SOLID WASTE
CITY: DURBAN
Landfill Greening Empowers a Community
10 MILLION TONS OF CO2 IS PREDICTED TO BE AVOIDED IN THE LIFESPAN OF THE LANDFILL
THE CHALLENGE Historically, landfills have been viewed as detrimental to the environment, but through the Buffelsdraai Landfill Site Reforestation Project, Durban is proving that enhancing both social and environmental conditions is possible with innovative thinking and local community involvement.
CO-BENEFITS
Durban is alleviating poverty and reducing CO2 by engaging the local community in turning a landfill buffer zone into a conservancy, planting indigenous trees and rehabilitating local natural habitat. Rarely are landfills viewed as a positive factor for a city, but the Buffelsdraai Landfill Site Reforestation Project in Durban, South Africa is the exception to the rule. The project enhances the city’s environment by involving citizens in turning the buffer zone around the landfill into a conservancy, thus improving quality of life for local citizens and limiting the landfill’s carbon footprint. With 200 hectares of local natural habitat around the landfill rehabilitated and more than 750,000 indigenous trees planted, Durban is not only mitigating its carbon footprint but also increasing local climate adaptation capacity. Empowering local communities to become “tree-preneurs,” the project addresses unemployment and assists in alleviating poverty by giving the tree-preneurs vouchers for school fees, bicycles, food, or other services in exchange for growing and planting trees. To further limit greenhouse gas emissions, methane gas from the landfill is burned for electricity. Durban plans to be the first city in Africa to turn a landfill’s methane gas into electric power.
Environmental The amount of trees currently planted will save about 55,000 tons of CO 2 .
Social The Buffelsdraai Landfill Site Reforestation Project has created 43 full-time jobs, 16 part-time jobs, and 389 temporary jobs, decreasing the poverty level in the local community.
Seven hundred hectares have been converted into conservancy, contributing to the sustainable development in the community.
Economic Vouchers worth $970,000 have been distributed to the local community for taking part in planting trees near the landfill.1
Health Due to the regular meals provided through vouchers for the underprivileged residents of the local community, their overall health and quality of life have improved.
1 Environmental Planning and Climate Protection Department. “The Buffelsdraai Landfill Site Reforestation Project.” 2015.
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