Pretoria - Water and Environmental Affairs Deputy Minister Rejoice Mabudafhasi on Thursday hosted the greenest municipality celebration, where the Newcastle local municipality was celebrated for its environmental initiatives.
The celebration was held at the Phelindaba Stadium in Amajuba, KwaZulu-Natal, to mark the third consecutive year in which Newcastle has won the Greenest Municipality Competition.
Speaking at the celebration, Mabudafhasi said: “As the Department of Environmental Affairs, we believe that municipalities play significant roles in environmental conservation because of the substantial size of land they manage.”
The Greenest Municipality Competition, previously known as the Cleanest Town Competition, is hosted annually by the department.
KwaZulu-Natal has, as a province, produced outstanding results over the years, said the department, adding that the Newcastle Local Municipality has excelled and proven to be the local government authority that is serious about greening and global warming on a provincial and national level.
“As a result, the Department and the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Agriculture and Environmental Affairs decided to celebrate Newcastle’s outstanding performance by hosting a celebration to applaud the Municipality and the community for their commitment to a greener South Africa.
“Newcastle has proven to live up to the principles of Reduce, Reuse and Recycle which are integral to achieving the government’s goal of a green economy that contributes to alleviating poverty and creating jobs,” said the department.
During the celebration, awareness was raised among communities regarding projects being undertaken by Newcastle to transition to a green economy, while also creating employment opportunities.
“The policies adopted by the Newcastle Local Municipality are to be utilised as a benchmark for other municipalities in South Africa,” said the department.
The celebration showcased the town’s water and energy conservation waste recycling and job creation initiatives such as the waste-to-art project.
The Newcastle Municipality has a council-approved Integrated Waste Management Plan, which can provide other municipalities with insightful information on how to adopt a sustainable approach to conserve the environment. The plan is constantly analysed and updated to highlight a detailed waste stream that can be adjusted to meet individual municipalities’ needs.
The Newcastle Municipality also boasts a composting plant, into which garden refuse generated in the area is channelled and turned into compost. By doing this, the garden refuse is not being landfilled, which saves space. A biogenic waste fraction is utilised in compost making.
Newcastle residents were also being encouraged to separate waste at source through the introduction of a two bag system. An education campaign is on-going to ensure that all households know what the two bags are used for -- recyclable dry waste into the coloured or clear bag and residue waste into the black bag. Residents receive a fridge magnet to inform them of what should and should not go into these bags.
The department, with the support of Umgeni Water, launched an Adopt-a-River Project in the town in August following the concerns of litter settling from a local bus and taxi rank into the Ncandu river.
The R442 000-project has created an opportunity for 49 individuals who are being trained to clean the river by removing all the waste that converges along the bank and in the river. All recyclable waste is to be landfilled. Newcastle has also received 100% compliance in drinking water, thus achieving Blue Drop Status.
The municipality has also gone paperless and all councillors are encouraged to use their laptops at meetings. - SAnews.gov.za
