EnviroServ - Aloes Waste Management Facility, Eastern Cape

The Aloes Waste Management Facility (AWMF), located in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa, is an engineered landfill for the recycling, recovery, treatment and disposal of general and hazardous waste. The AWMF has been in operation since 1978. It is currently operated by EnviroServ Waste Management (Pty) Limited (EWM) in terms of Waste Management Licence (WML) (Ref: 12/9/11/L211201101957/1/R. The WML was most recently issued by the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE): Hazardous Waste Management Licensing in February 2022 and is valid for ten years.

Historically, water use authorisations were not typically obtained at landfill sites for waste disposal related water uses. This was since the conditions and requirements of the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) to protect the water resource were largely captured in the waste permits / licences issued in terms of the Environment Conservation Act (No. 73 of 1989) (ECA) and then the National Environmental Management: Waste Act (No. 59 of 2008) (NEM:WA) for the landfill site. Such an approach is provided for in Section 22(3) of the National Water Act (No. 37 of 1998) (NWA), which allows for the DWS to dispense with licensing requirements if the purpose of the Act are met by another permit, and Section 50(3) of the NEM:WA which requires DWS input to WMLs. Therefore, EWM does not have water use authorisations in terms of Section 21 of the NWA for any of the water use activities undertaken at the AWMF.

Operations at the AWMF have developed over time, which has changed certain water uses and introduced new water uses in terms of Section 21 of the NWA. EWM now wish to submit an Integrated Water Use Licence Application (IWULA) for applicable water uses on the site (e.g. those not covered in the WML). It is important to note that the AWMF is already constructed and under operations. Therefore, the IWULA is being undertaken retrospectively for water uses not authorised in the WML.

SLR Consulting (South Africa) (Pty) Ltd (SLR), an independent firm of environmental consultants, has been appointed by EWM to manage the IWULA Application process.

Status

PUBLIC REVIEW

Notice is hereby given for the intention to submit an Integrated Water Use Licence Application (IWULA) and undertake a 60-day Public Participation Process (10 September - 12 November 2024) in terms of the National Water Act (NWA) (Act No. 36 of 1998) and the Regulations Regarding the Procedural Requirements for Water Use Licence Applications (WULA) (Government Notice Regulation (GN R) 267 of 2017).

Should you and/or your organisation wish to comment on any aspect of the IWULA, comments should be forwarded to SLR at the email address and telephone number shown above. For comments to be included in the WULA prepared for the decision-making purposes, they should reach SLR by no later than 12 November 2024.

By providing your personal information to submit a comment, you will be included in the SLR an Interested and Affected Party (I&AP) database, and you consent to SLR managing your information in accordance with the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013. It is assumed that as an I&AP for this Project you authorise SLR to retain and use your Personal Information as part of a contact database for this and/or other Social and Environmental Impact Assessments (ESIA) and that you confirm your acceptance for SLR to contact you regarding this and/or other ESIA processes. SLR will not process your Personal Information, other than as permitted or required by ESIA processes, or as required by law or public policy. SLR will use reasonable, appropriate security safeguards to protect Personal Information, and to reasonably prevent any damage to, loss of, or unauthorised access or disclosure of Personal Information, other than as required for ESIA processes or as required by any Law or public policy. You may request for your Personal Information to be deleted from the I&AP database at any time by contacting SLR.