten and degrade environmental
health through pollution of the air, surface and underground water. It is therefore important to
make sure that the site is not placed too close to areas where it can have such impacts.
Buffering was created in order to maintain a certain proximity for the landfill that won’t lead
to it interacting with environmentally sensitive areas. Buffer zones were created using the
following methodology and this will ensure a landfill site that will be sustainable.
Generation of a recent landuse/landcover map.
After attributing the data, a base map will be created and there after various
thematic maps like geomorphology, lithology, drainage, streams, and road map will
be created.
A map is to be created that has the built-up area in the study, buffered by 3000
meters. This is in order to remove any stumbling block in the form of dwellings or
residential areas and the landfill site to avoid any form of pollution. The areas outside
31. 23
the buffered zone will be potential areas for the siting of the landfill because they are
out of the restricted area.
A map will also be created that shows all of the roads in the NMB Municipality and
these will need to be buffered by 150 meters. The choice of 150 meters buffer is to
provide adequate consideration to aesthetics and traffic in the study area.
Landfills are not to be sited too close to streams and rivers that are part of the
drainage system of an area in order to mitigate conflicts relating to the contamination
of sources of water supply. This becomes imperative in order to reduce safety
concerns as well as health and environmental health problems that would come from a
new site. Thus the generation of a map of streams and rivers buffered at a distance of
500 meters is necessary.
Maps of Airport buffers and previous waste landfills were created as the new sites
should not be within 3000 metres of the airport. Also they cannot be sited right next to
the previous sites as those have already been deemed unfit for use.
3.3.1.2. Overlaying
Overlaying is a relatively simple process within GIS and it involves the positioning of one
map over another in order to identify regions that either overlap or regions that remain after
the overlap. In this study this was used in the following methodology in order to interact
different thematic maps and identify regions that did not fall within those buffered maps.
After this we can start the Suitability Analysis by overlaying the different maps.
First, the map of buffered built up areas will be overlaid with that of
landuse/landcover in order to eliminate the areas covered by the buffer, rock-out crop,
and areas that have forest reserves. This will leave us with the potential suitable sites
for the landfill.
The unwanted areas will be erased from the Landuse/Land cover map using the GIS
erase feature tool. Since the built up areas we don’t require will have been erased we
will be left with areas consisting of vegetation, bareland or cultivation, which are the
areas we are searching for.
32. 24
After this a spatial and attribute query will be carried out on the erased map for areas
covering 99 hectares and above. The reason for choosing areas covering 99 hectares
or above is to ensure continuity.
The map on which areas located as covering 99+ hectares is then overlaid with the
road network in order to understand the possible routes to the site. This can be used
for route optimisation and it allows for accessibility to be considered.
Finally an elimination of areas that house important landmarks or are part of future
development plans e.g. monuments, heritage sites, cemeteries, urban development
plans etc.
Finally Google Earth will be used to calculate elevation data for the suitable sites in
the study area could not be located did not have topography.
This will be done using the identify tool in GIS and then using the US National Grid
coordinates which are derived in Google earth.
The suitable sites are then located on Google Earth and the elevation of the 99+
hectares is derived.
This is then used to locate the most suitable site(s).
3.3.2. Questionnaire on Solid Waste Management in the NMBM
The questionnaire was used to collect primary data for the current solid waste disposal in the
NMBM as well as the strategies that are in use at Municipal level. This method was carried
out with a representative of the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality who was asked to
complete the questionnaire on current solid waste management for the Municipality. This
allowed for accurate qualitative data to be collected. The questionnaire was in the form of six
questions that looked at the current demographics of the NMBM as well as the current solid
waste system, solid waste disposal facilities and finally it looked at the provision of services.
The provision of services allowed for the stakeholder in solid waste disposal to be identified.
This questionnaire was distributed to the NMB Municipality as it responsible for solid waste
management within the study area and this research was carried out a municipal level.
33. 25
CHAPTER 4: RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
4.1 Introduction
Decision-making is a process which requires the arrangement of activities that start with the
identification of the problem and concludes with certain recommendations being made. It is a
norm that the quality of decision made depends on the activities carried out and the order in
which they are carried out in, as well as the quality of the information in use. In this section
we will provide the appropriate data analysis based on the collected thematic maps that
influence the siting of landfills within the NMBM and eventually result in better solid waste
management. Objectives of this chapter will be achieved by analysing the different maps and
making a decision on suitable sites based on the data collected from GIS based methods and
the questionnaire. The outcomes of this analysis were based on pictorial and cartographic
representations.
4.2 Thematic maps relatedto the siting of solidwaste landfills
The use of GIS analysis and operations performed in the selection of the most suitable sites in
this study involved the multi-criteria suitability evaluation and overlay operations. The multi-
criteria process was conducted by overlaying all factor maps and combining them with the
constraint map for suitable sites for landfills site in the study area. There were several
variables that were taken into consideration using the ‘fatal flaws’ in the Minimum
Requirements in order to generate the final suitability map (DWEA, 1998). These involved
land-use/ land-cover type, distance to surface waters, proximity to urban areas; distance to
transport route of the study area.
34. 26
4.2.1 Landuse/Land cover
Figure 4.1, shows the landuse/land cover map of the study area. Over 70% of the land is
occupied by Near-natural areas NMBM critical biodiversity areas which occupy
approximately 50% and the district built-up areas that occupy about 20% of the district.
Figure 4.1. LandUse/LandCover Map of NMBM
35. 27
4.2.2 Buffered Airports
Figure 4.2, the airports and future airports located within the study area were buffered by
3000 meters. Airports cannot be situated anywhere close to landfill sites as mentioned in the
Minimum Requirements (DWAF, 1998).
Figure 4.2. Airport buffers Map of NMBM
36. 28
4.2.3. Buffered Built Up Area
Figure 4.3 shows us the built-up area in the NMBM. Figure 4.4 shows us the built-up area of
the study area which was buffered by 3000 meters. This was done in order to generate
adequate setback between dwelling or residential areas and the landfill site in order to avoid
any form of pollution. The areas outside the buffered zone are potential areas for the siting of
the landfill because they are out of the restricted area (DWAF, 1998).
Figure 4.3. Map of Built up area in the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Bay
38. 30
4.2.4 Buffered Road Network
Figure 4.5 is a map of all the categories of roads in the NMBM buffered by 150 meters. The
choice of 150 meters buffer is to give adequate consideration to aesthetics and safety and this
is mentioned in the Minimum Requirement for landfill siting in South Africa. Also, the
railway line passing through NMBM was buffered by 150 meters (DWAF, 1998).
Figure 4.5. Buffered Road Network of NMBM
39. 31
4.2.5 Buffered Water
According to the Minimum Requirements, Landfills should not be placed too close to streams
and rivers that constitute the drainage system of an area. This is carried out in order to reduce
the chances of conflicts relating to the contamination of sources of water supply. This is also
important in order to reduce chances of health problems, noise complaints, odour complaints,
decreased property values and scavenging by animals that will frequent the water sources.
The streams and rivers were therefore buffered at a distance of 500 meters in Figure 4.6
(DWAF, 1998).
Figure 4.6. Buffered Water Map of NMBM
40. 32
4.3 Overlaying
Figure 4.7 shows the buffered built-up area was overlaid on the buffered drainage map, this is
to screen out unsuitable areas and leave areas that could be suitable for the landfill site.
Figure 4.7. NMBM Showing Overlay of Built-up and Drainage
Figure 4.8 is a map that shows the overlay analysis of the buffered built-up map on the
landuse/land cover map. This is carried out in order to determine the available area that can
be used as a landfill site, whilst keeping in mind that areas covered by the buffer are
unsuitable and areas that fall within the NMBM Critical Biodiversity are also unsuitable. This
will only leave behind the potential suitable areas for the landfill site.
41. 33
Figure 4.8. NMBM showing buffered Built-up areas overlaid on the land use/landcover
The buffered built-up area was erased from the Landuse/Land cover map using the GIS erase
feature tool that is located in the Analysis tools under overlay. This procedure is carried out
in order to reveal the available area that can be used as a potential site for siting the landfill.
As the built-up area has been erased, this will reveal only the areas dominated with
vegetation, bare land or cultivation. These areas will allow for a selection of the potential
suitable sites shown in Figure 4.9.
43. 35
4.4 Querying
A spatial and attribute query was then performed on the erased map for areas covering 99
hectares and above within the NMBM. After the query, several areas in Figure 4.10 were
identified as having more than 99 hectares. The reason for choosing areas covering 99
hectares or above is to ensure continuity for the landfill as stated in the Minimum
Requirements. More often than not, in the case of Developing countries it is observed that
when a sanitary landfill site is used up to its capacity it is abandoned and a new site is the
sought.
Figure 4.10. Potential Suitable Site 2- Landuse/Landcover Showing Potential Suitable Sites ≥
99 Hectares
In Figure 4.11 the road network map was overlaid on the potential suitable sites to show the
route connectivity as it allows for the site with the best routing options to be established.
Accessibility is very important in site selection, as the site that would eventually be chosen as
the most suitable site for the landfill must be very accessible in order to ensure that wastes
collected can be easily transported to their final destination.
45. 37
4.5 Eliminationof Unsuitable Sites
Some of the potential suitable sites are eliminated using proximity to important landmarks
and future development plans such as 1 in 50 year flood zones, the Coega IDZ, cemeteries,
coastal villages (Figure 4.12) and finally areas involved in a 10 year Housing plan (Figure
4.13).
Figure 12: Potential Suitable Sites 3a – Removal of areas near cemeteries, 1 in 50 year flood
zones, Coega IDZ.
46. 38
Figure 4.13. Potential Suitable Sites 3b – Elimination of areas near Housing 10year plan and
coastal villages.
Finally the remaining sites that lie within reserves and farms are removed and this leaves only
2 suitable sites which were labelled as Suitable site 1 (403 hectares) and Suitable site 2 (264
hectares). This is shown in figure 4.14.
47. 39
Figure 4.14. Potential Sites 4: Elimination of sites that lie on farms and reserves leaving only
2 suitable sites.
48. 40
4.5 Elevation of Suitable Sites
Using the Identify tool on ArcGIS 10.0. The US National Grid coordinates of Suitable site 1
and Suitable site 2 were established. These were used in Google Earth to pick the locations
and this allowed for a calculation of the elevation profiles around a those points. These two
points are displayed on a map of the NMBM in Figure 4.15.
.
Figure 4.15. Google Earth Map of NMBM showing location of Suitable Site 1 & 2 (Source:
Google earth V 7.1.5.1557. (October 4, 2013).
Figure 4.16 shows the elevation around Suitable site 1 using the “show elevation profile” on
Google Earth.
49. 41
Figure 4.16. Elevation Profile around Suitable Site 1 (Source: Google earth V 7.1.5.1557.
(August 2, 2015).
Figure 4.17 shows the elevation around Suitable site 2 using the “show elevation profile”
function on Google Earth.
50. 42
Figure 4.17. Elevation around Suitable Site 2 (Source: Google earth V 7.1.5.1557. (August
2, 2015).
After taking a close look at the elevation profiles of Suitable site 1 & 2, we can deduce that
they both have slopes that are not too steep for the siting of a waste landfill. Suitable site 2 is
the most suitable out of the two as it has a gradient that allows for a landfill to be situated at
the top of a slope which is relatively flat but also has a gradient that would keep rubbish from
being carried away by the wind.
4.6 Questionnaire on Current SolidWaste Situation
From the questionnaire we were able to determine that most of the solid waste management
that occurs in the NMB area is carried out by private companies such as Sivest, Comwaste
and EP waste. This means that the implementation of new landfill sites should not only
include the public but also those private companies that will be directly using them. One of
the major problems stated for the city of Port Elizabeth was that there are no real measures
that have been put forward to reduce and recycle waste. Distance of disposal sites from
collection was also put forward as a challenge for the siting of new landfills. A large
population resides in low income spontaneous housing and a large amount of domestic waste
is generated in these areas.
4.3 Conclusion
Through the use of buffering, the ‘fatal flaws’ were removed from the study area. This
allowed for overlaying of maps that were important to be carried out. The overlapping maps
revealed areas that could potentially site landfills, which were 99+ hectares in size. From
these potential sites, elimination was carried out for areas that were too close to future
development housing, cemeteries, coastal villages and 1 in 50 year flood zones in order to
ensure longevity. This left several areas, which were further eliminated because they were
either part of game reserves or were on privately owned farms. This left two potential areas.
Due to the lack of elevation data in the study, their GPS coordinates were extrapolated and
placed in Google Earth. This allowed for elevation data to be calculated in order to find
51. 43
elevation around the potential sites. Both sites were discovered to be neither too flat nor too
undulating.
The questionnaire provided information on the current distance of solid waste disposal sites
and the stakeholders for collection and disposal of waste. These were discovered to be run by
privately owned companies. It was also discovered that a large portion of the inhabitants in
the NMBM live in spontaneous low income housing and this poses challenges for siting as
these sometimes spring up in areas close to landfills and result in health problems for the
inhabitants. An example of this is the proximity of Walmer Township to the Arlington
landfill site.
52. 44
CHAPTER 5: Conclusion and Recommendations
5.1 Introduction
In this chapter we will provide proposed solutions, recommendations and a conclusion which
may ensure the successful siting of solid waste landfills within the study area. This study has
looked at some of the problems faced with solid waste disposal in the Nelson Mandela
Metropolitan Bay. The towns within the Metropolitan have grown noticeably in population as
well as spatial extent over the years which has led to an increase in waste generation.
Through this study we also noted that there are issues faced with the location of the current
solid waste landfills which are now situated close to the ever growing low-income
spontaneous residential areas. The study used digitized data layers consisting of major roads,
minor roads, streams and landuse/landcover in a GIS along with Google Earth and a
questionnaire to locate the most suitable areas for waste disposal sites in the Nelson Mandela
Bay.
The results of the GIS showed that there are limited suitable areas for sites according to the
predefined parameters that were given in the Minimum Requirements. All the sites selected
were located far from any environmental interest areas, streams, urban areas where
population is very clustered, which minimizes social conflict and environmental impacts. The
most suitable sites were identified and labelled as Suitable Site 1 and Suitable Site 2.
5.2 Recommendations
Recommendations were made on several ways in which siting for landfills can be improved
for the future. Recommendations were also made on future studies that can be undertaken in
order to improve solid waste management.
5.2.1 Recommendations for siting solid waste landfills
For proper waste disposal systems and management to be maintained in the NMBM, the
following recommendations were suggested. There should be public awareness and
53. 45
participation in the planning and implementation of solid waste management. Diverse
avenues such as media, school symposia, workshops, seminars should be explored by the
government. Also, proper management of the selected landfill sites by the government and
private sector in the district. Although the introduction of private sector participation is not a
legal requirement, the government could put in place and pursue policies that encourage the
private sector operators within the selection and implementation of solid waste landfill sites.
The GIS proved to be a powerful tool for identifying suitable waste disposal sites but it is
necessary that an annually updated database is kept in order to provide up to date effective
and accurate geospatial information.
The questionnaire provided a current reflection of the solid waste management system that is
currently in place as well as information on the stakeholders. The legislature provided the
instructions but this may always need to be adjusted in order to suit the city in question. The
NMB proved this as the allocation of land for landfill siting is restricted to 1% of the 250 000
cadastres. The legislature should therefore allow for re-zoning strategies for cities where
there are only a few suitable areas available for landfill sites. It is recommended as a cost
cutting measure for transporting solid waste, both suggested sites be used simultaneously to
service the two hemispheres of the city that they are located in.
It must be recognised that although the sitting of new landfills might help with providing
more options for solid waste management. It is important to do this with supportive measures
that will reduce the rates of waste generation such as recycling and reuse. This will increase
longevity of the new sites.
5.2.3 Recommendations for Future Studies
This study has been looking at the siting of two new landfills in the Nelson Mandela
Metropolitan Bay aspects by evaluating the results from initiatives taken so far. Since this is
one of the first studies in this area, the focus of this evaluation has been to get a wide picture
of the sites available for waste disposal in the Port Elizabeth area. That is because a limited
scope does not always show emerging problems associated with waste. In order to further
understand the social and technological processes it is necessary to conduct studies that will
look at the problem of land scarcity as well. Also future studies should look into integrating
zoning rules and regulations for the available areas, this will reduce the chances of selecting
54. 46
areas that may not be able to be used as solid waste landfills. It is important for all future
studies to look more into the integration of real-time data such as that which can be found on
Google Earth and GIS applications.
Since GIS has demonstrated that it can be used in solving siting problems, it is suggested that
future studies that require the siting of landfills or other infrastructure use it. It is therefore a
suggestion that GIS becomes used in all possible aspects of solid waste management in order
to reduce waste and dispose of it correctly. In the event where an appropriate database is not
available for the siting procedure it is suggested that questionnaires and surveys be used in
order to determine the qualitative and quantitative information needed.
55. 47
Appendix A: Tables on Solid Waste Generation and Disposal
Table 1. Information on current landfill sites in P.E (source: based on (Arcus GIBB
Engineering & Science, 2011))
Table 2. Waste received between 1996-2009 for Arlington and Koedoeskloof (Source: based
on (Arcus GIBB Engineering & Science, 2011))
56. 48
Appendix B: Questionnaire on Existing Solid Waste Management
in the NMBM
Details of Respondent(s):
Name of City (or area being considered): Nelson Mandela Bay……………………………
Name(s) and position(s) of Respondent(s):
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
…….
Date: ……………………………
General:
1. a Population of the City ………1,152,115……
1. b Area of City: ………335.3 ………square kilometres
2. What percentage of total population lives in areas intended for the following
categories of land use within your City?
o Dense, old, medina or walled city 5… %
o Low-income spontaneous residential 17.2…… %
o Laid-out (planned) residential 35…… %
o Central city commercial …10… %
o Low density commercial or residential …26… %
o Industrial …3… %
o Other (Please describe) …… %
3. Describe in your own words the most important problems and needs your City is
facing in relation to solid waste management.
- Recycling
- Illegal Dumping
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- Urban Sprawl
Solid Waste System:
4. What percentage of the total quantity of solid waste generated in the whole
City is collected at least once a week? …50… %
Solid Waste Facilities:
5. "Disposal sites" may be open dumps, controlled landfills (with periodic soil
cover), sanitary landfills (with daily soil cover, leachate management and gas
ventilation systems), or composting plants. Describe the method of disposal for
the solid wastes collected in your City and estimate how many disposal sites exist.
What is the average distance (in kilometres one way) from the City centre to a
disposal site? How long is the trip (in minutes one-way) from the City centre to a
disposal site, at the time of day when the collection service is provided?
Disposal method Distance from
City centre (km)
Travel time from
centre (minutes.)
1 Open Dump 10.4 18minutes
2 Open Dump 30.0 28minutes
3 Sanitary Landfill 16.9 18minutes
4
Private Provision of Services:
6. Please indicate which of the following types of private sector provision of
service exist in the City.
o Pre-collection of residential solid waste - by private subscription
o Collection of construction and demolition debris - by private subscription
o Collection of industrial wastes from large factories - by private subscription
o Collection of commercial wastes from large hotels, offices, markets or stores -
by private subscription
58. 50
o Collection of general municipal wastes from entire neighbourhoods
(transporting waste from collection point to disposal site) - by contract
o Collection of general municipal wastes from entire neighbourhoods - by
franchise
o Sweeping or cleaning of streets or open areas - by contract for labour pool
o Conversion of waste to compost - by concession
o Operation of a transfer station and long distance hauling system - by contract
or concession
o Operation of a disposal site - by contract or concession
59. 51
CHAPTER 6: References
Arcus GIBB Engineering & Science, (2011). NELSON MANDELA BAY MUNICIPALITY
STATE OF THE ENVIRONMENT REPORT. [online] Port Elizabeth: Nelson Mandela
Metropolitan Bay Municipality, pp.101-118. Available at: http://www.gibb.co.za/projects
[Accessed 18 Apr. 2015].
Chalkias, C. and Lasaridi, K. (2009). A GIS based model for the optimisation of municipal
solid waste collection: the case study of Nikea, Athens, Greece. WSEAS TRANSACTIONS
on ENVIRONMENT and DEVELOPMENT, 5(10), pp.640-650.
CSIR Building and Construction Technology, (2000). GUIDELINES FOR HUMAN
SETTLEMENT PLANNING AND DESIGN Volume 2. Pretoria: CSIR Building and
Construction Technology, pp.288-310.
Department of Water Affairs & Forestry, (1998). MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS FOR
WASTE DISPOSAL BY LANDFILL. Waste Management series. Pretoria: Department of
Water Affairs & Forestry, pp.50-64.
Ellis, E. (2011). Arlington Tip Probe. Herald Live, p.1.
Gis.ecprov.gov.za, (2015). [online] Available at:
http://gis.ecprov.gov.za/Environmental_Affairs/default.aspx [Accessed 22 Apr. 2015].
Google earth V 7.1.5.1557. (October 4, 2013). Port Elizabeth, South Africa.
33° 52’ 25.85”S, 25° 36’ 42.67”E, Eye alt 78.86 miles. AfriGIS 2015.
http://www.earth.google.com [July 26, 2015]. – Fig 17
Google earth V 7.1.5.1557. (August 2, 2015). Port Elizabeth, South Africa.
33° 56’ 55.85”S, 25° 20’ 07.69”E, Eye alt 4113ft. AfriGIS 2015.
http://www.earth.google.com [September 12, 2015]. – Fig 18
Google earth V 7.1.5.1557. (August 2, 2015). Port Elizabeth, South Africa.
33° 42’ 14.67”S, 25° 31’ 36.14”E, Eye alt 2738 ft. AfriGIS 2015.
http://www.earth.google.com [September 12, 2015]. – Fig 19
60. 52
Kyessi, A. and Mwakalinga, V. (n.d). GIS Application in Coordinating Solid Waste
Collection: The Case of Sinza Neighbourhood in Kinondoni Municipality, Dar es
Salaam City, Tanzania. SDI in Municipality and Natural Resources Management, pp.1-19.
Nishanth, T., Prakash, M. and Vijith, H. (2010). Suitable site determination for urban solid
waste disposal using GIS and Remote sensing techniques in Kottayam Municipality,
India. International Journal Of Geomatics And Geosciences, 1(2), pp.197-210.
SiVEST- Environment and Town Planning Division, (2004). A REPORT FOR THE
ASSESSMENT OF WASTE DISPOSAL SITES IN THE PROVINCE OF KWAZULU-
NATAL. Umhlanga, pp.5-19.
Twumasi, Y., Manu, A., Coleman, T., Schmid, B. and Moustapha, A. (n.d.). Use of Geo-
Spatial Data for Sustainable Management of Solid Waste in Niamey, Niger.
Oyinloye, M. (2015). Using GIS and Remote Sensing in Urban Waste Disposal and
Management: A Focus on Owo L.G.A, Ondo State, Nigeria. European International
Journal of Science and Technology, 3(4), pp.106-118.
Yiougo, L., Oyedotun, T., Some, C. and Da, E. (2013). Urban Cities And Waste
Generation In Developing Countries: A Gis Evaluation Of Two Cities In Burkina Faso.
JUEE, 7(2), pp.2`80-285.
