The new material recovery facility at the Tonkmeter private landfi ll in Springs marks the start of a partnership to ease Gauteng’s landfi ll crisis and boost recycling in Ekurhuleni

Launching the new MRF are (from left) main infrastructure sponsor Petco CEO Telly Chauke, Tonkmeter CEO Leon Grobbelaar, Belinda Booker of co-sponsor MetPac-SA and Gauteng provincial waste management officer Palesa Mathibeli

SA’s landfill crisis generates new waste partnership model

AS GAUTENG runs out of municipal landfi ll space, a new partnership between a waste management company and producer responsibility organisations (PROs) is poised to become a model for efficient material recovery, recycling and job creation. Situated on a private landfill site in Springs, the new Tonkmeter material recovery facility (MRF) serves reclaimers, businesses and industry in the Ekurhuleni region.

Speaking at the launch, provincial waste management officer Palesa Mathibeli said Gauteng is facing a waste management crisis because municipal landfills are reaching the end of their lifespan, with a number closed due to non-compliance, which leads to increased illegal dumping.

“We are quickly running out of landfill airspace because we are not diverting waste away from them, putting more pressure on these facilities. We are happy to see our private partners supporting each other to address this crisis,” Mathibeli said.

Thanks to a significant infrastructure investment by South Africa’s longest-standing PRO, Petco, with a supporting contribution from fellow PRO MetPac-SA, the facility, when fully operational, will divert and process up to 600 tonnes of recyclable materials from the landfill each month.

Tonkmeter CEO Leon Grobbelaar says the landfill receives roughly 5,000 tonnes of waste per month, and the aim is to extract at least 50 tonnes of this in combined recyclable packaging such as PET plastic, metals, and liquid board cartons. He says this operation sees some waste collection businesses bringing baled materials directly to the MRF, which are further separated and sorted before the residual non-recyclables are taken to the on-site landfill. Plans include accepting materials from independent waste pickers working on the nearby Rietfontein municipal landfill site and bringing these collectors into a centralised system.

Petco’s general manager for recycling and collections, Samu Mkhize, says the project is a great example of players pulling together to keep the circular economy working. “Tonkmeter shows on-the-ground integration, connecting landfill diversion with recovery infrastructure. It integrates industrial, commercial, and informal material streams into a single operating model”.

Mkhize notes that an additional benefit is a cashless payment platform, allowing Petco to pay waste pickers a service fee for the PET and liquid board packaging they collect – products Petco’s responsible for. She adds that this is Petco’s largest single infrastructure investment to date, demonstrating its commitment to investing in high-value capital infrastructure projects and equipment such as sorting conveyor systems, balers and forklifts. “These are the kinds of large-scale projects we want to do on behalf of our members. Co-investment with partners like MetPac-SA allows us to unlock shared outcomes and show measurable progress against legislative expectations”.

Grobbelaar concludes that the partnership shows what’s possible when industry leaders take responsibility for their product’s lifespans. “The Tonkmeter site is not a dump. It was designed from day one to be an integrated waste management facility – and this material recovery facility, although small, is the crown jewel of the project”.