eNews

#06 2024

The science behind cleaning up the Frances Baard District

By Helga Knoetze, EFTEON & Wynand Calitz, Arid Lands Node

In the week of 11 November, Dr Helga Knoetze, the Expanded Freshwater and Terrestrial Environmental Observation Network’s (EFTEON) Landscape Scientist – Biodiversity, and a team from SAEON’s Arid Lands Node, based in Kimberley, Northern Cape, took part in a campaign to clean up the Frances Baard District. As part of SAEON’s mandate to monitor the environment, and study long-term change, they are interested in observing the identified illegal dumping hotspots and monitor their change in the coming years.

Wynand Calitz (left), Helga Knoetze (centre) and Tshililo Ramaswiela participating in the clean-up campaign in Warrenton.

Helga, Tshililo and Wynand picking up trash in Warrenton.

Illegal dumping and insufficient management of waste are challenging issues faced by the local municipalities and environmental departments of South Africa. The clean-up campaign was initiated and organised by the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE). Other stakeholders included the Department of Agriculture, Environmental Affairs, Rural Development and Land Reform (DAERL), the Department of Roads and Public Works, the Department of Cooperative Governance, Human Settlement and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA), and the South African Local Government Association (SALGA). Local municipalities (LM) in the Frances Baard District include Magareng, Phokwane, Dikgatlong and Sol Plaatje.

For the campaign, the Arid Lands Node and EFTEON team visited the towns of Warrenton (representing Magareng LM), Jan Kempdorp (representing Phokwane LM), Barkly West in Dikgatlong LM and Kimberley in the Sol Plaatje LM.

Interestingly, different kinds of waste dominated the different local municipalities of the Frances Baard District. For example, major sources of litter identified in Warrenton were empty alcohol bottles and household trash, particularly disposable nappies, whereas the illegal dumping site in Jan Kempdorp was dominated by food-related waste products (including styrofoam containers, chips packets, sugar and maize meal packets, and small plastic bags from local spaza shops). The main source of waste in Barkly West was glass alcohol bottles, whereas general waste items such as plastics, cigarette boxes and chips packets were found in abundance at the Kimberley illegal dumping site.

Clockwise from top left: Alcohol bottles visible at the dumping site in Warrenton; food-related waste products found at the Jan Kempdorp illegal dumping site; alcohol bottles lying around at the Barkly West illegal dumping site; general waste products visible in the Sol Plaatje LM in Kimberley; and dung beetle seen at the clean-up site in Kimberley. Let this little dung beetle serve as a reminder that it does not matter how big or small you are, you can make a difference and help in removing unwanted waste. Let us all work together to make our communities a better, cleaner and more pleasurable space to live in.

The EFTEON and Arid Lands Node staff involved in the clean-up wrote a comprehensive report and policy brief to the DFFE, which included various suggestions based on their observations during the campaign, as well as their communication with local community members. They look forward to the long-term monitoring of the illegal dumping sites, and from their findings they hope to provide insights and suggestions for future improvement, and a better and more sustainable society for all people living in the local municipalities of the Frances Baard District.  

Vote of thanks

EFTEON and the SAEON Arid Lands Node would like to express their appreciation for being included in this worthwhile initiative. They look forward to regular engagements with the DFFE and other stakeholders to learn and grow from this campaign, which hopefully was the first of many such clean-up campaigns in the Frances Baard District.