Is PA the Cleanest Town in the Western Cape?

- Linda Jaquet -

The Prince Albert Local Municipality has again entered this year’s Cleanest Town Competition run by the Western Cape Government’s Department of Environmental Affairs and Development Planning. Judging will take place in August and September by a panel whose members’ visits to participating municipalities are not announced in advance.

In 2001 loods die Nasionale Departement van Omgewingsake en Toerisme “Die Skoonste Dorp Kompetisie”. Die doel hiervan is om Suid Afrikaners bewus te maak van netheid en afvalbestuur in hul buurt. Hul hoop om mense aan te moedig om 'n aktiewe rol te speel om hul om-gewing netjies en skoon te hou. Die kom-petisie verleen ook erkenning aan die rol wat die munisipaliteit speel in volgehoue netheid, en die rol wat herwinning speel in werkskepping en die generering van 'n inkomste vir werklose mense. Verlede jaar se wenners was die Swartland Munisipaliteit en die Stad Kaapstad.

The 2006 Competition’s adjudication panel complimented the Prince Albert Local Municipality on the neatness and cleanliness of the three towns which it runs. It was less complimentary about the Municipality’s waste management, particularly in Leeu-Gamka and Klaarstroom and commented on an apparent lack of community buy-in to waste separation projects, which had, as a result, failed. It also made several recommendations on how to improve the operation and management of the landfills at all three towns.

Mnr Edwin September, waarnemende munisipale bestuurder, het aan die Vriend gesê dat die munisipaliteit gedurende die afgelope jaar moeite gedoen het om die paneel se aanbevelings in vervand met afvalbestuur te implementer, sodat hul voldoen aan amptelike vereistes. Ondanks dit het inwoners van Prince Albert die Vriend meegedeel dat verbranding van vullis nog steeds aangaan en dat daar nie verdeling tussen tuinvullis en huishoudelike vullis by die stortingsterrein is nie.

Omdat hul die belangrikheid van die gemeenskap se ondersteuning besef wat betref die herwinning van afval, sal die munisipaliteit ‘n werkswinkel op 7 Augustus om 14:00 in die Biblioteeksaal hou om idees te kry van die dorp se inwoners oor hoe om 'n vrywillige afvalbestuursplan te ontwikkel en te implementeer.

Another positive development is the Town Council’s decision to support a public-private partnership in a project managed by Sue and Richard Dean that will convert garden and household waste collected in the town into compost. The project aims to create a number of jobs, transfer knowledge and contribute to sustainable development and improved health conditions in the town. The project could eventually be one of several falling under the auspices of a proposed waste management forum, which could see local artists using recycled material, and used glass and tins being sold to a recycling concern in Oudtshoorn.