ENVIRONMENT IN FOCUS
a list of legal requirements that have
to be met. This means that setting up a
project site can take as long as between
eight and 18 months — and even longer
if there are issues. These are not always
fully addressed due to budget and other
constraints such as lack of awareness on
legal requirements. The location of legal
waste landfill sites, especially in rural areas,
make waste disposal very expensive,” says
Van Schalkwyk.
“Many of the
risks are not well
understood and
frequently offences
are committed by
individuals blithely
ignorant that they are
doing anything wrong.”
There is a list of activities relating to waste
for which licenses are required, some of
which are applicable to construction sites:
• The temporary storage of more than
100m 3 of general waste
• The temporary storage of more than
80m 3 of hazardous waste
• The disposal of any quantity of
hazardous waste
• The sorting, shredding, grinding,
crushing, screening, or bailing of
general waste at a facility that has an
operational area in excess of 1 000m 2 .
“Labelling of waste (as either ‘general’ or
‘hazardous’) is a requirement, bearing
in mind that empty cement bags are
considered hazardous, along with grinders,
discs, and welding rods. These all need to
be kept separate from other waste streams
and labelled hazardous. Fluorescent tubes
may not be crushed or disposed of — only
recycled. Other spent equipment should
be disposed of in the correct manner,
including aircon units. This is typically
because of the components within these
appliances that are not simple waste
material but items requiring recycling. All
waste must be disposed of at a licensed
landfill site and safe-disposal certificates
obtained and kept on file at site. The
companies taking away this waste must
also have the necessary approvals — and
sometimes this doesn’t happen. Waste
should not be mixed with rubble and
overburden,” adds Van Schalkwyk.
Any hydrocarbon contaminated soil
must be disposed of as hazardous waste
where construction machinery is used.
Oily rags must be placed in an
impermeable container and be disposed of
as hazardous waste.
“Authorities often lack the capacity to
enforce these regulations, but companies
should nonetheless comply for the reason
that it is the right thing to do for the
environment in general,” advises
Van Schalkwyk.
Air quality
Many people die each year from poor air
quality — but it often goes unnoticed and
QUARRY SA | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2018 _ 35