Contents
of October 2004
EDITORIAL
Audubon, invasive Tamarisk
and avifauna
UPFRONT
News
IDENTIFYING INVADERS
The Grey Poplar and the Moth
Catcher
BOOK
REVIEWS
TREE OF THE ISSUE
The Sweet Thorn (Acacia karroo)
FEATURES
Creating awareness to combat littering
Environmental stewardship
Biological treatment technology
Place-making in a suburban highveld
context
Living in the city
Composting recycles garden waste
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EDITORIAL
Audubon, invasive Tamarisk and avifauna
Audubon
International aims to ensure that a commitment to environmental quality is pivotal to golf
course development and management. Royal Johannesburg & Kensington Golf Club has made
the decision to become involved in the International Audubon Co-operative Sanctuary
Program (page 18). The Program addresses environmental issues on golf courses and issues
certification acknowledging environmental excellence. Royal hopes to be ready for
certification as an existing golf course within the next three years.
Down on the
Garden Route, the Audubon team has already been out to visit the Knysna River Reserve
Project and, based on the intentions of the developer and the golf course architect, this
proposed course has been declared a Gold Signature Member of the Audubon Program –
the first to be registered at the highest level of the Program on the African continent.
The Audubon International team will monitor specified environmental goals as the
development progresses and continue to audit the development in the future. The Record of
Decision (ROD) based on the Environmental Impact Assessment for the Knysna River Reserve
Project is still to be issued and Urban Green File will be following developments with
interest.
Some
controversy has arisen about UGF’s May/June 2004 front cover. We received a letter
from renowned weed specialist Lesley Henderson
saying that she was concerned that the Tamarisk featured in the cover photograph was not
the indigenous species, Tamarix usneoides, but the declared alien invader (Category 3),
Tamarix ramosissima – the Pink Tamarisk. She based this on the fact that the terminal
shoots were too long and the foliage too green. Great care was taken by the Woodlands
project leader, Isabel Weiersbye, to ensure that the indigenous species was used and the
identification of the stock used for the project was done by the NBI (now the National
Biodiversity Institute). As a result of the uncertainty that has arisen because of Lesley’s
query, Isabel has sent samples of the plants we photographed through to Christine
Bredenkamp of the NBI for re-checking. UGF has asked to be kept up to date with
developments and will report back.
In the last
issue, Graham Grieve, an active member of Birdlife, wrote us a letter commenting on the
diversity of birdlife on the quartzite hills to the south of Pretoria, saying that he
hoped that the developers of Freedom Park (see page 18, May/June 2004 UGF) would ensure
that Salvokop would “remain part of the territory available to these more mobile
members of our indigenous fauna”. He emphasised the importance of retaining this
green area in “as ecologically natural a state as possible”. He also asked about
the Environmental Impact Assessment for the site.
We spoke to
landscape architect Graham Young who was responsible for the ecological survey and he said
that, based on the Scoping Report for the site, a full EIA had not been considered
necessary. He said the initial Scoping Report had been done in August 2002, at the same
time as the ecological survey, but that the Scoping Report had been revised by Africon
Environmental Services in April 2003 and based on this revised report, which covered the
fauna and flora on site, the ROD had been issued in June 2003 – for the entire
project which is being built in phases. He said the construction phase was being guided by
an Environmental Management Plan and that a so called Ecological Management Plan would
come into effect at operational stage.
Leigh
Darroll has written a most interesting article on social sustainability entitled Living in
the City: housing as a regenerative force (page 32) which reveals the success the
Johannesburg Housing Company is having in the Johannesburg CBD, as reported by chairman
Murphy Morobe at the recent Cities in Change Conference. JHC’s buildings in the inner
city stand out because they are clean and well maintained and they are known for their low
vacancies, arrears and bad debt levels which are consistently below 5%. Morobe points out
how urban regeneration requires “the daily attention of effective building management”.
He adds that “increasingly, adjacent buildings are following our example”.
Pikitup’s enterprising inner city waste education programme is also an initiative
that caring Johannesburgers will welcome (page 32).
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UPFRONT
Green futures
– building sustainable, nature-based livelihoods
The Green
Futures Horticulture and Lifeskills College was the brain-child of the Lutzeyer family,
owners of Grootbos Private Nature Reserve near Gansbaai. The college had its first intake
of 12 students in June 2003. Its aim is to train unemployed people in fynbos gardening and
various life skills. Each year the college will be accepting 12 students aged between 18
to 35, who are unemployed and can speak and write English. Four staff members will train
the students in horticulture, fynbos ecology, landscaping and a variety of life skills
such as obtaining a driver’s license, banking, entrepreneurship, health care and
language development.
The costs of
establishing the college have been covered for the first two years through a
public/private partnership between Grootbos and the German Investment and Development
Company (DEG). The funding from the DEG is on a rand-for-rand basis and has resulted in
the building of an attractive classroom and
offices at Grootbos, along with a glasshouse laboratory and plant propagation house. Green
Futures has been designed to become self-funding after two years. The students themselves
will be producing plants and providing a fynbos landscaping service, with the guidance of
the Green Futures team. The students will therefore not only be developing their own
practical skills in the nursery and on landscaping projects but will help to generate the
income needed to fund the ongoing activities of the college.
Director of
the College Sean Privett says: “Our country has exceptional natural resources and a
flora unparalleled in diversity. We, on the western edge of the Agulhas Plain, are
particularly blessed with an amazing natural heritage. We live in the heart of the Cape
Floral Kingdom, home to over 9 000 species, an astonishing 69% of which are unique to the
Cape flora. Yet, as pressures from human activities grow, so do the impacts on our natural
resources. It is therefore important that solutions be sought that combine the needs of
the region’s unemployed with those of the environment. Environmental education is
fundamental to the long term preservation of South Africa’s unique flora, fauna and
environmental assets.”
Last year,
Grootbos Private Nature Reserve was the winner in the category Best Environmental
Management Programme (established) at the Imvelo Awards. These Awards recognise the
achievements of the hospitality industry members in promoting responsible tourism through
striving for social, economic and environmental best practice. The Reserve also won the
title of Responsible Tourism – Most Improved over One Year.
Contact Sean Privett at Green Futures College. Tel: (028) 384 0381. Email:
grootbos@hermanus.co.za
Proposal to ban
harmful chemicals monocrotophos and chlordane
A recent
meeting held between representatives of the Poison Working Group of the Endangered
Wildlife Trust (EWT) and the Department of Agriculture’s Office of the Registrar (the
unit responsible for administration and management of Act 36 of 1947, the Fertilisers,
Farm Feeds, Agricultural Remedies and Stock Remedies Act), resulted in very positive and
pro-active outcomes regarding the banning of the chemicals Monocrotophos and Chlordane.
The EWT’s
Poison Working Group (PWG) has been monitoring wildlife poisoning for almost ten years and
has built up a database which now enables prediction of poisoning incidents, products
which may be misused and the areas where the events might occur, as well as the wildlife
species that are most vulnerable to the agrochemical being used.
During 2000,
a task team was set up to investigate the use of Monocrotophos and the feasibility of
removing from the market all products containing this active ingredient. The decision was
that Monocrotophos should be phased out rapidly. This was agreed to by all registration
holders (manufacturers and suppliers). Due to the large stock holdings, the phase out was
carried forward to 30 March 2004.
This
decision meant that the product could no longer be formulated or imported to South Africa
after March 2003, but stocks on-hand could still be sold until March 2004. It is expected
that any stocks, still held by the agricultural sector on farms, will be used
appropriately during the coming season and that no financial losses will be incurred by
any party when the product is finally banned in South Africa on the target date of 30
March 2005, as agreed to by the Registrar at the most recent meeting.
The chemical
Chlordane was also identified at this meeting as problematic and will in all likelihood be
banned from South Africa on 30 March 2005. It is a persistent organic pollutant which is
listed under the Stockholm Persistent Organic Pesticide (POPs) Convention, an
international treaty to which South Africa is a signatory. Other products which are less
environmentally harmful are available as alternatives for both Monocrotophos and
Chlordane.
The EWT’s
Poison Working Group strives to prevent the misuse and abuse of agrochemicals across the
sub-continent.
The PWG
appeals to all members of the public to report any suspected misconduct with any of these
products, by phoning any of the following telephone numbers: PWG Field Operations: 082
4634104 PWG Helpline: 082 802 6223
SAACE Awards
commendation for the Play-pump Programme
The SAACE
Glenrand MIB Excellence Awards acknowledged Jeffares & Green for its School’s
Play-pump Programme which earned them a commendation in the Engineering Excellence
category for projects under R5 million. This is a simple sustainable initiative (reported
on in UGF May/June 2002) which was initiated by the Department of Water Affairs &
Forestry (DWAF) at the time of the World Summit in 2002. The programme has been undertaken
at Primary Schools in KwaZulu-Natal and it brings together engineering technology, rural
communities in need of water and corporate marketers.
At the heart
of the programme is an adapted merry-go-round manufactured by Roundabout Outdoor which, by
means of its rotary motion induced by the playing of children, drives a pump which enables
water to be pumped from a borehole to an elevated tank, for community use. The tank serves
as a billboard providing advertising space which generates revenue. About 1 400 l/h can be
produced in this way at 16rpm from a depth of 40 m. A typical hand pump cannot compete
with this delivery rate.
The simple
design is highly effective and, in some cases, the installation has been developed further
to reticulate water to vegetable gardens and other areas of the community. As many as 51
000 people benefit from the Play-pumps that have been installed, while the cost of
implementing the programme has been less than R 3 million.
Website: www.thames-water.com
Desalination
plant for London
London is to
have its first desalination plant to convert salty water from the river Thames into
drinking water for a city population that is expected to be boosted by more than 800 000
in the next 12 years. The proposed plant is to be built in east London and will use the
latest reverse osmosis technology. A pilot plant has already been established adjacent to
the site and when the main plant is completed, desalinated water will be piped some 14 km
to an existing underground storage reservoir for distribution to customers across
north-east London.
A spokesman
for Thames Water said: “Per head of population, London is drier than Madrid or
Istanbul. Over 55% of available rainfall in the Thames Water region is already used for
public supply. This is the highest rate of use in the country and is on a par with
Mediterranean countries. Lifestyle factors, such as an increasing volume of single
occupancy households in London and the south-east, also mean that individual demand for
water is still rising. Today, the average daily amount used per customer is 163l, compared
with 153l in 1990 and 140l in the early 1980s – about 15% increase over 20 years.
Recently, the introduction of water efficient ‘white goods’ has slowed down the
rate of increase, but the trend is still upwards.
“Climate
change accentuates the need for the desalination plant. The summer of 2003 was the third
driest on record. Thames Water has to plan ahead on the assumption that such summers will
become the norm rather than the exception. By 2016, London is set to have more than 800
000 new residents moving to the capital and much of this development will be centered on
the eastern side of the city, the focus of the city’s 2012 Olympic bid.”
Thames Water
is also looking to develop a major new reservoir on the upper Thames that would store
surplus winter rainfall to be released back into the river in the dry summer months. The
reservoir could, however, take up to 20 years to design, take through the planning
process, construct and fill.
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IDENTIFYING INVADERS
The Grey Poplar and the Moth Catcher
UGF’s
regular column to help with the identification of invasive alien species and their
control.
Populus
X canescens and Populus alba
These two
poplar species, introduced from Europe and Asia for matchwood and anti-erosion measures,
are similar in appearance and are both classified as Category 2 invaders. This means that
they need to be removed and kept under control, except in specially authorised, demarcated
areas.
The Grey
Poplar is the more rampant and extremely widespread, largely along riverbanks but also in
dongas and vleis, in South Africa. The White Poplar is not as widespread and has
greenish-yellow catkins, while the Grey Poplar has reddish catkins. The undersides of the
leaves of the Grey Poplar are white and almost smooth, whereas the undersides of the White
Poplar leaves are persistently woolly. The former, which reaches between 10-20m in height,
is a sterile hybrid and reproduces by means of rampant suckering from the roots.
The Grey
Poplar has long been a feature of the embankments of Gauteng’s rivers and streams
where its serious invasive status as a transformer means that it has pushed out indigenous
riverine trees such as Celtis africana and is now, in certain stretches, largely
responsible for bank stabilisation. This, along with other characteristics, makes it
difficult to remove. Working for Water came in to help a vegetable farmer along the
Crocodile River eradicate a population of Grey Poplars and a decision had to made to leave
one in every five because the banks were threatening to collapse. Ongoing follow-up work
has to be done to get rid of the dense patches of suckers by cutting and spraying.
Andrew
Hankey, specialist horticulturist at The Walter Sisulu National Botanical Garden in
Roodepoort, also along the Crocodile River, reports that he has had a high success rate
with the clearing of Grey Poplar populations in the nature reserve on site. Working for
Water came in some four years back and clear-felled populations of the poplar, along with
Black and Silver Wattles. Hankey comments that the streambed was already eroded down to
bedrock and the banks were eroded to a point well back from the streambed, which virtually
precluded the possibility of collapsed embankments. He rehabilitated the area immediately,
however, to prevent undermining during flood conditions, by seeding with veld grass which,
along with remnant rootstock, held the soil in place effectively.
Every year
when the suckers have reached a height of about 1 m, follow-up work is done by cutting the
suckers back and treating the stems with Chopper. Hankey reports that he considers (after
three years of this treatment) the Grey Poplars along that stretch of the river to be
under control, with negligible suckering occurring – whereas the wattles are still a
big problem.
In the
‘Plant Protection Research Institute Handbook (PPRI) No 11’ entitled ‘Rehabilitation
Recommendations after Alien Plant Control’, the Grey Poplar is listed as very
abundant and forming extensive, dense stands in the Eastern and Western Cape, the Free
State and Gauteng. The registered herbicide Chopper is recommended for treating stumps.
Jeremy Goodall of the PPRI backs up Hankey’s method by saying that the suckers should
be allowed to grow out until the stems thicken and then be cut down and treated with
Chopper. He says Populus X canescens is a water guzzler and is liable to cause severe
problems in wetlands where it shades out sedges and grasses and deprives them of water,
causing degradation of the natural ecology.
Araujia sericifera
This robust climber of the Milkweed family, commonly called the Moth Catcher,
was introduced to South Africa from South America as an ornamental because it has pretty
white to pinkish flowers. It is classified as a Category 1 weed and is abundant in Gauteng
and the North West Province. Because it is a garden escape, it is associated with urban
areas, particularly Pretoria, Johannesburg and Pietermaritzburg.
The fruit is
a large, spongy capsule which when it dries out releases numerous tufted, windblown seeds.
It causes plants to collapse under its weight and another of its common names is the
‘stranglehold plant’. It is a menace in gardens but also invades woodland, water
courses and forested kloofs, along with plantations, wasteland and urban open space. It is
known as a special effect weed, because it not only smothers plants and degrades
ecosystems, its sap is a skin irritant.
The Moth
Catcher, which as a Category 1 plant is required by legislation to be removed by
landowners, needs to be pulled or dug out, preferably at an early stage in its growth, as
there is no herbicide registered for its control.
Amendment of
weeds legislation
Send in your
comments on the weeds legislation!
The Directorate Land Use and Soil Management of the National Department of Agriculture is
preparing to revise the list of Declared Weeds and Invader Plants in terms of regulations
15 and 16 of the Conservation of Agricultural Resources Act, as promulgated in the
Government Gazette of March 2001.
Comment on
the existing lists, including Table X which comprises plants proposed to be put on the
list, is being called for by the Directorate. Any comment or suggested addition to these
lists sould be forwarded, before 29 October 2004, to: Helette Prinsloo: Senior Manager -
Land Use and Soil Management, Private Bag X 120, Pretoria 0001
Enquiries: Hellette Prinsloo. Email: HeletteP@nda.agric.za Tel: (012) 319 7559. Cell: 082
923 3310.
Global
interactive map launched on web
The Global
Invasive Species Programme (GISP) has launched the newly developed Global Interactive Map
on the GISP website: www.GISP.org. The map has
been developed with the aim of creating a global platform for sharing invasive alien
species information. The information available at the moment has largely been taken from
the GISP regional workshop reports but will hopefully grow rapidly over the next few
months into an information rich, up-to-date source on invasive alien species.
The map uses
a fully developed online GIS system to show the countries, and the user is able to zoom in
and out, pan, choose different layers, etc. Other interesting global data such as
bioregions will soon be added. Users need, however, only to click on the region they wish
to view and then on the country of interest. The mapping system is not essential and those
who want rapid access can get information directly by using the dropdown boxes on the
opening pages.
GISP is
calling on all those involved in alien invasive species research or control to visit their
respective countries and send in information, corrections or additions.
Email: GISP@uwc.ac.za.Website: www.GISP.org
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BOOK REVIEWS
Comment on Zulu bird book
Ngezinyoni Zethu
I have read,
with interest, Ibhuku Lokucathulisa Abasaqala Ulwazi NGEZINYONI ZETHU (A Beginners Guide
to Our Birds) by the late Jo Oliver and beautifully illustrated by Lyndsay Maritz. The
attractive front cover is designed by Peter Craig-Cooper, who also provided most of the
photos, the balance being from other renowned wildlife photographers. I must congratulate
uThongathi Hulett Group who sponsored the translation of this document into isiZulu and
the World Bank/Netherlands Partnership Programme for financing the printing. The Wildlife
and Environment Society of SA (WESSA) and the BirdLife SA Trust also did a wonderful piece
of work by initiating and completing the entire project.
The
translators of this book, Noleen Turner and Doris Kumalo, should be commended for the
groundbreaking work that they did in translating the entire book into isiZulu. This
pioneer in its field will enable isiZulu speakers, not just to learn the names of birds in
isiZulu, but also to identify them from the colourful and illuminating pictures that
accompany the text.
In the
acknowledgements page, Charles Botha, Chairman of the WESSA Publications Committee, states
that the English version has contributed greatly to the level of interest in birds
currently being experienced in the country and he expresses the hope that this new edition
will help more isiZulu speaking people to become interested in our birds. However, as
speakers of other Nguni languages (isiXhosa, isiSwazi and isiNdebele) will also be able to
enjoy the book, it will be useful to a very large proportion of our country’s
readers, ranging from Cape Town to Gauteng and even as far north as southern Zimbabwe!
The book is
reader-friendly and is a positive contribution to the knowledge and understanding of birds
in South Africa. It contains valuable material with a short, yet adequate, description of
almost 200 common bird species from across the country. The known isiZulu names for the
birds that are described, as well as the new and old English names are provided. This
should assist isiZulu and English speakers when communicating about identification. My
recommendation, however, is that in order to build on this platform - where there are
still some isiZulu names missing, the translators go on a vigorous isiZulu/Nguni bird name
collection campaign. The translators had difficulty in finding appropriate isiZulu words
for all the birds and in a few cases they had to retain the English equivalent or coin
their own terms. It is preferable that indigenous Nguni bird names be used where possible,
when no isiZulu name is known, irrespective of the Province in which the birds are found.
This book,
as well as another equally useful one by the same translators, also published by WESSA,
Buyisela Imvelo Engadini (Bring Nature Back to your Garden), should be made available in
all schools, including English ones where isiZulu is being taught as a subject..
Prof Phyllis Zungu, Interim Director of Languages, University of KwaZulu-Natal
Flora: A Gardener’s
Encyclopedia
Written
by: an international team of botanical and horticultural writers
Photographs: by an international team of photographers
South African edition published by: Briza Publications
South African consultants: Keith Kirsten and Ben-Erik van Wyk
International publisher: Global Book Publishing, Australia
This book,
which truly deserves to be called a tome (Concise Oxford: a large, heavy book), is
published in two volumes and runs to 1 584 pages. It has been called the bible for the
world’s gardeners, horticulturists and landscape designers. There is coverage on over
20 000 plants in a user friendly A-Z format and all the horticultural plant groups from
trees and shrubs to bulbs and herbs and on to lawns and groundcovers, climbers and
epiphytes, are covered. These plants are illustrated by over 11 000 fabulous colour
photographs. Organised alphabetically according to botanical names, the individual plant
entries provide a detailed description of each plant and its features, notes on its
natural origin, growth habit and cultivation requirements.
According to
international publisher Gordon Cheers of Global Book Publishing in Australia, eight
editions of Flora have been published so far for the following countries: Australia, New
Zealand, USA, Canada, UK, India, Japan and South Africa, and he is talking to publishers
in other countries about further editions. There are already over 100 000 copies of this
encyclopedia in print.
Hardiness is
a major focus of Flora and each plant’s region of origin places it in one of 12
hardiness zones, depicted on a map of the world and indicating the plant’s ability to
grow in a particular set of physical circumstances.
As South
Africa is a signatory to the Biodiversity Convention and has recently promulgated the
Biodiversity Act, Urban Green File, with its strongly environmental thrust, was relieved
to see very clear mention of the dangers of importing and planting alien species that are
invasive in South Africa, because of the impact they may have on our indigenous species
and our environment as a whole. Any importing of new species, according to law, requires
an Environmental Impact Assessment. In the introduction, a statement is made that there is
increasing awareness of “the urgent need to preserve what is not yet destroyed or
irrevocably altered, so that the delicate balance that keeps our planet liveable is not
damaged beyond repair”. Landscape designers and nurserymen need to be environmentally
aware and use this encyclo¬pedia with discretion as it says in that same introduction,
gardeners need “to ensure that any plant purchased or imported will not endanger our
natural environment”.
Other than
the extensive coverage that is given to the world’s plants, the most remarkable
aspect of this book is the many, many stunning photographs of plants, normally associated
with cultivation, growing in the wild – in their natural habitats. To name but a
handful, there are pictures of Blue or Rocky Mountain Columbines (Aquilegia caerulia) in
Juan National Forest in Colorado, USA; masses of the Broad-leafed or Mountain Arnica
(Arnica latifolia), usually associated with its medicinal use as a balm for bruising, in
full flower in Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming, USA; the renowned Australian Protea,
floral emblem of New South Wales, commonly known as the Waratah (Telopea speciosissima),
in its natural environment in Australia; the Waterblommetjie (Aponogeton distachyos),
better known as an addition to Cape stews, in flower on a stretch of open water in the
Cederburg in South Africa; Delphiniums (Delphinium barbeyi) also native to the Rocky
Mountains in the wild at Mount Sneffels in Colorado, USA…. along with rare endemics
such as Dendrosenecio ericirosenii photographed in a fairytale forest in the Ruwenzori
Mountains of Uganda and Namibia’s extraordinary desert plant Welwitchia mirabilis,
individuals of which are up to 1 500 years old, seen in the Namib Desert.
Contact Briza Publications. Tel: (012) 329 3896. Email: books@briza.co.za Website:
www.briza.co.za
Networking
sustainable development solutions
Editor
and project director: David Parry-Davis
Written
by: numerous Guest Authors
Cover
painting: Joe Joubert
Printed
on: Sappi recycled paper
Publisher:
Eco-Logic Publishing
Martinus van
Schalkwyk, Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, commented on this year’s
mammoth 416 page Enviropaedia saying: “As a collection of thought-provoking ideas,
articles and networking information presented without editorial ‘sanitising’
– the Enviropaedia adds great value to the South and Southern African environmental
dialogue.”
The
Enviropaedia is divided into three main sections: the encyclopaedia, the sustainable
development section and the networking directory. The encyclopaedia itself lists and
describes all kinds of subjects relating to the environment, in alphabetical order –
it does justice to a multiplicity of environmental terms such as: carrying capacity,
cleaner production, deforestation, endangered species, environmental auditing, freshwater
ecology, grasslands, integrated pest control, ISO 14000, Kyoto Protocol, landscape
architecture, noise pollution, polluter pays principle, POPs, rehabilitation, sick
building syndrome and strategic environmental assessment, to name but a few.
Interspersed throughout the first section are longer
essays written by specialists, elaborating on fields such as air quality, biodiversity,
environmental ethics, genetic modification, global warming, National Parks, NEMA,
renewable energy, rivers and wetlands, urbanisation and waste management. These essays
incorporate some though-provoking commentary.
For example,
in an article on African Environmental Tradition, incorporating extracts from an interview
with Credo Mutwa, the well-known sangoma philosopher points out that the gradual move
towards extinction of medicinal plants in South Africa is the fault of ‘muti-shops’,
a modern business phenomenon, which literally sell tons of herbal plants and the bark of
trees in the cities of our country – sometimes also getting involved in the export
trade. He says it is not traditional healers who are to blame. He expresses the
interesting belief that it is this continued depletion of animal and plant species that is
behind the deterioration in health of the African people today.
Prof Johan
Hattingh of Stellenbosch University in his essay on environmental ethics talks about the
duty of care that we have towards the environment in an all-encompassing sense. He refers
to the belief amongst a growing number of people that “the enjoyment of the natural
features of our world is strongly identified….with our health, well-being, quality of
life and issues of self-realisation”. As
Andrew Muir of the Wilderness Foundation says: “Wilderness provides…. a place to
experience solitude and freedom.”
In the
Sustainable Development Section, guest authors were invited to address strategies on how
to implement the principles of sustainable development, provide examples of best practice
and benchmarks for measuring the success of policies and strategies, to talk about current
and future trends and the advantages of and obstacles to implementing sustainable
practices. The result has provided a varied and fascinating read.
In his
essay, environmental lawyer Cormac Cullinan summarises views that he expresses in detail
in his provocative book Wild Law (Published by Sieber Ink in 2002), pointing out that our
governance systems are defective because they are based on “the core falsehood that
we humans are separate from our environment and that we can flourish even as the health of
the Earth deteriorates. The exact opposite is true: we have evolved within, and remain an
inextricable part of, the community of life on Earth. Desolation, dysfunction and disease
are the consequences of believing that human fulfilment is attainable outside of this
“Earth Community” or that it can be achieved at the expense of the health of the
Community as a whole…. This illusion of independence is exacerbated by the myth that
we are the “master species” whose destiny it is to run this planet for our own
benefit
He goes on
to say: “In order to achieve ecological sustainability, we need to make a dramatic
philosophical shift from a worldview which places human beings at the centre of the
Universe, to a view that sees the maintenance of the integrity of the whole Earth system
as the overriding concern. This more comprehensive understanding of the nature of
community is supported by the great wisdom in the traditions of many cultures…. and
is inherent in African cosmologies and customary laws.”
David
Parry-Davis and all those who helped him should be commended for producing a volume that
does justice to environmental concerns in South Africa and which will hopefully be used in
political and business decision-making in this country. Copies have been distributed free
of charge to underprivileged schools and communities for environmental education purposes
and to a variety of environmental NGOs.
The
Enviropaedia is hoping to grow its Networking Directory Section for next year’s issue
and David Parry-Davis can be contacted at:
Email: dpd@iafrica.com. Cell: 082 331 9877. Tel: (021) 786 3171.
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TREE OF THE ISSUE
The Sweet Thorn (Acacia karroo)
Landscape technologist Warwick Fynn is the assistant course manager at Royal Johannesburg
golf course and in the last few years, in line with Royal’s extensive tree programme
(see page 20), has planted some 700 trees on this suburban course. He has chosen Acacia
karroo as the Tree of the Issue.
Warwick has
planted a grouping of these Acacias as a backdrop to the green on the 18th hole of the
East Course at Royal. The cluster of seven Sweet Thorns will also serve to screen a
pumphouse. He chose the tree because he likes its compact rounded shape, its display of
yellow flowers and its attractive dark bark – but also because it grows easily and is
both frost and drought tolerant.
He says he
was going to use it as a barrier planting along a fence, until he discovered that the
mature tree is virtually thorn free. It is the younger tree that needs protection against
herbivores in the wild and hence is exceedingly thorny. However, particularly in a garden
situation, as the tree grows larger, it seems to know that it is not under threat and
loses its thorny protective mechanism. Even when thorns are still in evidence, the tree
does not have the habit of dropping thorns that some indigenous Acacias do.
“Acacia
karroo is doing really well on the course in comparison to some of the other species that
we have chosen. We planted 700 trees and only had one water tanker to serve them all,
which meant that we may not have watered each tree regularly enough. Three of the Sweet
Thorn’s died back but shot out from the bottom again quickly, as soon as they were
watered,” Warwick commented.
In the
natural environment, the Sweet Thorn is widespread throughout the country and is adapted
to most soil types. There are many variations in its growth habit. It is usually small to
medium but can grow up to 20 m with a spreading canopy. It is evergreen to semi-deciduous
and can have a slightly invasive root system. It regularly grows to 1 m per year and can
grow faster in favourable circumstances.
The sweet
scent of the conspicuous flowers is unmistakeable. The blackish bark is rough and fissured
on the mature tree and grey peeling lichens often add to the texture of the bark and to
its strong aesthetic appeal.
It is an
excellent tree for attracting wildlife to the golf course and flowers up to four or five
times over summer, producing more nectar than other indigenous Acacias and prolific
quantities of pollen. Honey bees favour the tree highly along with masses of other
insects, which, in turn, attract a wide variety of insectivorous birds. The larvae of
eleven different butterfly species are dependent on the tree. Sunbirds are known to eat
the vivid yellow puff-ball flowers. The edible gum which oozes from the trunk and branches
is a food source for ants and other insects, and plays a role in the reproductive cycle of
the bush-baby which is becoming a more frequent resident of urban landscapes in
Johannesburg and its surrounds.
-----
Creating awareness to combat littering
Pikitup’s
latest initiative involves an attempt to change the mindsets of Johannesburgers about
littering – to tackle pockets of the city and help create dissatisfaction amongst the
inner city dwellers with the environment in which they live and work. The Inner City Waste
Management Education Project which calls for people to “put waste in its place”
will be the first of many. The project is clearly in line with Mayor Amos Masondo’s
vision of creating a world-class city by the year 2030.
Pikitup is
the waste management service provider to the City of Johannesburg. Christa Venter,
corporate strategy advisor at Pikitup, says: “We have teams of sweepers who work in
the city at night and by10:00 hrs the next morning the streets look as though no cleaning
up has been done. We are using those same street sweepers to educate the people of the
inner city.”
She pointed
out that although only 220 000 people live in the city, another 800 000 commute into the
city environs on a daily basis. Up to 500 000 of these come into the city only to shop. It
is the informal street traders that are the biggest problem, as they merely leave the
perishable goods they cannot sell in the gutters and on the pavements. Rubbish bins are
used for other purposes. The hawkers and the taxis rely on Pikitup to clean up after them.
The belief is that littering is acceptable because it creates work.
“Within
5 years, the City of Johannesburg will be a much healthier, cleaner place, but in order to
establish this culture we have to start at grassroots level by creating awareness of and a
desire for a clean and healthy environment in the minds of the people of Johannesburg,”
says Venter.
The Inner
City Education Campaign is a full awareness and education programme which aims to create
dissatisfaction with a littered and untidy environment, while developing a sense of
ownership and responsibility for taking corrective action or changing ‘litterbug’
behaviour.
“The
campaign will focus on educating the relevant players - including shop owners, street
traders, taxi operators and the community - and inspiring them to take ownership of the
appearance of their surroundings,” continues Venter.
Employees of
Fleet Africa and Pikitup are receiving extensive training from Pikitup’s education
officers before taking the programme to the community. These field workers will be
expected to interact on a personal basis with the various representatives of the inner
city and will be equipped with materials to aid their work – the sustainable
education of commuters, shopkeepers and residents on waste management issues.
Awareness
materials such as posters have been designed to reinforce the programme.
Venter adds,
“We are working very hard to ensure that all communications are focused on delivering
a positive message which is both accessible and inspirational to the masses. If the
success of the programme is to be sustainable, it is entirely dependent on buy-in from
stakeholders.”
Venter says
there are traders who do their best, against heavy odds, to leave the area around their
stalls clean and Pikitup intends to provide reward and incentive programmes for these
people – shopkeepers, for example, who
place dustbins and put up posters in their outlets and comply with waste management
practices.
Recyclers of
waste such as packaging and paper are a strong presence in the city and with the
realisation that there is money to be made out of waste, recycling is on the increase.
Pikitup will encourage community recycling projects. Visible policing will also assist
Pikitup with the implementation of the programme.
Website: www.pikitup.co.za
-----
Environmental stewardship
Oldest
Johannesburg golf club aims for Audubon Certification
The first
golf course to be built in Johannesburg was at Wemmer Pan in 1890 for the Johannesburg
Golf Club Limited – the prefix ‘Royal’
was added to the name in 1946. It was the third course to be established in the country,
after Royal Cape and the Kimberley golf course. The club moved to two further sites before
finding a permanent home at its present site below Linksfield Ridge.
The first
course at the present site of Royal Johannesburg & Kensington Golf Club (renamed with
the merger of the two clubs in 1998) was established in 1927 as a so called ‘parkland’
course with exotic trees lining the holes. The second 18 was added in 1934. The history of
both courses at Royal has, like so many other golf courses countrywide, been one of
wall-to-wall short grass and a generally highly manicured appearance to suit this parkland
image.
In 1998,
with the reconstruction of the East Course, the golf course architect Mark Muller started
to move somewhat away from the parkland approach by creating strong definition between the
holes and this led to a decision to use indigenous veld grasses between certain holes (see
UGF Nov/Dec 1999). This initiated a strong move towards habitat creation on the course,
which was in keeping with the long-term objectives of Royal’s active environmental
committee. Subsequently, many sound environmental practices have been put in place.
Recently,
the club made the decision to become involved in the international Audubon Co-operative
Sanctuary Program, which is headquartered in the USA and provides environmental
information, guidance and support to golf courses world-wide.
The Audubon
Program promotes ecologically sound land management and the conservation of natural
resources. It addresses five key environmental quality areas: environmental planning;
wildlife and habitat management; chemical use – safety and reduction; water
conservation, along with water quality management; and outreach and education.
According to
golf course manager Graham Corbett, the first step is to plan correctly and this will
involve filling in a Site Assessment and Environmental Plan which will be sent through for
comment to Audubon International. “Once we have implemented a variety of projects in
each key environmental component, we can apply to become a Certified Audubon Co-operative
Sanctuary. This certificate is in recognition of environmental excellence and is bestowed
on organisations seen to be taking a leadership role in conservation projects. We believe
we can achieve certification within the next three years with the involvement of the
committee, the members and our staff,” Corbett commented in a recent issue of the
club’s newsletter.
Royal
already has a committee solely devoted to environmental matters, along with tree planting
and care. It comprises the ceo of the club, the course staff and four club members
selected specifically for their environmental knowledge and interest. Its mission is the
forward planning of environmental projects and long term integrated strategising.
General
member involvement has already been called for in the form of a satisfaction survey in
which the response to the long veld grass in the rough and on the periphery of water
features was measured, and turned in the following results: 44% of the respondents were in
favour of the long rough – thought it was a good idea – while 14% of those said
it was an excellent idea. Only 5% of the members who responded were actually against the
move to longer rough.
Historically speaking
Corbett said that the environmental record over the last four or five decades
at Royal had been poor, adding that probably in the early days before fertilisers, when
manure was still in use, and there were few chemicals available, the course was less
likely to have been the over-manicured, sterile environment that it subsequently became.
He said because the original natural veld grasses (after all, the course was originally an
area of highveld grassland) had been cut so short, it had meant that the creeping grasses,
kikuyu and kweek, had entirely taken over, and with shading out and competition for
moisture and food from the large exotic trees, the veld grasses had, over time, been
almost totally eradicated.
He told a
sad story of lack of environmental awareness which is worth summarising because it is,
unfortunately, the story of many golf courses world-wide and, although the scene is
gradually changing, there are numbers of courses still guilty of unsound environmental
practices to this day. He said the lack of an integrated waste management plan had meant
that areas of the course were used as landfill – that rubbish was simply dumped in
holes dug into the ground; while chemical practices had involved the use of arsenic and
mercury based pesticides which had never broken down in the soil and had been taken up by
the water system. There had been, until the last decade, no record keeping for pesticide
use – and sound Integrated Pest Management practices were relatively recent. Water
used for the washing down of maintenance equipment, with its residue of grease, diesel and
oil, had leached into the river system and excess chemicals had simply been washed out of
the tanks straight into the water system. He said wildlife on the courses had been
considered a nuisance factor and no attempt had been made, until the last decade, to
encourage birds and small mammals.
Creating wildlife
habitats
With the turn-around in thinking at the club, a number of projects have been
initiated which have already made a noticeable difference in bringing back wildlife. The
indigenous veld grass reinstatement programme, which has seen the return of field mice,
mongoose and guinea fowl to the course, has been extended along the sides of short holes,
along cart pathways and into large open areas.
An un-named
tributary of the Jukskei River runs through the course and this has been rehabilitated and
planted with wetland grasses, reeds and sedges – as have areas of catchment drainage
and the sides of ponds on the course. Islands planted with natural vegetation have been
created in the ponds to provide secure nesting sites. Waterfowl such as the Redknobbed
Coot are breeding in the reeds and sedges, along with African Black Duck which favours
long wetland grasses, and Yellowbilled Duck. Both of the latter species have increased in
number substantially over the past few years.
There are
many different species in evidence that were not on the course before the veld grass and
reeds were re-instated. These include Woodland Kingfisher, Hoopoe, Dabchick, Moorhen,
Hamerkop, Whitebreasted Cormorant and Darter. Grey Herons have increased in number and a
Greenbacked Heron has been seen. Corbett estimated that bird activity on the course had
doubled with the increase of surface water on the course since the construction of the new
water system, which involves slowing down of water in stilling ponds lined with
vegetation.
Corbett said
that the use of nesting boxes to attract birds to breed on the course had been considered
and advice sought on the subject, and the decision had been made to allow the birds to
establish their own nests to prevent the possible loss of their natural instincts.
The
extensive indigenous tree and shrub planting programme which is in the hands of the
assistant course manager and qualified landscape technologist, Warwick Fynn, includes
fruit bearing species and those which attract insects and therefore insect eating birds.
Many golf
course managers have experienced problems with Egyptian Geese which are increasing in
numbers on suburban courses. Fynn told how the geese had persisted in eating the young
sedges he had planted and how they defecate on greens, causing many management headaches.
Royal is testing two devices to discourage the hoards of geese from going near sensitive
areas on the course. A battery operated device adjacent to a green senses the presence of
geese by means of an infra-red sensor. This sends a signal which triggers a recording of a
barking dog. The other device produces a low frequency sound which chases the geese away
from a green where they defecate with regularity, overnight. Both devices appear to be
serving the purpose.
Computerised tree and
shrub programme
This programme was instated a couple of year’s back with the full support
of the environmental committee, and comprises a detailed inventory of all the trees on the
two courses. The positions of the 3 620 trees were mapped by arborist Anton Moller of
Arbor Africa and information about each tree put onto computer. The age of each tree, the
diameter of its crown, whether it is deciduous or evergreen, indigenous or exotic, has
been recorded – along with any damage that has been done to the tree or other
problems. Each tree lining the fairways will be tagged with an identification number and
the information on all trees will be updated periodically. Fynn pointed out the importance
of valuing and looking after the existing trees on a course, saying that greenkeeping
comprised so much more than just turf management.
Fynn has a
landscaping team comprising a tree feller, an irrigation specialist and gardeners. Over
the last couple of years, 700 trees have been planted at Royal, largely indigenous species
but not strictly so because of the existing exotic image of the course. Where exotic
Liquidambars, for example, have been lost, they have been replaced. Changes to the image
will be made gradually over a number of years.
Corbett
makes the point that any tree, be it indigenous or exotic, is historically out of place on
the site, as its natural state was treeless, highveld grassland. He says, however, that
all the highly water consumptive, invasive pines and gums are being taken out of natural
drainage areas on the course. The tall pines, an important design element on the course,
are, with time, going to be replaced with Yellowwoods – some of which have already
been planted and are doing well.
Fynn’s
team is planting indigenous species such as Buddleja saligna which will attract
butterflies, Acacia karroo which provides excellent sustenance for bees (see ‘Tree of
the Issue’ page 17) and shrubs such as Bauhinia galpinii, Freylinia lanceolata and F.
tropica which attract butterflies.
Water conservation and
quality management
Water usage is carefully monitored at Royal by taking flowmeter readings on a
weekly basis. The golf course is registered with the Department of Water Affairs and
Forestry (DWAF), as required by law for properties adjoining river systems and making use
of river water. Royal has provided DWAF with figures of the volumes being utilised by the
course and is being charged a levy.
“We
have moved away from general irrigation of the greens to more specific hand-watering
across both courses. We use a hose connected to a valve at the green. Along with the fact
that we are using less water with this target specific method, we are preventing
over-watering and the possible resultant algal build-up on the low-lying, wet areas of our
greens. The rest of the course is irrigated at night to avoid wastage caused by the wind
factor and the evaporation that occurs during the day. Each sprinkler on the automated
irrigation system is independently set and monitored,” said Corbett.
“We are
aiming to get an independent recycling plant for our vehicle washbays in the future –
and have only been prevented from doing so, as yet, by the cost of such a plant. At
present, the dirty water from the washbays goes into the sewer.”
Recently,
work has been done on the streams at the course with the objectives of controlling
erosion, storing water for irrigation, decreasing maintenance, encouraging wildlife and
beautifying the course. Corbett related: “With increased urbanisation in the
catchment and the resultant increased quantity of water coming onto the course, we have
had to improve our water management on the course. Water is being collected and pumped to
all areas of the course. When the water system is complete, we will be 80% self-sufficient
in the worst drought scenario, which means we may have a 20% shortfall over that period.
Under average conditions, we will be more than self-sufficient because of our new water
storage capacity. We already use less than 1% of borehole water and no municipal water. We
were only 20% self-sufficient in 1994.”
The
gradients of the stream have been reduced by building weirs. The stream has been widened
in areas to increase its normal flow capacity. Stilling ponds have been instated to absorb
the speed of the water running through the site. Floodplains have been created to spread
stormwater into the rough or onto fairways. The sides of the stream have been protected or
lined to prevent erosion. Reeds and sedges have been planted for water purification and
habitat provision. Off-stream retention ponds are designed to hold water for irrigation
purposes, provide water hazards for golfers and have been planted with veld grasses and
sedges which increase the aesthetic value of the course. (UGF will carry a detailed
article on Royal’s water system in a forthcoming issue.)
Water
quality problems abound on the course, at present. The inflow from suburban areas is
polluted with heavy metals, phosphates and nitrates and regular sewage leaks, resulting in
oxygen deficient, malodorous water. This year Royal has budgeted R50 000 for an extensive
water quality pilot project, involving aeration and biological control, to add to the silt
and debris traps and the reedbeds that are already in place to improve water quality on
the course. As Corbett remarked, although the water is much cleaner going out of Royal’s
property than it is coming in – there is still huge room for improvement.
Chemical use –
safety and reduction
Corbett commented: “Generally, modern pesticides that have been registered
for a particular use, have much greater safety margins, with far less residual. We spray
curatively, rather than preventatively, but there are some products that only work at the
pre-emergent stage – those used on Poa annua and Eleusine indica (which now has the
species name coracana). We have probably saved 30% in costs on chemicals this past year.”
Chemicals at
Royal are stored in an independent cool storage facility, solely for that purpose, in the
dark to prevent degradation.
“We are
trying certain organic fertilisers but have found that they are inclined to peak too
quickly. We use controlled and slow release
fertilisers on greens and tees as these are easier to manage and the plant utlises all of
the fertiliser, which prevents problems of runoff into the water system. We would like to
go over to organic fertilisers in the future but more controlled research needs to be done
on these products to prove that their quality justifies the additional cost implication,”
explained Corbett. “Our fertiliser spreader is fitted with a deflector plate which
prevents fertiliser from going into our ponds and lakes.”
Outreach and education
This component of Audubon certification is at planning stage at Royal and will
involve including the community along with the members in environmental education
projects. “We are already speaking to other golf courses and exchanging ideas and
feeding information to our members but we plan to bring schools into our programme in the
near future and to become affiliated to tertiary educational institutions to encourage
research. We need to stimulate environmental awareness by letting people know what it is
that we are doing to protect the environment.”
-----
Managing pollution in waterways
Golf courses
are an integral part of our urban environment, supporting animal and plant life in
sometimes challenging and polluted conditions. Most golf courses have complex water
systems, largely fed by urban rivers and streams, to support irrigation needs and serve as
the hazards that are the nemesis of most golfers!
The water
bodies of golf courses are the face of the pollution of their surroundings. The rivers
supporting them are usually under significant pollution pressure. Most man-made water
bodies experience eutrophication, a natural water body ageing process that aims to return
the body to its original topography (usually the natural lie of the land around it).
This natural
process on golf courses is accelerated by the constant exposure to high nutrient pollution
from sources beyond the control of the golf course manager:
•
The catchment areas
supporting golf course water bodies are impacted by the cumulative effect of discharges of
sewage and industrial effluent, intensive livestock activities and fertilizer runoff from
agriculture and domestic gardens.
•
The fertiliser that
maintains high quality turf on a golf course runs off into water bodies.
•
There may also be
overcrowding of birdlife in water bodies, as the golf course becomes a preferred habitat
for birds.
Together
with high temperatures and low oxygen levels, excessive nutrients create an environment
that harms aquatic animal life, whilst encouraging excessive weed and algal growth. The
golf course manager’s responsibilities extend beyond the aesthetics of the water
bodies on his course. He should also be creating a stable ecosystem for wildlife supported
by the course.
Lake health programme
With this objective in mind, Bale Environmental Engineering has developed its
Lake Health Programme. Traditionally, water body aesthetics have been addressed using
mechanical removal of weeds and algae or chemical treatment to change pollutants to a
different physical composition. Neither method takes into account the resilience and
stability of the water body ecosystem.
The Lake
Health Programme is designed to create an ecosystem that can process the pollutants it
receives. The programme aims to introduce and maintain a concentrated, robust population
of naturally occurring bacteria to remove nutrients from the dam. This is achieved by
dosing with a liquid bioaugmentation product* containing highly concentrated communities
of strains of bacteria that can digest the pollutants commonly impacting water bodies. The
by-products produced by these natural water clearing agents are CO2, water and bacterial
biomass.
Craig
Greggor of Bale explains: “The strategy behind dosing a eutrophic water body with
bacteria is to alter the path of nutrient consumption from the plant to the animal food
chain. Bacteria rapidly consume nutrients, reducing nutrient availability to weeds and
algae.”
The Lake
Health Programme is customised for each site. An holistic assessment of the pollutant
source, water system and structural influences of each site is undertaken. The Lake Health
Programme which is implemented at a site will also address circulation, aeration and
structural requirements for establishing a stable, pollutant processing ecosystem.
Proven at three golf
courses
The Lake Health Programme has delivered results at golf courses with different
pressures, environments and needs, as the following cases demonstrate.
The site at
which the programme was piloted, a dam at the River Club golf course, was experiencing a
continual build-up of unsightly algae, as well as sub-aquatic and surface weeds. The dam
was adequately aerated and thus a bacterial treatment programme could be applied without
altering the circulation and aeration of the dam.
The
programme was implemented at River Club in August, as weather conditions became warmer and
more conducive to algal growth. During the early period of the programme, sunny days led
to a spike in filamentous algal growth. Over a period of two months, a rapid decrease in
the maximum accumulation of filamentous algae was observed and the dam became consistently
clear.
The water
bodies of the CMR Golf Club are under significantly more pollution pressure because the
course is surrounded by light and heavy industry, a disused landfill site and mining
activity. The combined impact of this pressure on the dams at the course resulted in
sludge accumulation, murky water and unpleasant anaerobic odours. In addition, the very
nature of the pollutants provided a variable concentration and profile of contamination.
Treatment
started at the end of March 2004, in a small water feature adjacent to one of the greens. A simple bacterial suspension dosing programme was
applied. Within one month, the water quality had improved and large areas of sludge had
been digested. The programme was then rolled out to the main storage dams, where the
polluted water comes into the water system. Here, over a period of six months, problematic
filamentous algae have been eradicated, improving water clarity – and the dams
continue to demonstrate good health. This creation of a pollution processing ecosystem has
meant that the water leaving CMR is significantly less polluted than when it entered the
site.
At Country
Club Johannesburg, rapid improvements in water quality and odour have been achieved by
installing an innovative, low cost aeration system in conjunction with bacterial
treatment. Aerating venturis were attached to extension lines from the irrigation line,
saving the cost of an extra circulation pump.
Three water
bodies at the beginning of the water system receive regular doses of the bacterial
suspension. The water bodies are interdependent and applying treatment upstream ensures
that a stable ecosystem is established throughout the water system, resulting in reliable
processing of fertiliser runoff, the main source of pollution on the golf course. The
combined bacterial treatment and venturi programme delivered improved water clarity and
removed odours from irrigation lines within the space of two months.
Lonehill Loch
Golf courses are not the only beneficiaries of the Lake Health Programme,
continued pollution from restaurant kitchens and sewage overflows into the Lonehill Loch
were creating a eutrophic environment and opaque water quality. At the end of last year, the additional pressure of
ongoing overcast weather led to fish dying and unbearable odours at this popular
recreation venue and wildlife sanctuary.
Recognising
that it was unlikely that pollution sources would diminish in the short term, Bale set out
to design a solution that would create a resilient ecological system in the dam. A two
pronged remediation plan was recommended. Firstly, a robust bacterial population had to be
established through a bacterial suspension dosing routine. Secondly, a pump driven
circulation system was installed in the dam to create an oxygenated and stable environment
for the pollution digesting bacteria.
The weekly
bacterial dosing programme began in March and, by May, visibility had improved remarkably
– the previously hidden dam wall was clearly visible. In August, an oil spill from a
restaurant kitchen created an oil slick on the surface of the dam but water quality was
restored within two weeks – evidence that an effective, resilient bacterial
population had established in the dam. The aeration and circulation system was installed
at the end of August and is expected to create an even more efficient ecosystem for
digesting and removing pollutants.
Community
involvement has been critical to the success achieved at the Lonehill Loch. Community
leaders and representatives have created awareness of the state of the dam, while regular
fund raising by the community has ensured the sustainable ongoing treatment of the dam.
Industrial
beneficiaries
Bale’s biological treatment technology is not only aimed at the treatment
of polluted water bodies but at managing pollution in a broader base of environments.
Capital intensive installations are avoided and existing infrastructure is used where
possible. Bale is utilising technology ranging from bacterial suspension dosing units
through to self contained fixed-bed biological treatment modules.
The pilot
site for this technology was a cleaning chemicals manufacturer operating in an industrial
park. An increase in production and in product range had lead to a significant increase in
effluent volume with highly variable flow rate, pH and chemical composition. Changes to
the effluent discharge permit at the industrial park also meant that the effluent had to
meet more stringent discharge limits. To meet these limits, the overloaded existing
effluent sump would have to process an average influent COD of 35 000 ppm to an effluent
with COD of 2 000 ppm (the effluent mixes with cooling water before discharge).
Bale made
low-cost enhancements to the existing effluent sump system:
*
The existing effluent
sump was converted to a multi-chamber biological reactor. The sump was divided into three
chambers, sized for optimal bacterial performance. It was equipped with a side-channel
blower to aerate the chambers from below, through a matrix of membrane disc-diffusers.
Plastic media, manufactured from recycled PVC, was placed in each chamber, to allow the
maximum practical surface area for biofilm development. Finally to initiate development of
the biofilm, a robust bacterial population was introduced with an inoculation of specific
bacterial strains. The biofilm can be boosted with ad-hoc doses, if required.
*
The pH control
equipment of the plant was upgraded to ensure an optimal pH environment for the bacteria.
The existing pH sensor was left in place, but a completely new control panel, including
advanced control software, with wireless telemetry and remote operation capabilities was
installed.
In order to
allow the bacterial biofilm the most constant possible feed, an influent buffer tank was
installed.
Since the
plant was commissioned at the end of 2003, an effective biofilm has established that
currently delivers an effluent with COD of 1 900 ppm, within the required discharge
limits.
Rural food
processing effluent
The
environment surrounding a butter factory has recently benefited from the installation of a
dosing unit. The factory had been sending solid fat waste to a landfill site. Liquid
effluent, still high in fat, was discharged to a holding dam with 7 to 12 days residence
time. The holding dam was covered by a thick crust of butter fat. A nearby field was
irrigated with water from the holding dam. Over time, the soil in the field had become
saturated with fat, and effluent had begun to run over the field into a nearby river.
Bale
assessed the existing effluent dam and found it to be amply sized to process the effluent,
provided that an effective bacterial population was established and maintained in the dam.
They installed a bacterial activation and dosing unit to dose specific strains of bacteria
directly into the current effluent channel. Running the unit requires no operational input
from the butter factory, as it is completely automated and equipped with wireless
telemetry which enables Bale to monitor and control the unit remotely.
The unit
operates by dosing a pre-determined, precise quantity of activated bacteria into the
effluent channel, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The unit provides doses of highly active
and concentrated inoculation bacteria by:
•
growing the bacteria
to increase their numbers;
•
conditioning the
bacteria to be in a rapid phase of growth prior to their addition to the wastewater
stream; and
•
optimising the
synthesis of enzymes to solubilise fat, oil, grease, protein and organic sludge.
Since
implementation of the unit in June 2004, the bacterial population in the dam has delivered
80-90% reduction of BOD and COD in the effluent it receives. Within 45 days of beginning
treatment, the crust on the dam had been reduced to the extent that portions of the water
surface could be seen. Historically, the
effluent collecting in the depression before the river always had patches of butter and a
visible oil slick on the surface, and this had completely disappeared within 45 days.
Ensuring minimum impact
to the environment
Restoring lake ecosystems and designing industrial effluent treatment systems
may appear to be diverse and unrelated activities for an environmental engineering
company. Bale, however, views these as
fundamentally the same. The water system of a golf course, with the right bacterial
population and infrastructure, is essentially a bio-filter or effluent treatment system
that processes a polluted influent (river water and fertiliser runoff) to discharge less
polluted water back into natural waterways.
The approach
for a golf course water system, a food processor and a chemical manufacturer is the same:
understand the source of pollution, customise the pollution treatment infrastructure to
support effective biological treatment and regularly dose specific strains of bacteria to
maintain a healthy and resilient pollutant processing bacterial population.
-----
Place-making in a suburban highveld
context
The Urban
Design Framework for Bezenzo Place in Fourways, north of Johannesburg, was prepared by
Albonico Sack Mzumara Architects and Urban Designers in association with Atelier
Architects, and Green Inc Landscape Architects, in consultation with a full professional
team. It demonstrates a sensitivity to the environment of the site and its context,
providing the armature for further development.
Bezenzo
Place is located on a 12 ha site that borders Witkoppen Road, a major east-west transport
corridor in the fast-developing far northern suburbs. The site slopes northward to the
Klein Jukskei River and is accessed off Nerine Road, which forms its western boundary.
About 3 ha of the site are affected by flood lines, and a further 0,5 ha by the road
reserve along Witkoppen.
When the
urban design team first visited the site, “We saw it as a special place, with a
number of natural features worth preserving and protecting,” says Monica Albonico.
“It was important for us that these natural attributes should be recognised as
opportunities, rather than as problems.” The property owner, Golden Meadows
Properties (Pty) Ltd, and the developer, Matrix Properties, supported this development
approach.
The project
was initiated in 2001 and involved a change of land use, to establish a business park on
the formerly agricultural land. Responding to a high demand for retail and commercial
space, the intention was to consolidate the budding commercial node at the intersection of
Nerine and Witkoppen Roads, in line with the local authority’s objective of creating
neighbourhood centres of mixed retail and business use along this high-traffic route. To
the south of Witkoppen Road, and north of the Klein Jukskei, land use is primarily
residential, with densities increasing sharply as development spreads northward.
The
infrastructure for Bezenzo Place and the anchoring landscape elements, in terms of the
Urban Design Framework, were put in place during 2002, but the sale of stands has been
delayed as a result of competitive developments in the wider vicinity and shifts in market
demand. The marketing of the project is currently under review and the potential for a
broader mix of uses, including residential – which is where the demand now lies, is
being considered.
Albonico
comments: “This is one of the challenges of new developments. Market forces are
dynamic. You have to provide the right place at the right time.
“Maybe
we – as the project team, including the property owner and the developer – were
too careful…determining a contextually responsive development framework that would
accommodate identified demand, observing development regulations and following due process
to obtain the required planning approvals. Maybe we shouldn’t have taken such trouble
about flood lines and frogs!”
Whichever
way the development turns in terms of land use, the overall approach and the development
principles defined in the Urban Design Framework remain relevant in respect of the site
and its context. The structuring elements already in place would serve a different mix of
uses equally well.
Development approach
When the Urban Design Framework was commissioned, the envisaged business park
was to accommodate motor showrooms and workshops; a furniture showroom; “a design
centre” as Albonico describes it, which would include home improvement related
offices, workshops and warehouse space for smaller enterprises making locally designed
products; as well as restaurants and recreational facilities.
In broad
terms, the intention was to establish a clear, bold edge to the development along
Witkoppen Road, taking advantage of the high visibility it affords, and to reinforce
activity at the intersection, concentrating maximum bulk at this corner. Perimeter
buildings would define this edge and allow glimpses through to the interior activity on
the site. Internally, the central land parcels would allow for flexible development, to
accommodate combined or separate buildings, and development of the lower land parcels
would see decreasing heights and density in pavilion buildings – free-standing in the
landscape – placed to create a softer edge towards the river and to keep natural
corridors open to it. Overall coverage would stand at around 60%, “which is
compatible with the suburban surrounds,” says Albonico.
Structuring elements
The conceptual plan incorporates a number of simple but critical elements that
structure the site and provide “an armature” for further development of
individual stands. These are the elements already in place.
The central
boulevard is located to provide access to all the stands from a single entrance on Nerine
Road.
The
gatehouse is designed to indicate the architectural character envisaged for Bezenzo Place.
Essentially the intention is to promote innovation and variety within a coherent theme,
environmentally friendly and responsive to the nature of this Highveld location.
(Additional sculptural landmarks – as further place-making elements – are
proposed on Witkoppen and Nerine Roads, to reiterate this theme.)
Purpose
designed street furniture and lighting extend the architectural identity along the
boulevard and one-metre wide bands of planting along each edge – using only
indigenous species – endorse the architectural objectives and set the guidelines for
future planting on the site. Low screen walls are built at intervals to frame the unifying
linear space that the boulevard provides.
Landscape
architect Anton Comrie from Green Inc describes the boulevard as “a traditional civic
element which is interpreted here in an African way”: in the hard landscaping
materials used – the textures, colours, and patterning, the planting, the design of
the street lighting and street furniture and the combination of high and low tech
materials.
Comrie also
points out that the boulevard, as a public space, is pedestrian-friendly. There is no
“step-barrier” to the sidewalk, which is simply demarcated with differentiated
paving; the driveway surface slows vehicles; and the stormwater trenches, which have a
rough stone finish, “are a challenge to any driver!” he says.
The roadway
is cambered to promote stormwater runoff into the open channels along the south edge of
the boulevard and around the turning circle. From here, the runoff feeds into a canal and
flows down towards the river. Consulting hydrological engineer Chris Brooker was
responsible for the design of the outlet from the canal where a series of gabions and rock
pools have been constructed to slow the rush of the water and limit its erosive impact on
the river.
This
stormwater management system works in line with a further structuring element defined in
the conceptual development plan – the proposed environmental corridors which would
form “green fingers”, extending between building zones, from the landscaped
boulevard towards the natural areas along the river’s edge. These green corridors
would provide open vistas across the site and would form part of the internal pedestrian
movement system.
Development parameters and design guidelines
As well as detailing site development controls in terms of local regulations and specific
approvals, the Urban Design Framework outlines development parameters and design
guidelines. Albonico emphasises that the objective was to provide broad guidelines rather
than specific restrictions, to allow for flexibility and innovation while aiming for a
degree of consistency in the building configurations and architectural standards.
The
development parameters deal with heights, coverage, building lines and similar, and also
introduce ‘build-to lines’, to reinforce the relationship between the buildings
and the landscape. In addition, a hierarchy of landscaping zones, building zones and
parking zones is set out to achieve the desired consistency and to promote a cohesive
development that is clearly legible to users and customers.
Architectural
guidelines
Architectural guidelines address treatment, massing, materials and other building aspects
comprehensively, across the different areas of the site, and a design review procedure is
also proposed.
Landscaping guidelines
The landscaping guidelines focus on protecting the environment as far as
possible in parallel with development, and enhancing it with a rich variety of indigenous
planting to create an appropriate habitat for fauna and flora. The river’s edge is
noted as especially sensitive and, because the area is a typical habitat for the
endangered African Giant Bullfrog (see UGF Jan Feb 2004), the 1:100 year flood line is set
as a limit on construction activities.
The
landscaping guidelines also indicate that there should be no permanent fences erected
between individual developments or properties, so allowing for “a continuous park
landscape that encourages movement of birds and other small fauna through the estate.”
This aim is supported by the protected landscape corridors running between individual land
parcels.
Guidelines
on paving materials are also provided as well as an extensive list of appropriate
indigenous plants.
A final word
Albonico remarks on the complexities of suburban development, saying that it is
much more difficult to configure buildings in a suburban environment than to deal with
perimeter blocks on a (usually tightly defined) urban site. She also notes that there is
no clear pathway to obtaining the different planning approvals required for diverse
aspects of suburban rezoning and development – the process can be tedious and time
consuming.
None the
less, it seems that the project has been rewarding for those involved. The built
infrastructure and the planting are being maintained and the market will determine the
future land use.
-----
Housing
as a regenerative force
At the recent Cities in Change Conference, organised by the Central Johannesburg
Partnership (CJP), some of the complexities of urban regeneration were explored. Among
them, the challenges of providing residential accommodation in the inner city, of
addressing the social dimensions of regeneration as well as the physical / spatial and
economic factors, and of managing the regeneration process so that it meets the promise of
creating an inclusive city that recognises and responds to the needs of the urban poor.
Neil Fraser,
executive director of the CJP, has raised this concern regarding the urban poor on a
number of occasions in his weekly newsletter Citichat. He recently put out the paper that
was presented at the conference by Murphy Morobe, chairman of the Johannesburg Housing
Company (JHC), noting it as one that is “particularly relevant to where we are at”
in the renewal of the Johannesburg inner city.
Abridged
extracts from Morobe’s paper and further comment from other speakers are reported
here.
In his paper
entitled – Claiming the City, the role of housing in the inner city of Johannesburg
– Murphy Morobe presented an overview of the work that the JHC has done over the past
nine years, highlighting the impact it is making on the urban environment, on local
economic development and, most importantly in Morobe’s view, on remedying the social
dysfunction that remains part of the legacy of South Africa’s history in the
post-apartheid city.
Morobe
argued that the work being done in urban reform, which has tended to focus on overcoming
the spatial dislocation and economic inefficiencies of the apartheid city, “cannot
succeed in the long run unless the issues surrounding social dysfunction are moved to the
centre of all urban regeneration activity”. In this regard he pointed to some of the
insights that JHC has gained from the tenants in its buildings.
Investing in housing
The Johannesburg Housing Company is a not-for-profit organisation that provides
rental accommodation in the inner city. It began operating in the mid 1990s when central
Johannesburg was seen by many as an anarchic environment, characterised by disorder and
decay.
Summarising
the company’s contribution to the regeneration of the inner city, Morobe reported
that since 1995, JHC has invested R220 million in newly built, converted and refurbished
residential accommodation, adding 8% to the housing stock for low- and moderate-income
earners. The company now owns 17 buildings, all of which house mixed income communities
and together provide homes for more than 4 000 residents. JHC prides itself on its low
vacancies, arrears and bad debt levels (consistently below 5%), which confirm that it is
meeting a definite market need, and on its financial management, which has enabled the
company to achieve an income that covers all its operational costs and now to service
commercial debt.
In the
neighbourhoods of Fordsburg, Newtown, Hillbrow, Joubert Park and in the CBD itself, JHC’s
buildings stand out because they are clean and well maintained. Controlled access ensures
security and prevents overcrowding. Morobe makes that point that, “Urban regeneration
is therefore not only based on the physical regeneration of stock, but requires the daily
attention of effective building management.” It also calls into play “the domino
effect – and, increasingly, adjacent buildings are following our example,” he
says.
JHC is also
responsible for the development of Brickfields (see UGF May-June 2004). Providing 650 new
residential units, this project will impact significantly on the physical, social and
economic environment of Newtown. Morobe points out, however, that this impact “is
massively enhanced because it takes place within a major investment initiative by
provincial and local government,” underscoring the need for such support if urban
regeneration is to take place at scale.
Local economic
development
For the City of Johannesburg, JHC has turned a number of buildings that were
liabilities into income-generating accounts – securing payment for rates, services
and utilities.
In addition,
it has opened up opportunities in various property management functions – such as
cleaning and security – where the entry threshold is low, for emerging businesses to
gain a foothold in the local economy. Previously disadvantaged contractors in specialist
trades in the building industry have also benefited from the company’s black economic
empowerment procurement policies. Morobe reports that 48% of JHC’s service providers
are previously disadvantaged contractors, earning 82% of building management costs.
The company’s
construction contracts have given rise to a number of jobs at all levels in the
construction industry, and JHC requires that training of unskilled and semi-skilled
labourers forms part of all its building contracts.
Internally,
JHC has sought to balance social and financial imperatives and has built up its own
skills, systems, staff and professional business management approach, which sets it apart
from the absence of proper management and management systems that were in part responsible
for the decline of the inner city.
Community development
JHC has always worked from the basis that its long-term objective is to build
communities. In this regard it has implemented a range of programmes and activities that
are directed at strengthening the sense of community, and of social and civic
responsibility, among its tenants.
Social values
“While all of the above are necessary ingredients in normalising the inner
city, they are not sufficient,” Morobe says. “The key is in the elusive concept
of social values. What is it that broke down during the 1980s in the inner city and led to
the chaos by which it came to be characterised? There is no doubt that neglect by the
local authority in providing services and policing by-laws contributed. The loss of
control of increasingly overcrowded buildings by poor people desperate for accommodation
also played a role. The increase of crime and grime, the absence of a police presence, and
political will, and the greed of some landlords, even some self-appointed landlords, who
saw an opportunity to maximise profit in the short window of the transition, all
contributed.”
In answer to
this question, Morobe refers to some of the comments made by tenants in a series of focus
groups that were held as part of an independent customer service survey commissioned by
JHC. He suggests that such comments offer “the key to both the demise of residential
accommodation, and its resurrection,” and quotes from the survey:
•
“Responsible
residents stick to the rules most of the time. This is different from other buildings in
the inner city. In JHC buildings, tenants are more disciplined and respect the rules.”
•
“Respondents
described their relations with neighbours as friendly and co-operative, but in comparison
with township culture, neighbours are not as closely knit…”
•
“Security appears
tight at JHC buildings. This allows not only for safe accommodation but also for parents
to feel comfortable about their children spending time alone at home after school.”
Morobe sees
this kind of commentary as indicative of the renewal of a values-based residential
environment in the inner city. “We are starting to develop a culture of
responsibility for a home in the city. And in our view, that is the key to our current
success, and our insurance for the future. Communities built on these values will provide
a sustainable contribution to rebuilding the Johannesburg inner city.”
The contradiction of
development
Commenting on a further social dimension of regeneration, Morobe highlighted
the paradox of regenerative development which is aimed at making the city inclusive, yet,
at the same time, relies on a management approach that is, in effect, exclusive.
“Investment
is returning to the inner city, in both commercial and residential spheres, and from both
the public and the private sectors. Stability has returned to many buildings and the
normal functions of payment of rent, tenant turnover and, where necessary, eviction, are
taking place. The City is starting to reassert its authority in relation to the management
of service payments, health by-laws, taxis and hawkers. And of course, we are expecting
the City to do more.”
Against this
generally positive trajectory, Morobe identifies a “blind spot” in that “the
increasing formalisation of the inner city, and the increasing management of the social
and financial terrain, threatens the presence of the urban poor.”
“The
eviction of people from dilapidated buildings, without offering them alternative
accommodation, deprives not only gangster landlords of a captive income, but also decent,
honest people of the cheapest accommodation available. The imposition of regular water and
electricity supplies adds up to 15% to the cost of living in the city – a burden if
you are earning less than R3 500 a month, as almost 80% of South Africans do. The
regulation of the streets deprives hundreds of families of the meagre income they receive
from peddling sweets or vegetables.”
While
acknowledging these interventions as necessary processes of development, Morobe warns
that, currently, the activities of the City Managers show no awareness of their full
consequences.
Morobe
argues for specific institutional mechanisms from government that would support the
development of housing in the regeneration of the inner city, and the social facilities so
necessary in relation to any such development.
“The
promise of the City of Johannesburg’s Better Buildings Programme,” he says, is
undone by severe delays, and while it indicates that the policy intention is there, “the
ability to translate this into action is either lacking, or where it takes place, has the
effect of marginalising the poor.”
Concluding
his presentation Morobe reiterates that the lessons of the JHC experience relate to
putting the social dimension at the centre of the development process, and to being alert
to the inherent contradiction in this process. “Our City Fathers in particular need
to take heed, and to ensure that policy is translated into pro-poor practice.”
Policy for the urban
poor
In his Decade of Change Scorecard, published via Citichat and recording
progress made on key aspects of the inner city regeneration process, Neil Fraser recently
rated the achievements in residential accommodation at just five out of ten. “A fair
score,” he says. “It reflects important strides that have been made but also the
enormity of what must still be done – starting with a new paradigm regarding how we
include the urban poor in renewal.” (Citichat 28/2004).
Fraser
acknowledges that there has been a surge of activity in residential development and
positive improvements on the investment front – “mainly meeting the middle
income market, with some investment more recently for high income earners, but very little
for the low income market.” In addition, he sees law enforcement reaction times
against slum-lording and illegal occupations as still too slow and says, “these
problems are compounded by our lack of a clear policy regarding the urban poor.”
The missing rung
This challenge was also the subject of another paper presented at the
conference by Steve Topham, managing director of International Organisation Development.
IOD has been involved in a number of studies in Johannesburg that provide the reference
base for its work on urban and institutional development for local government and other
agencies.
Drawing on
these studies, Topham presented just a few of Jo’burg’s ‘bad buildings’
which confirm the demand for affordable housing and illustrate the dilemma that poor
people face in the inner city.
Massyn Court
is described as ‘the worst building in the inner city’. It has no water, light
or sanitation services and is extremely overcrowded, with shacks now built also on the
balconies.
In Jeppe, at
the southeast edge of the city, the people who had occupied a previously vacant
semi-industrial building illegally were recently evicted. Topham reports that the premises
were in fact quite well organised, with people signing in and out, and housed “an
internal ‘informal settlement’ of 133 shack structures, built with chipboard and
plastic.
“However,
no health or safety standards were observed; residents were using candles and paraffin
stoves for lighting and cooking; and there’s just one entrance and exit. People will
die in buildings like this!” he says. IOD’s reports record that there were 40
children aged between two and four years living in this building, with their single
mothers or families. The ‘landlord’ was collecting rentals of between R170 and
R300 per person each month.
Speaking to
Urban Green File, Topham says, “What this clearly shows us is the need for shelter at
this kind of rental level, and that Jeppe is an attractive location. One of the reasons
for this is that the men’s hostels are nearby on Wolhuter and Jeppe Streets and women
travelling into the city to visit their husbands and/or in search of work find it a
suitable stopping point.
“Obviously
the solution that this building provided was not appropriate, in terms of health and
safety and living standards,” Topham continues, “but it points to the missing
rung in the housing ladder – of affordable, livable, safe and secure shelter.”
Considering
an individual case, Topham asks: “What options does a young, single mother have? She
has travelled to the city in the hope of finding work and earning an income to be able to
feed her children. She finds a low rent place to stay. She gets evicted, she is on the
street.
“She
could move to an informal settlement on the city’s periphery and pay no rent, but she’d
have to get transport into town to look for a job, and she still risks eviction. She could
access the housing subsidy but the City’s waiting list for houses already holds more
than 250 000 names. She can’t afford social housing, with rent rates starting at
around R800 or R1 000 a month, and she can’t access bond finance.”
Topham says
that charities and faith-based organisations do offer some form of transitional shelter
for low-income earners but the demand far exceeds their resources. He suggests that the
City needs a realistic, effective anti-poverty strategy and a range of options in terms of
housing.
The trouble
is, no one other than the charities and faith-based organisations wants to take on this
responsibility, and possibly least of all the City. Topham acknowledges that the problem
is complex but he is sure, he says, that “there are enough clever people in local
government and in Johannesburg, to find a solution.
“At
present,” he continues, “there is no framework for engagement on this front, so
the players that are active in other aspects of the regeneration of the inner city have no
reference base to work from. There is no City policy in place regarding the urban poor,
there is no programme of deliverables, and this makes it difficult to do things. The City
needs to take a position on this. We cannot go on assuming that the poor people will
simply go away.”
From an
economic perspective Topham says that Johan¬nesburg is the powerhouse of the African
continent, but globally, “it’s really only a ‘third division’ city.”
He also points out that it is still the inner city that powers Jo’burg’s
economy, accounting for 25% of the metropolitan GDP (with Sandton accounting for 22%).
“If we
consider the city’s significance in relation to the province, the country, and the
continent, we get some idea of how critical it is to preserve, grow and support this
asset.
“And if
Jo’burg is looking to become ‘a world class African city’ – a term
much bandied about but presumably aiming to achieve a degree of global connectivity and
competitiveness – we must find a way to accommodate the poor and open up economic
opportunities to them in the city.”
-----
Composting recycles garden waste
Pikitup’s
environmentally sound philosophy of “waste not want not” is well illustrated by
the company’s garden waste collection and composting initiative. On 1 September two
more garden sites were launched in Soweto, bringing Pikitup’s total of garden sites
in the greater Johannesburg area to 50. The two new sites were opened, after an
Environmental Impact Assessment including public participation had been carried out, in
areas identified as being in need of green waste disposal facilities. All the garden sites
serve as transfer stations for garden waste. The waste is delivered to the site by the
public and then taken through on a daily basis to Pikitup’s Panorama composting plant
in Roodepoort.
Carol Knoll
spoke to Dick Mulder, Pikitup’s garden site and composting manager, and Henry Lloyd,
manager of the Panorama Composting Plant, about this pilot composting project which was
initiated to coincide with the World Summit in 2002.
Mulder, who
has been in the business of waste for 21 years, said the Panorama project, Pikitup’s
first composting facility, had been a learning curve for all involved. It is situated on
an old compacted landfill site and had, in fact, served as a composting site for a couple
of years under Roodepoort municipality. In 1996 it was closed down because the use of
sewage sludge gave rise to objections from neighbours, in what was already a fairly
built-up area. The operation lay dormant from 1996 to 2002 when it was reinstated by
Pikitup.
The company
was advised to scrap the existing milling machine on site, which was worth R2, 5 million
in 2002, but persistence paid off and the machine was refurbished, under difficult
circumstances, and is still in operation today.
One of the
biggest benefits of utilising garden waste to make compost is the airspace that is saved
on landfill sites, giving the landfill a longer lifespan. It is estimated that between
250-300 000 tonnes of garden waste are received at all Pikitup’s garden and landfill
sites throughout the Johannesburg metropolitan area per annum. Collection at the garden
refuse sites also provides a pragmatic solution to the ongoing illegal dumping of green
waste. Mulder said the equipment at Panorama could handle anything up to a 100 mm diameter
tree stump and that anything larger continued to be taken to landfill. He said the major
portion of the garden waste stream was being taken care of and there was only a small
percentage that could not, as yet, be handled. “Eventually, we will increase the size
of our equipment and look at other opportunities such as producing firewood,”
commented Mulder.
The use of
sewage sludge in the composting process was never a consideration for Pikitup. The
composting process at Panorama utilises only clean organic material – leaves, grass
cuttings, pruning clippings – no chemicals or sewage sludge are added. Mulder pointed
out the complete lack of odour on site saying that the process was merely using “nature’s
way” and supplementing with oxygen and water. When the compost was turned, he said,
it gave off “a pleasant mushroomy smell”.
The interim
success of the pilot project at Panorama led to the proposal of a new facility at the
Robinson Deep landfill, which is at Environmental Impact Assessment stage, at present. It
is planned that this should be up and running by June 2005. Mulder explained that Pikitup’s
ultimate goal was to have at least four or five composting sites, conveniently located. He
said this would address between 25-30% of the total waste stream going to landfill.
Mulder
commented: “We are creating a product that can be sold, so that the cost of the whole
process is covered. We are aiming to make this recycling initiative sustainable – to
break even. We have to keep the product affordable so that the community will benefit. Our
product has recently been registered as a Group 2 fertiliser by the National Department of
Agriculture.” Discussions were held with the horticultural industry to establish
their composting needs, as garden services are now, according to the new by-laws, allowed
to make use of the garden sites. The response to Pikitup’s initiative was favourable
because the average garden service finds soil in Johannesburg gardens to be generally poor
and compost not easily accessible because it is, largely, too expensive. The eventual
intention is to sell compost at composting sites, garden sites, nurseries and retail
outlets.
The manager
of Panorama, Henry Lloyd, explained the whole process from collection to sales. The site
is run with a labour force of eight. Residents and garden services deliver garden waste to
the 50 mini garden sites around Johannesburg where it is deposited into collecting skips.
The dumping is supervised to ensure that only garden refuse is deposited. The material is
then removed, by specialised trucks which are able to empty the skips, on a daily basis
and taken to the composting plant. It is stockpiled at the Panorama site and put through
the milling machine as soon as possible because if moisture is retained in the material,
it facilitates the composting process. The milled organic material is collected by a front
end loader and piled into windrows which are shaped and positioned to encourage the
build-up of heat, accommodate the watering system and facilitate the movement of the
compost turner.
The material
in the windrow is turned so that it can be re-oxygenated and CO2 can be
released to maintain an aerobic, microbial process which is odourless. Measurements of
temperature and CO2 determine when the windrow is in need of turning. During
the composting process, the whole windrow is turned four times over three months.
The windrow
is watered by means of a perforated pipe, located longitudinally along the top of the
pile, which is designed to allow water to spray finely and evenly over an 8m width and to
penetrate right through the pile. The windrow is watered until the moisture content is
adequate. The moisture content is measured periodically to establish whether water is
needed. The microbial process during composting generates a temperature of 65°C and steam
is seen to be rising off the pile in winter.
Lloyd makes
the decision about whether the compost is ready and this is usually made after about three
months, on the basis of regular temperature checks. The softer the organic matter, the
quicker the process is completed. When the compost is ready, there is no heat build-up.
The material is then taken by means of a front end loader to the drum screen where any
pieces of material that have not composted are removed. A 16mm screen produces normal
garden compost that is sold in bulk, whereas the compost that is bagged is required by law
to be finer and is put through a 12 mm screen.
Lloyd
described the intended upgrading of the site at Panorama to make it more customer
friendly. It is in the process of being paved to provide parking for customers, where they
can load up either with bags, or in bulk from a compost stockpile in a concrete bunker.
The bunker will protect the compost from contamination of any sort and help to ensure that
only clean compost leaves the premises. Smaller bunkers will contain special mixes for
different purposes. A lawn dressing mix is already available and other specialised mixes are in the process of being
developed. Deliveries will be done by Pikitup if the quantity required is 5m3 or over.
For the sake
of general environmental awareness, the public and school children are being invited to
visit the premises and learn about the composting process, and the response has been
positive. |
