Design of a waste transfer station in Robertson, South Africa

FINAL REPORT

Design of a waste transfer station in Robertson

Breede River Winelands Municipality

8th

of June 2009

Authors

Pim van de Bunt

Thijs Aarden

FINAL REPORT

Design of a waste transfer station in Robertson


South Africa

FINAL REPORT

WASTE MANAGEMENT TRANSFER STATION ROBERTSON BRWM

ROBERTSON, SOUTH AFRICA 2009 2

Authors

Name: Pim van de Bunt

Address: Kerkdijk 41, 3615 BB Westbroek

Student ID number: 1500528

Student Email address: [email protected]

Name: Thijs Aarden

Address: Grutto 93, 2411 LS Bodegraven

Student ID number: 1500523

Student Email address: [email protected]

Organizations

Name: Breede River Winelands Municipality

Address: 28 Main Road, Ashton, 6715, Western Cape, South Africa

Contact person: Celeste Matthys

Telephone number: 0027 23 615 8094

Email address: [email protected]

Name: University of Applied Sciences Utrecht

Address: Nijenoord 1, 3552 AS Utrecht

Assisting teacher 1: Jur Jonges, office A02.14



Assisting teacher 2: Marian van Wershoven, office A01.10



Name: WaMaSa Foundation

Contact person: Frits van Aggelen


Date

8th

of June 2009

Place

Robertson, South Africa



Prologue

We, the authors of this report, are two students from the University of Applied Sciences Utrecht. We

are 4th

year and last year Bachelor Building Engineering students. We have done our graduating

project by order of the Breede River Winelands Municipality.

Since our arrival in South Africa, on the 17th

of February 2009, we have been working on the design of

a waste transfer station in Robertson, one of the villages that fall under the Breede River Winelands

Municipality. This project is part of a bigger waste management project. This report and the design

are made to support the Municipality with their waste management project. We worked on this

project until the 8th

of June 2009

It was very interesting to see the goals of the Municipality and how they want to reach these. We

really liked it to work on this waste management project and we hope and think that we have helped

the Municipality with their progress in this project.

We would like to thank the following persons:


Mrs. C.O. Matthys for arranging all the necessary things for our stay in Robertson

Mr. D.J.C. Steyn for providing us with very usable information on the field of Waste Management

University of Applied Sciences Utrecht

Mr. J. Jonges for his coaching from a distance

Mrs. M. Van Wershoven for her coaching from a distance

WaMaSa Foundation

Mr. F. W. van Aggelen for giving us the opportunity to work on this project

EFL Stichting

Management of the EFL stichting for their financial support



Management summary

In the Breede River Winelands, the municipality is working on a Waste Management Project.

The Waste Management South Africa foundation (WaMaSA) has taken the initiative to start a Waste

Management Project in BRWM to create jobs for the local inhabitants. Another reason why the

Municipality should reduce the waste stream is because the landfill is reaching its limits. It will take

years to get all the permissions to open a new landfill. Another important reason to reduce the waste

stream is the goal to minimize waste for the government of South Africa in the Polokwane

Declaration. The Polokwane Declaration declares that the waste production should be reduced to

50% in 2012 and zero waste should be produced in 20221. The last 15 weeks, Thijs Aarden and Pim

van de Bunt have supported the Municipality with this project.

In the desired situation, when people sort their waste at source, the separated waste has to be

collected as well. Separation at source will increase the transport costs. Since recyclables and non-

recyclables need to be collected separately. To reduce the transport costs, waste transfer stations

are needed in the BRWM. Nowadays farmers dont have a facility to bring their waste in.

The transfer station will be this facility for the farmers to bring their waste. From the transfer

stations, waste can be more efficiently transported to the facility to separate recyclable waste and

the landfill.

A design for a transfer station is made which can be nearly copied in each village of the BRWM. The

research is focused on how a good functioning, flexible and low budget waste transfer station looks

like.

By talking with experts in the waste sector the idea of a waste transfer station was getting clear. A

research to building methods is done by meetings with companies in the building sector. Out of this

information an analysis is made of possible building methods. Different concepts are made with their

own advantages and disadvantages. The best concept is chosen and worked out to a final design. The

material choices are based on the main principles: low-budget, flexible, less maintenance and good

functioning.

By choosing a wooden pole construction instead of a regular steel construction a lot of money is

saved. By the choice of using transparent sheeting instead of windows the costs will be low. Another

costs saving aspect is the choice of using bricks instead of concrete where possible.

The building is flexible because of the use of sheeting and wooden poles. In the future it will be easy

to connect new wooden poles on the existing construction. In the future the exterior wall sheeting

can be detached and placed on a new exterior wall.

The wooden pole construction doesnt need maintenance since it will be treated with CCA. By this

treatment the poles have got a life-span of 50 years or more. The sheetings doesnt need

maintenance as well.

The building will be good functioning because the most logical routing on the area is chosen. Waste

transport is the main subject of the building and area. This is made a clearly as possible with

separated waste income and waste outcome.

We recommend the BRWM to build the waste transfer station as described and designed in this

report. The overall conclusion is that the designed waste transfer station satisfies the requirements

of the Municipality.

1 Source: http://www.environment.gov.za/ProjProg/WasteMgmt/Polokwane_declare.htm



Table of contents

Prologue 3

Management summary 4

Introduction 7

Purpose 7

Problem definition 8

Objectives 8

Structure 9

Boundaries and margins 10

Method of research 11

1 Current situation waste management 12

1.1 Current situation in the Netherlands 12

1.2 Current situation in the Breede River Winelands Municipality 13

1.3 Time till landfill is filled 15

2 Desired situation waste management 16

2.1 Desired situation in The Netherlands 16

2.2 Desired situation in the Breede River Winelands Municipality 16

3 What is a waste transfer station 20

3.1 Meaning 20

3.2 Benefit 20

3.3 Kinds of transfer stations 20

3.4 Transport 21

4 Town planning 23

4.1 Breede River Winelands 23

4.2 Robertson 23

4.3 Concerning location 29

5 Architectural analysis 32

6 Building methods 33

6.1 Foundation 33

6.2 Floors 36

6.3 Construction materials 37

6.4 Exterior walls materials 37

6.5 Roof materials 38



6.6 Installations 39

6.7 Builders rubble 39

6.8 Building regulations 39

6.9 Organisation 40

6.10 Conclusion 41

7 Concept development 43

7.1 Points of departure 43

7.2 Building shape 43

7.3 Location plan 47

7.4 Roof design 49

7.5 Materials 50

8 Material accountability 57

8.1 Foundation 57

8.2 Construction 57

8.3 Roofing 57

8.4 Exterior walls transfer station 58

8.5 Exterior walls office 58

9 Final design 59

9.1 Plan Layout 59

9.2 Function relation 59

9.3 Roofing 60

9.4 Location 61

9.5 Details 64

9.6 Architectural style 66

10 Costs analysis 67

10.1 Total building costs 67

10.2 Building costs saving aspects 67

10.3 Highest building costs 68

10.4 Costs operating transfer station 68

11 Conclusion 69

12 Recommendations 70

13 Contemplation 71

14 List of sources 72



Introduction

We have done our graduating project in the Breede River Winelands Municipality (BRWM) in South

Africa. The municipality consist of five small villages, Robertson, Ashton, Montagu, Bonnievale, and

McGregor. The BRWM lies on the popular wine route, the route 62 and is two hours driving from

Cape Town. Characteristic of this region of South Africa are the wines that are exported to all over

the world.

The surface area is comparable with the province of Utrecht. The BRWM has got approximately

80.000 inhabitants. The previous four months we have worked in the municipality building in

Robertson.

The Waste Management South Africa foundation (WaMaSA) has taken the initiative to start a Waste

Management Project in BRWM to create jobs for the local inhabitants. In a period from the beginning

of 2007 till the summer of 2009 several student delegations from The Netherlands have conducted

research on the possibilities of waste management in BRWM.

The first group described the relevant legislation concerning waste management, researched the

demographic composition of the municipality, investigated which types of domestic waste are

produced in the BRWM, and wrote articles for the awareness campaign.

The second group, which started in February 2008, performed a stakeholder analysis and started

with an awareness campaign plan. Monique Braun also worked on the awareness campaign in June

2008.

The third groups of students collected information about the quantity and composition of the waste

in BRWM. They made a financial overview with the costs and profits of the desired way of waste

management as well. These reports are available at the University of Applied Sciences Utrecht.

Purpose

Four of the five landfills that are located within the BRWM are closed for the dumping of domestic

waste. The last landfill that is open for dumping of waste is the landfill in Ashton. This landfill is

getting filled and it is reaching its dumping limits. The BRWM is busy with permissions to open a new

landfill near to Bonnievale. BRWM need to reduce the waste stream, because it takes years to get all

the permissions for the new landfill.

Another reason to reduce the waste stream is the goal to minimize waste for the government of

South Africa in the Polokwane Declaration. The Polokwane Declaration declares that the waste

production should be reduced to 50% in 2012 and zero waste should be produced in 20222.

The desired situation is that people sort their waste at source. There will be a new way of waste

collection and separation. This will create jobs what has a positive effect on the financial situation of

the local inhabitants. Another positive outcome is the effect on the human healthy for the pickers

working on the landfill.

The first step is already made by building a Material Recovery Facility (MRF) at the landfill in Ashton.

The waste from the whole municipality arrives here and will be separated. After the separation, the

recyclables will be compressed and sold to recycling companies.

2 Source: http://www.environment.gov.za/ProjProg/WasteMgmt/Polokwane_declare.htm



In the desired situation, when people sort their waste at source, the separated waste has to be

collected as well. The recyclable waste cant be compressed in a truck, because the waste will break

and wont be useful for recycling anymore. Consequence is that one truck can take less recyclable

waste to the MRF in Ashton. This will result in having more transport costs. A solution needs to be

made to prevent the transport cost of getting too high.

At the moment farmers are burning their waste. This isnt the right solution to get rid of their waste.

The solution is a waste transfer station in each village of the BRWM. This will reduce transport costs

and will be a facility where farmers can bring their waste in. The first plan of a transfer station in

McGregor is made. The next transfer station will be made in Robertson.

Problem definition

As described above separation at source will increase the transport costs. To reduce the transport

costs, waste transfer stations are needed in the BRWM. From the transfer stations, waste can be

more efficiently transported to the MRF and landfill. A design for a transfer station has to be made

which can be nearly copied in each village of the BRWM.

Important requirements are that the transfer stations needs to be flexible, because of possible

extensions in the future. The building costs have to be low and it should create a healthy work

environment for the employees.

Main question:

How does a good functioning, flexible and low budget waste transfer station looks like?

Objectives

The main subject of our research is the development of a concept plan for the waste transfer station

in Robertson where we consider the flexibility, functionality and costs of the building.

Next to this main subject we will do a research to the following non-building engineering related

subjects:

Recalculation when the landfill in Ashton will be filled.

The costs of the operating waste transfer station in Robertson.

The recalculation of the landfill will be done in cooperation with Max Kranendijk. Max Kranendijk is a

Business Engineering student from the University of Applied Sciences Utrecht.



Structure

To understand the content of this report, it is important to recognize the intention of the different

chapters. In this paragraph, it will be clarified how to read this report.

After this introduction, chapter 1 describes what the current situation of waste management is. It

shows the situation in The Netherlands and the situation in the BRWM. A part of this current

situation is the non-building related research to determine when the landfill in Ashton is filled. This

research is attached in the annexure.

Chapter 2 describes the desired situation of waste management in The Netherlands and in South

Africa. These situation descriptions are based on the Ladder van Lansink.

To understand what the meaning of a transfer station is and how a transfer station works, an

explanation is written in chapter 3. An analysis is done for industrial waste related building. This

analysis is attached in the annexure. This analysis is done to improve waste related buildings in the

BRWM.

Chapter 4 will describe the current town planning in the BRWM. A deeper analysis is made for

Robertson and for the building location.

In order to design a transfer station a research is done of the local architecture. The conclusion is

described in chapter 5. The research is attached in the annexure.

Chapter 6 describes which building methods are used in the BRWM and what the possibilities are.

Photos will shape a view of how things work at a building location in South Africa. The end of this

chapter gives an overview of building methods and the advantages and disadvantages.

The final design is always based on a series of concepts. The concepts for this project are described in

chapter 7 and will explain the design progress. Chapter 8 will describe the accountability for the

chosen materials and the motivation why the materials were chosen.

Chapter 9 describes the final design. There is referred to the final drawings which are attached by

this report. The requirements of the building are based on this final design. This requirement

specification is attached by this report as well.

The costs of the transfer station are described in chapter 10. There are two kinds of costs. The

building costs and the costs to operate the transfer station. The operating costs are attached in the

annexure.

These chapters result in conclusions and recommendations where the main question will be

answered and an advice will be given to the BRWM.



Boundaries and margins

To complete the research, sometimes it was difficult to get the right numbers, because of the fact

that some numbers are unknown by the municipality. An example is the exact amount of waste.

Another difficult thing was to find out what the municipality required. What should happen in the

transfer stations and which waste should be collected inside the transfer station. It took a couple

weeks to find out and even after a month things were changed.

The transfer station has to be low budget and flexible. This allows the building to expand in the

future.

This transfer station will store the waste that the collection vehicles dont collect. These vehicles

collect the recyclables and the non-recyclables and will bring this straight to the Material Recovery

Facility (MRF) or landfill in Ashton.

The transfer station has to be good functioning with two big skips for farm waste and mixed waste.

The mixed waste contains small pieces of garden waste, builders rubble and waste that is illegally

dumped.

Farmers will bring their own waste to the transfer station and they will have to pay for this. The price

they pay depends on the size of the farm and on how many times they bring their waste. In the

future, small skips needs to be placed as well. Small skips are needed for:

Glass

Plastic

Paper

Metal and tins

These small skips are for the farmers. Some farmers will separate their waste, and therefore small

skips are necessary. The skips are also needed, in case the truck that drives to the MRF is broken

down3.

The meaning of a transfer station is that municipal waste collection trucks bring the waste here. The

waste is stored in skips and when they are filled they will be transported the MRF or to the landfill.

Another condition that we added is that we try to make it a sustainable building. This depends on the

feasibility, since the BRWM has a low budget.

The exact preconditions are described in the attached requirement specification.

3 Source: Mr. D.J.C. Steyn, Manager of Environmental Services in the BRWM



Method of research

The research started on the 9th

of February. All the documents of the previous delegations were read

up on and this shaped a general view of the situation in the BRWM. There were still some

uncertainties on how the waste separation worked. In order to improve the facilities of waste

separation in South Africa, one needs to know how the facilities of a developed country are. This

way, one has a better view on the situation and understands the basics of waste separation.

Therefore, a visit to the Smink facility in Apeldoorn was organized. The observations were reported

and a general analysis of the separation method was developed.

The research continued in South Africa. A structural planning was made in which all research

questions were named. Since the research is split up in 2 subjects, waste related and building

engineering related research questions, 2 tables were made. These tables show the method of

research for each subject. The two versions are displayed in the following tables.

Waste Related

Research question Methods and techniques

In what way is the waste here separated and how

much of this is automatic?

Contact the Waste department of the BRWM

municipality

What method is used to calculate the volume of

waste, if only the weight of waste is known?

Interviews with managers of running MRFs in

the Western Cape area

How much m2 of storage is needed at the transfer

station to store the incoming waste?

Calculate the amount of waste produced by

households which goes to the transfer station

Is it profitable to wash the water for a better a

quality of waste?

Interviews with managers of running MRFs in

the Western Cape area

Building engineering related

Research question Methods and techniques

What are the architectural styles in the BRWM

area?

Sightseeing of the area and talk with local

architects

Which building materials are used in the BRWM? In-depth interviews with local builders and

local building markets. And the use of books.

Which building methods are used in the BRWM? In-depth interviews with local builders and

local building markets. And the use of books.

Which facilities do transfer stations in South

Africa in the area of Breed River have?

1) Visit multiple transfer stations in the

Western Cape

2) Interviews with building engineers who are

specialized in building transfer stations

How is a cost overview in South Africa made? Make contact with a cost estimator

The answers of the research questions will lead to a successful plan layout and a requirement

specification for the transfer station in Robertson. The answers will also provide enough information

to make a cost analysis. The waste related questions will make it clear how much time is left until the

landfill of Ashton is full. This is of great importance for the municipality, since the approval for a new

landfill takes some years.



Collection at home Bring Facility Incinaration Compost Making Re use Dumpsite

Domestic Waste x x

Organic Waste

Kitchen Waste x x

Garden Waste x x x

Refuse

Domnestic refuse x x x x

Builders Rubble x x x

Used Furniture x x x

Hazardous Waste x x

Iron x x

Fabrics x x

Tyres x x

Plastics x x

Domestic Appliances x x

Glass x x

Used Paper x x x

Asbestos x x

1 Current situation waste management

1.1 Current situation in the Netherlands

The ladder of Lansink is a standard in the field of waste management that is admitted to the National

Waste Management Plan (LAP). This standard is refined in Landelijk Afvalbeheerplan 2002-2012. It

clarifies the steps to be taken to a more environmental friendly society. Currently The Netherlands is

on the 2nd

step on the Ladder of Lansink.

Ladder of Lansink Example

1. Quantitative prevention Preventing or decreasing the amount of waste that is

produced by using fewer waste products in new

products. For example, product that can corrode or

components that can be renewed. For example the

melting of steel to make new steel products.

2. Qualitative prevention Using less environmentally bad materials in the

production process/ more separation of waste.

3. Useful application by product reuse Products and parts of products should be used

multiple times.

4. Useful application by material reuse Processing, for example, paper waste to new paper.

5. Incineration with the gain of energy Controlled processing of waste and gaining energy.

6. Incineration Controlled processing of waste.

7. Controlled disposal and dumping at

a landfill site

Waste is collected and brought to a landfill. When the

landfill is filled. The landfill will be covered with soil

and grass. To isolate the waste under the soil it will

not be in contact with the air and dont spread a bad

smell. The sight of grass on the top of the waste hill is

better than the sight of waste.

1.1.1 Process of waste separation

In the Netherlands the waste is not collected in transfer stations. All the waste is directly brought to a

MRF. All the waste in the Netherlands is separated at source, so the waste going to the MRF is clean.

At households there are 3 bins: 1 bin for domestic waste (plastic, tins, and cans), 1 bin for

garden/organic waste and 1 bin for paper. Glass is collected in shared bins, which are spread around

in towns. Hazardous waste and builders rubble needs to be brought to municipal disposal site.

People need to pay for the disposal. The next table shows the process of waste in the municipality of

Rheden in The Netherlands.



1.1.2 Process inside the Material Recovery Facility

The factory4 is split up in 2 parts. The first part is a big storage hall. All the waste enters the storage

hall by trucks. These trucks dump their waste on a big pile. This waste contains big and small waste.

In order to get a good waste stream, all the waste is squeezed by a machine. This machine puts all

the squeezed waste on another pile. From there, a crane is picking up the waste and put it on a

conveyor belt.

The separation is partially done automatically, partially by employees. The waste is coming up from

the conveyor belt. First it will filter out all the small pieces, like dust, sand and other small materials.

This is done with a sieve. After that, a wind blower will blow away the paper and plastic. This is

collected in a separated bin and after this it will be further separated into 2 bins: 1 for plastic, 1 for

paper.

Since there are still pieces of metal in the waste stream, a magnet is used to filter out these pieces. It

is very important that big pieces of metal are separated out of the waste steam at this point. In the

next stage a big saw will cut all big pieces of wood into smaller pieces. If there are still big pieces of

metal in the waste stream the saw will break down and you will need to repair the saw. After the

saw, the automatic separation process is stopped and all the waste is put on a conveyor belt and

goes to the second part of the factory. The second part of the factory is the place where the

employees separate the last pieces of useful material into several bins. Underneath the workplace of

the employees big containers of 30 m3 are standing. These containers collect all the material. When

the containers are full, a pick-up truck will empty the container.

1.2 Current situation in the Breede River Winelands Municipality

The BRWM consists out of five towns, Robertson, Ashton, Montagu, Bonnievale, McGregor and the

surrounding rural areas. In the past, these towns were all separated municipalities, but on the 5th of

December 2000 they were integrated into one municipality: the Breede River Winelands

Municipality. Before the different towns merged, they all made use of their own landfills. After

becoming one municipality, the only landfill being used is the Ashton landfill.

Al the waste is dumped at the landfill site in Ashton. Without any way of recycling the landfill will fill

up in a fast way, sooner than a new landfill can be built. This emphasizes the importance of

minimizing the waste stream going to the Ashton landfill. In the Polokwane Declaration minimizing

waste is a goal for the government of South Africa. They declared that the waste production should

be reduced to 50% in 2012 and zero waste should be produced in 2022.

The BRWM is currently on the 7th

place on the Ladder of Lansink.

The next points describe the current waste situation. The points are described in the same order as

figure 1.

1. The producers of waste pay a collection fee to the municipality. The producers of waste put

their waste, on given dates, in a bag on the street. The inhabitants buy their waste bags in

the supermarkets. There is one bag for all the waste they produce, therefore there isnt any

separation of waste.

4 Source: Smink Factory in Amersfoort



2. Most of the farmers burn their waste. Some of them bring it to the landfill, since they can

lose their license for burning their waste.

3. Builders have to bring their waste to the landfill in Ashton. It happens that builders dump

their waste at an illegal dumped site.

4. Green waste is mixed with the normal household waste and brought to the landfill by the

municipality. The big pieces of green waste are brought to the compost site in Robertson.

5. The business waste is collected by brokers or by the municipality. The brokers can collect

what they want, the municipality collects the waste that the brokers dont collect.

6. The inhabitants of the BRWM arent aware of waste recycling. Therefore separating at source

isnt done in the BRWM. All the household waste is mixed in one bag. Recyclables are mixed

with organic waste, this makes the recyclables dirty and unusable.

7. In the low income areas there is a lot of illegal dumping. It is very hard to prevent this from

happening, since the dumping happens during the night and the people wont say who did

the illegal dumping. The inhabitants in these areas have strong community sense, so they

wont squeal each other out.

8. The municipality bring the collected waste with trucks to the Ashton landfill site. It isnt

dumped, but pickers sort the waste out before it gets dumped.

9. Pickers are working at the Ashton landfill site. They collect recyclables and reusable waste

out of the waste that is dumped. Pickers sell these items to brokers. The conditions were

these people are working in are very poor. The pickers do not have any protective clothing.

Since abattoir waste is dumped together with the domestic waste, there is a chance they get

a disease. They work in a non-human friendly environment.

10. The brokers earn money by buying and selling recyclable waste. On the landfill they buy

waste that is collected by the pickers. Some of the waste the brokers sell, they collect directly

from the producers like supermarkets, factories and farms and other collectors like churches

and schools.

11. The Ashton landfill site deals with a shortage of airspace. All the domestic and commercial

waste produced is dumped in Ashton. Next to domestic waste abattoir waste is dumped as

well on the landfill site. Unfortunately, this landfill is not constructed to handle the disposal

of the abattoir waste. At the moment the abattoir waste is dumped at the landfill in trenches

in the ground and covered with lime5

.

This is not the right solution, because of hygienic issues. It is a possibility to transport the

abattoir waste to Cape Town where it can be burned or used as a resource for producing

food for pets. At the moment, it is too expensive for the abattoirs to transport their waste to

Cape Town.

5 Source: Waste, problem or opportunity; Final report 2008



The next diagram6 shows the current process of waste management in BRWM.

1.3 Time till landfill is filled

A part of the non-building engineering related research is a calculation in what speed the landfill will

be filled. This is done in cooperation with Max Kranendijk, a student from the University of Applied

Sciences Utrecht, who did his graduation on the same waste management project in Robertson.

Previous groups of students did research to the amounts of waste in Kilograms and the amount of

recyclables in the waste. Not all the recyclables in the waste can be recycled. There are different

factors that will reduce the amount of recyclables that can be recycled. These factors are described in

the annexure7.

All the factors are inserted in a schematic overview that results in an amount of waste in KG that will

be dumped and the amount in KG that will be recycled.

Based on this, another schematic overview is made where the amount of dumped waste in volume

(m3) is calculated. To make this calculation, factors are chosen to multiply with for different kinds of

dumped waste. These factors are based on information from The Netherlands and information from

the Municipality of Hermanus. The calculation with an explanation is attached in the annexure.


7 See Annexure: Chapter 6 Waste Quantities

Figure 1: The current situation in the BRWM



2 Desired situation waste management

2.1 Desired situation in The Netherlands

The West of Europe is a lot further with waste management then South Africa is. Most of the

countries situated in the west of Europe are trying to take the step to 1st

place on the Ladder of

Lansink. This first place means: preventing or decreasing the amount of waste that is produced.

For example: to decrease the making of products that corrodes after a certain amount of time.

Or products that are made from raw materials, where the raw material can be used again to make a

new product. For example, old steel that can be melt to make new steel. This will reduce the waste

stream and will have advantages for everybody. For the manufacturers as well, who will use their

own raw materials again to build new products.

2.2 Desired situation in the Breede River Winelands Municipality

The current situation is not advanced enough compared to the problems the municipality faces. As

explained, the Ashton landfill site will be full in a short time. The municipality should manage their

waste problem better to goal the Polokwane Declaration and reduce the waste production.

In a desired situation, less waste is dumped on the landfill site and new jobs are created. The points

are described in the same order as in figure 2. In this situation a recycling system includes:

1. Awareness of the waste problem and the knowledge of waste separation.

2. Inhabitants will bring their own green waste to the transfer stations in the specific town.

From there it will be transported to the compost site in Robertson. The inhabitants of

Robertson will bring their garden waste straight to the compost site. Small pieces of garden

waste can be put in the non-recyclable bag.

3. In the low income areas there are skips where the inhabitants can dump their green waste.

The municipality empties those skips.

4. Farmers will bring their own waste to the nearest waste transfer station and will pay for this.

The price that they pay will depends on the amount and the regularity of waste that they

bring in. Farmers will separate their waste and dump it in the small skips at the transfer

stations. Farmers cant burn their own waste anymore, since they will lose their license by

doing so.

5. Builders can choose what they do. Option one is that they bring their builders rubble to the

landfill site. Option two is that they bring their builders rubble to the nearest transfer station.

In case of option two they have to pay for it, because the municipality have to bring their

builders rubble to the landfill site.

There are a couple of destinations for the builders rubble. The old landfill in Bonnievale and

Montagu will be covered with builders rubble. This will be done to finish and close this

landfill.

Another destination is to fill the hole in the ground at the illegal dumping site in Robertson.

There is a big hole in the ground and when it is raining a lot the water flow into it. Last year a



child was drowned here. There was a lot of commotion about this accident and that is why

the municipality want to close this hole with builders rubble.

A future plan8 is to separate waste at the building location. Builders waste can be reused

then and less waste will be dumped. This is a plan for 10 years, because nowadays there is no

money for this.

6. In the desired situation there isnt illegal dumping. This is insuperable and that is why illegal

dumping is in the schematic overview. After collection by the municipality this will brought to

a transfer station.

7. Separation of waste at source. Each household will have two bags; one bag for recyclables

and one bag for non-recyclables. Due to the fact that the recyclable and non recyclable waste

does not get mixed up and contaminated with water and organic waste, the quality and

quantity of recyclables is much higher. This will reduce the amount of waste.

8. The Municipality will collect the waste bags separately. The recyclable bags are brought to

the MRF and the non-recyclable bags are brought to the landfill site.

9. Buy-back centres in the poor areas. A buy-back centre is a building where people can bring

their recyclable waste. They get paid for bringing their recyclables per KG. It is possible that

the people get paid in food coupons or other products that improve their situation.

Because of these buy-back centres inhabitants in low income areas will be stimulated to join

the waste separation. This will reduce the illegal dumping. The waste that is illegal dumped

will be brought by the municipality to the nearest transfer station. The non-recyclables can

be dumped in small skips, which are spread over the area. The municipality will empty these

skips.

10. In the MRF, a pilot will prove if it is feasible enough to sort out this waste. The quality of the

waste from these areas is lower. If it isnt feasible enough this waste will directly dumped at

the landfill site.

11. There will be combined glass bins spread over the towns. Inhabitants can drop their glass in

here. These glass bins will be emptied by the municipality. The glass will be brought to the

MRF in Ashton.

12. Brokers will collect the waste from the businesses, schools, churches and other

organizations. The brokers will give bins to these parties. After collection the brokers will

compact the waste and sell it to recycle companies. For the brokers the price of the

recyclables is very important. The prices of recyclables are fluctuating in South Africa.

Consequence can be that brokers only collect the recyclables that are profitable enough.

For the municipality it is important that waste collection and separation is happening. The

municipality will collect the business waste at the businesses where brokers dont collect.

13. At this moment there isnt a solution for abattoir waste. The municipality dont know yet

what to do with it. For the moment they will dump it at the landfill till an alternative is

available.




14. In the current system the pickers work for themselves or for brokers at the landfill. In the

desired situation there are no more people working on the landfill in bad conditions. A

solution for this people can be that they work in the MRF near the conveyor belt.

15. Waste transfer stations will be built in Robertson, Ashton, Montagu and McGregor. This will

reduce the costs of waste transport. Waste can be collected and stored here and when the

skips are full, they will be transported to the MRF. These transfer stations will be a collection

point for farmers waste and garden waste as well. Farmers have to bring their own waste to

the transfer stations. Bonnievale dont get a transfer station, because the new MRF will be

close to this village. The waste here will be transported directly to the MRF.

16. A new landfill site in the area between Bonnievale and Ashton. The current landfill site

reaches his limits. A new landfill site is necessary.

17. A working Material Recovery Facility (MRF). In the MRF, all the useable recyclables are taken

out of the recyclable bags. Not all the collected recyclables are of a proper quality standard,

which means that not everything can be used. By taking the recyclables out, less waste is

dumped on the landfill site. There is a market for recyclable materials. In this market two

different parties are involved; the brokers and the actual recyclers of collected waste. Waste

that is recovered will be sold on this market.

Nowadays the MRF is build at the current landfill in Ashton. When this landfill is full and the

new landfill near to Bonnievale is operating, this MRF will be moved to this new landfill. They

will disassemble the building and rebuild it at the new landfill site.



The desired situation is shown in the following schematic overview:

Household

Recyclables

bags

Non-

Recyclables

bags

Farm waste Transfer

stationsCompost site

Material

Recovery

Facility

Waste

Landfil

Brokers

Collectors

Green waste

Abattoir waste

Business waste

Builders waste

Illegal dumping

Collectors

Recycling

companies

Collectors

Buy back centre

Glass bins

Figure 2: The desired situation in the BRWM

WASTE MANAGEMENT

ROBERTSON, SOUTH AFRICA

3 What is a waste transfer station

To complete this part of the research an analys

building is the Material Recovery Facility

done during the building period. A report is made and attached in the annexure. This research gave

us a good idea of the important aspects of industrial buildings which are used for waste

management.

Some aspects of the MRF are used for the design

The other information in this chapter is provided by Dirk Steyn and persons who

These interviews are attached in the annexure.

3.1 Meaning

A waste transfer station is a place where waste arrives and waste leaves. It is a

waste. Most of the times the waste is stored in skips. There are different sizes of skips. Different

kinds of waste can arrive in a waste transfer station. It depends

the municipality. In the most situations the waste is transported by trucks

3.2 Benefit

The benefit of a waste transfer station is to reduce transport costs. When a skip at the transfer

station is filled, a truck with this skip will drive

When there isnt a transfer station

is not full. When there is a transfer station

3.3 Kinds of transfer stations

There are big and small transfer stations. Cape Town

big transfer stations. Villages with less waste have got smaller waste transfer station

for a transfer station in McGregor

A big transfer station is a building with five or more skips where waste can be dumped. The

has to be at least 7.5 meters high. This is because the trucks have to tip up. The depth of the building

is at least 15 meter. Therefore,

wet. This kind of transfer stations has

The front side is open so that

easily in and out. Since the front is open,

enough natural ventilation will be

(Figure 3).

A split level is build inside the transfer station.

This difference in height makes it easy t

the waste into the skips (Figure 4).

skips are full, the trucks can easily picks the

skips up. The skips are standing on the lower

level. These skips can be emptied

direction of the arrows.

TRANSFER STATION ROBERTSON

2009

t is a waste transfer station

part of the research an analysis is done to another waste related building. This

Material Recovery Facility (MRF) in Ashton. Drawings are analyzed and inspection



Some aspects of the MRF are used for the design of the transfer station in Robertson.

The other information in this chapter is provided by Dirk Steyn and persons who

are attached in the annexure.

place where waste arrives and waste leaves. It is a


kinds of waste can arrive in a waste transfer station. It depends on what kind of was

. In the most situations the waste is transported by trucks.

of a waste transfer station is to reduce transport costs. When a skip at the transfer

station is filled, a truck with this skip will drive to a MRF where this waste will be sort

When there isnt a transfer station, trucks have to drive from a village to a MRF, e

t full. When there is a transfer station a big truck will drive two big skips.

stations

There are big and small transfer stations. Cape Town and other big cities, with a lot of waste

. Villages with less waste have got smaller waste transfer station

for a transfer station in McGregor.

big transfer station is a building with five or more skips where waste can be dumped. The

to be at least 7.5 meters high. This is because the trucks have to tip up. The depth of the building

the trucks will be standing under a roof and the waste will

This kind of transfer stations has got space for the employees.

trucks can ride

Since the front is open,

enough natural ventilation will be provided.

A split level is build inside the transfer station.

This difference in height makes it easy to dump

(Figure 4).When the

easily picks the

skips up. The skips are standing on the lower

. These skips can be emptied in the

Figure 3 : Truck dumping waste at a transfer station

BRWM

20

is done to another waste related building. This

(MRF) in Ashton. Drawings are analyzed and inspections are



of the transfer station in Robertson.

The other information in this chapter is provided by Dirk Steyn and persons who were interviewed.

place where waste arrives and waste leaves. It is a building to store


what kind of waste is produced in

of a waste transfer station is to reduce transport costs. When a skip at the transfer

to a MRF where this waste will be sorted out.

a MRF, even when the truck

with a lot of waste, got very

. Villages with less waste have got smaller waste transfer stations, like the plan

big transfer station is a building with five or more skips where waste can be dumped. The building

to be at least 7.5 meters high. This is because the trucks have to tip up. The depth of the building

roof and the waste will not get

3 : Truck dumping waste at a transfer station

WASTE MANAGEMENT


A small waste transfer station isnt a building

are covered. In the figure 5, the

higher level, the trucks dump their waste into the skips. From the other site, on a lower

pick up the skips when they are filled.

When the transfer station contains a building

industrial buildings have got sheet

concrete. The building needs to be strong

construction parts. To prevent this

needed to protect the cladding and construction

The transfer station in Robertson will be a combination of a small and big a transfer station. It will

store two big skips inside and 4 smaller skips outside. These small skips will be covered.

The most transfer stations are secured.

entree gate, as a result waste wont be stolen.

The next years the BRWM will build transfer stations in McGregor, Robertson, Ashton and Montagu.

The transfer station in Ashton will be build after t

The first transfer station will be

transfer station in Robertson is made by Thijs Aarden and Pim van de Bunt

for the other transfer stations in the BRWM.

3.4 Transport

Waste transport from a transfer station happens with trucks and cars. People who

waste will do this by car or trailer. The municipality

detailed summary about the waste transfer station in Robertson is described in

Analysis operating transfer station.

options arent feasible.

Figure 6 shows the desired facilities and the transport lines in the BRWM. The red circles are the

transfer stations. The big red circle is the MRF with the new landfill.

when the MRF and landfill are moved to Bonnievale.

9 See Annexure: chapter 13: Minutes

Figure 4 : Split level principle


2009

ansfer station isnt a building (Figure 5). The skips are standing outside and the tops

, the principle of a small transfer station is displayed.

higher level, the trucks dump their waste into the skips. From the other site, on a lower

pick up the skips when they are filled.

When the transfer station contains a building, the construction is often made

sheet cladding on the sides and the floor is made from reinforced

to be strong, because of the chance that trucks drive against sides or

this from happening, a reinforced concrete wall of 1 meter high is

to protect the cladding and construction9.

ion in Robertson will be a combination of a small and big a transfer station. It will


The most transfer stations are secured. The area is fenced and there is a security person on the

, as a result waste wont be stolen.


The transfer station in Ashton will be build after the MRF is moved to Bonnievale.

The first transfer station will be built in McGregor. A plan is already made for this.

ation in Robertson is made by Thijs Aarden and Pim van de Bunt. This plan will be the basis

ansfer stations in the BRWM.

Waste transport from a transfer station happens with trucks and cars. People who

car or trailer. The municipality will bring the waste with

about the waste transfer station in Robertson is described in

sis operating transfer station. The transport in the BRWM will happen with trucks. Other

shows the desired facilities and the transport lines in the BRWM. The red circles are the

transfer stations. The big red circle is the MRF with the new landfill. This figure shows the situation

when the MRF and landfill are moved to Bonnievale. The waste will be transported from the transfer

chapter 13: Minutes Jan Palm Consulting Engineers

Figure 5: A small transfer station

BRWM

21

are standing outside and the tops

displayed. From one side, on a

higher level, the trucks dump their waste into the skips. From the other site, on a lower level, trucks

often made of steel. These

nd the floor is made from reinforced

because of the chance that trucks drive against sides or

ete wall of 1 meter high is

ion in Robertson will be a combination of a small and big a transfer station. It will


The area is fenced and there is a security person on the


he MRF is moved to Bonnievale.

in McGregor. A plan is already made for this. The plan for the

. This plan will be the basis

Waste transport from a transfer station happens with trucks and cars. People who are bringing their

waste with compactors. A more

about the waste transfer station in Robertson is described in the annexure:

The transport in the BRWM will happen with trucks. Other

shows the desired facilities and the transport lines in the BRWM. The red circles are the

This figure shows the situation

will be transported from the transfer

WASTE MANAGEMENT


stations to the MRF and landfill. The green waste is brought by the farmers and inhabitants to the

transfer stations. From the transfer stations it

The green circle is the compost site. The brown circles are buy

The collected waste will be transported with the recyclables of the regarding town to the MRF.


2009


. From the transfer stations it will be transported to the compost site in Robertson.

e is the compost site. The brown circles are buy-back centres in the low income areas.


Figure 6: Map of waste transport in the BRWM

BRWM

22


will be transported to the compost site in Robertson.

back centres in the low income areas.


6: Map of waste transport in the BRWM

WASTE MANAGEMENT


4 Town planning

4.1 Breede River Winelands

Figure 7 shows the situation of the towns; Robertson, Ashton, Montagu, McGregor and Bonnievale in

the Breede River Winelands valley.

4.2 Robertson

4.2.1 Structure

Figure 8 is a map from Robertson. By drawing lines the structure of Robertson is shown. In this

structure the influence of the history is visible. Robertson is the biggest town that belongs to the

BRWM. This paragraph will explain the basis of the structure of buildings in

Figure 7 : Map of Breede River Winelands Municipality


2009

Breede River Winelands

shows the situation of the towns; Robertson, Ashton, Montagu, McGregor and Bonnievale in

the Breede River Winelands valley.

from Robertson. By drawing lines the structure of Robertson is shown. In this


BRWM. This paragraph will explain the basis of the structure of buildings in Robertson.

7 : Map of Breede River Winelands Municipality

BRWM

23

shows the situation of the towns; Robertson, Ashton, Montagu, McGregor and Bonnievale in

from Robertson. By drawing lines the structure of Robertson is shown. In this


Robertson.

WASTE MANAGEMENT


In

t

decided that there was no place for blacks, even though they

constituted over 75% of the population. Blacks didnt had rights and

the government made their live very difficult.

Apartheid is official abolished in 1994

thi

and

Another legacy of apartheid is the separation of living areas from

whites, blacks and


2009

In South Africa there is still a legacy of the apartheid policies.

the apartheid government, which consisted only



the government made their live very difficult.

Apartheid is official abolished in 1994, but it is

things of daily life. Examples are the less black people in restaurants

and separated places for entertainment for blacks and whites.


whites, blacks and coloured people. In the period of the

Figure

BRWM

24

legacy of the apartheid policies. During

only of white people,



s still recognizable in

ss black people in restaurants

nment for blacks and whites.


people. In the period of the apartheid

Figure 8: Map of Robertson



people werent allowed to cross the borders between those areas. Everyone had their own area

where they lived. Most of the time the borders where marked by railways, rivers or roads. Robertson

had these borders as well. In Robertson the border between the black and the white area was the

railway.

After the apartheid was abolished the borders where removed. Nowadays there are no borders

anymore, but the marks of the borders are still visible. During the apartheid the blacks were harmed

the most. For this reason they live in the most underdeveloped areas.

The orange line in figure 8 shows the previous borders between areas. The northern borders

separate the white area (area 1) with the coloured area (area 2). Nowadays the areas mix with each

other. This happens in a slow tempo. People dont want to move to another area, because their

families will still be living in the other. Since people in South Africa have strong connection with

family and friends, this process will take a while before different areas will emerges together.

The southern orange line is the former border between the black (area 3) and white area (area 1),

separated by the railway. The black areas are the most underdeveloped areas.

Between the orange lines, area 1, lays the centre of Robertson, the former white area. In the past,

the apartheid regime forced the blacks and coloured people to move from the centre to the borders

of Robertson. The centre was only a place to live for the whites.

The purple line is the main road that leads to Worcester and Ashton. Southern of this line is an

industrial area of Robertson what marks the end of the town.

Future expansions will not be made in this southern direction. If this happens, the new buildings will

be isolated from the centre by this industrial area. This isnt the desired situation.

4.2.1.1 Former white area

In this area, area 1, you can see the logical structure of streets that are build perpendicular on each

other. In this part of Robertson live the richest people. Most of the inhabitants who live in this part of

Robertson are white or coloured. In the East and West a river marks the end of this area.

In the East of Robertson on the right side of the river are industrial buildings. In the past this area is

build on the border of the town.

Nowadays some white inhabitants have moved from the centre of town to the borders. That is why

the industrial area is enclosed with houses.

4.2.1.2 Former coloured area

The former coloured area is in the North of Robertson. In the figure you can see the streets arent

perpendicular. The structure isnt that logical and simple as in area 1. There are fewer roads that lead

out this area. You can easily get lost here. The way ends against the mountain.

The living situation of the inhabitants here isnt that good as the white people have in area 1.

A program has started to reduce and eliminate these differences. The Reconstruction and

Development Program is a national program to eliminate the difference between different people.

More detailed information is described in chapter 4.2.3.



4.2.1.3 Former black area

The former black area is area 3 in figure 8. Just as the coloured area, this area is built on the border

of the original town as result of the Apartheid.

This is a under developed area where people dont have the facilities that they should have. The

people here live in shacks, which are built by them. The inhabitants share the toilets with each other.

This results in unhygienic facilities and a place where diseases can spread easily.

The structure of this part of Robertson is built in a more logical way than the coloured area. The most

streets are straight. In contrast with the white and coloured area the roads arent paved here. The

road is made from sand, gravel and small stones. This area is build against a mountain as well. There

is only one exit road out of this area. That isnt the most ideal situation, but it doesnt cause much

problem since the population in this area is relatively low.

4.2.2 Green

As you can see in figure 8 there arent many green areas in Robertson. The coloured area has

comparatively the most green areas. There is a difference between the quality of the green areas in

the concerning areas. The green areas in the former white area have got the highest quality. The

green areas are parks with grass and trees. It is a place to calm down or picnic, a place where people

meet each other. There are small play areas as well in these parks.

The green areas in the coloured area do get less maintenance. There are no trees and only

dehydrated grass. For this reason, these green areas dont look that pleasant and the area isnt a

place to get pleasure from. Household waste is frequently dumped in the green areas as well.

One time, the municipality placed a swing in a park in the coloured area. This swing was stolen within

a week. This is a big problem, since the municipality has decided to stop placing attributes like

swings. Because of that, these green areas will never become a pleasant place for children to play in.

In the black area there are no green areas at all. Only at the entrance of the area a green area is

made. This is done, in order to give the area a nice look and to invite people to come in. This is done

in the Ashton black area as well. These green areas are being maintained by the municipality.

4.2.3 Policy

4.2.3.1 Reconstruction and Development Program

The Reconstruction and Development Program, RDP, is a program of the South African government.

It is an integrated, coherent socio-economic policy framework. It seeks to mobilize all the South

African people and resources toward the final eradication of apartheid and the building of a

democratic, non-racial and non-sexist future.

The history of South Africa has been dominated by colonialism, racism, apartheid and repressive

labour policies. The result is that poverty and degradation exist side by side with modern cities and a

developed mining, industrial and commercial infrastructure.

The income diversity in South Africa is one of the most unequal in the world. Wealth and poverty

characterize the society.



The economy was built on systematically enforced racial division in every sphere of the society. Rural

areas have been divided into underdeveloped areas and well-developed, white-owned commercial

farming areas. Towns and cities have been divided into townships without basic infrastructure for

blacks and well-resourced suburbs for whites.

Six basic principles, linked together, make up the political and economic philosophy that underlies

the whole RDP. They are:

An integrated and sustainable program. The strategies will be implemented at national,

provincial and local levels by government and organizations within civil society working

within the framework of the RDP.

A people-driven process. The people are the most important resource. The RDP is focused

on the people's most immediate needs.

Peace and security for all. Everyone deserves a peaceful and safe place to live.

Nation-building. Nation-building is the basis to build a South Africa that can support the

development of the Southern African region. Nation-building is also the basis on which to

ensure that the country takes up an effective role within the world community. Only a

program that develops economic, political and social viability can ensure the national

sovereignty.

Link reconstruction and development. The RDP integrates growth, development,

reconstruction and redistribution. The key to this link is an infrastructural program that will

provide access to modern and effective services like electricity, water, telecommunications,

transport, health, education and training for all the people. This program will both meet

basic needs and open up previously suppressed economic and human potential in urban and

rural areas. In turn this will lead to an increased output in all sectors of the economy, and by

modernizing the infrastructure and human resource development, it will enhance export

capacity as well. Success in linking reconstruction and development is essential to achieve

peace and security for all.

Democratization of South Africa. Minority control and privilege in every aspect of the society

are the main obstruction to developing an integrated program that unleashes all the

resources of the country. The RDP requires fundamental changes in the way that policy is

made and programs are implemented. Above all, the people affected must participate in

decision-making. Democratization must begin to transform both the state and civil society.

Democracy is not confined to periodic elections. It is, rather, an active process enabling

everyone to contribute to reconstruction and development.

The RDP is an integrated program, based on the people, which provides peace and security for all

and builds the nation, links reconstruction and development and deepens democracy10

.

10

Source: www.anc.co.za



4.2.3.2 RDP housing

Part of the six basic principles is to give the poorest people a house where they can live in. Every year

each municipality in South-Africa gets a budget to build RDP houses for their inhabitants. The RDP

houses in the BRWM are 40 m2. There are two bedrooms, a kitchen, a bathroom and a living room.

This size depends on the budget the municipality get. In 2009 the budget was 14.9 million Rand

(approximately 1.3 million Euro). This is a budget only for construction, services and maintenance.

The next 3-5 years the municipality will build the following amount of RDP houses:

Robertson: 527 RDP houses. 444 new houses, 55 houses will be build in the existing poor

community, 28 houses will be rebuild.

Ashton: 173 new houses

Bonnievale: 56 new houses

Montagu: 61 new houses

McGregor: 350 new houses

These houses are built with cement and bricks. The cost of one RDP house is:

House: 61000 Rand (5300 Euro)

Water: 7239 Rand (630 Euro)

Refuse Removal: 64 Rand per month (5.5 Euro)

Electricity: 8000 Rand (695 Euro)

Streets and storm water: 25125 Rand (2185 Euro)

Inhabitants can sign in for a new RDP house. There is a waiting list for the people who signed in. Up

till 2009, 7000 people have signed up. The list has to be renewed, since a lot of people are on the list,

but they have moved away or they have died. The list can be reduced to 4000 people.

It is difficult to find land to build those RDP houses. Most of the time, it is build between existing

neighbourhoods and sometimes it is build at a new location on the border of the town.

External consultants will make the location design for the new areas. The plan layout of the RDP

houses and the specifications of the houses are made by the Department of Housing. All the houses

in a new area are build the same way, only the colours of the building are different from each other.

Figure 9 is an example of RDP houses. As shown the design of the houses is the same, but the colours

are different.

Figure 9 : Example of RDP

WASTE MANAGEMENT


4.3 Concerning location

4.3.1 Location description

Figure 10 is a map of Robertson. The red circle shows

Robertson. Figure 11 zooms in on the specific location. The green circle is the compost facility and

the red circle is the location for the transfer station

Robertson to McGregor.




2009

is a map of Robertson. The red circle shows the location of the new transfer station in

zooms in on the specific location. The green circle is the compost facility and

for the transfer station. The purple line indicates the road from

The regarding location is

situated outside Robertson

the road to McGregor.

good location to build

industrial building, since its far

away from the residential area

of Robertson.

figure 12 shows the location

the transfer station

The location is chosen by the

municipality.

mark the border of the

Robertson buildings.

border consists

buildings and companies.

Figure 11 : Map of the building location

BRWM

29

the location of the new transfer station in

zooms in on the specific location. The green circle is the compost facility and

. The purple line indicates the road from

The regarding location is

situated outside Robertson on

the road to McGregor. It is a

good location to build an

industrial building, since its far

away from the residential area

of Robertson. The red circle in

shows the location of

the transfer station.

location is chosen by the

municipality. The brown circles

the border of the

Robertson buildings. This

border consists of industrial

buildings and companies.

WASTE MANAGEMENT


As mentioned before, future expansions will not be made

happens, the new buildings will be isolated from the centre by this industrial area. For this reason

the waste transfer station is situated at a good location.

The transfer station will be built next to the old landfill in Robertson, which is on the road

McGregor. The compost site is located as well on this location.

total area of 5840 m2 and this w

The municipality owns the ground and currently the ground is used to store waste that comes from

the farms. Figure 13 shows the entrance road to the current informal transfer station. This road

needs to be paved in the new situation.

4.3.2 Existing obstructions

Currently, the location is used for

a fenced area where waste is brought with small collection trucks.

and the waste will get wet.

There are two piles with waste. One pile

green waste from the farmers. This gree

transfer station.

The obstructions on the location are the concrete walls

new transfer station. Another obstruction on this location is the electricity line. Two electricity lines

cross the location. These lines will be moved away from the location and placed next to it.

advantage is that the terrain is flat.

site.

Figure 13: Entrance of the existing compost site


2009

As mentioned before, future expansions will not be made towards the southern direction. If this

happens, the new buildings will be isolated from the centre by this industrial area. For this reason

the waste transfer station is situated at a good location.

The transfer station will be built next to the old landfill in Robertson, which is on the road

McGregor. The compost site is located as well on this location. The building site of the location has a

whole area can be used for the transfer station.


shows the entrance road to the current informal transfer station. This road

to be paved in the new situation. Figure 14 shows the current situation on the location.

used for an informal waste transfer station. This informal transfer station is

fenced area where waste is brought with small collection trucks. The waste isnt covered by a roof

There are two piles with waste. One pile is the black bags from the farmers and the other pile is

from the farmers. This green waste is going to the compost site, next to the informal

The obstructions on the location are the concrete walls. Part of these walls can b

Another obstruction on this location is the electricity line. Two electricity lines

ines will be moved away from the location and placed next to it.

advantage is that the terrain is flat. Because of this there wont be high costs on levelling the building

13: Entrance of the existing compost site Figure 14 : Current situation on the building location

BRWM

30

southern direction. If this

happens, the new buildings will be isolated from the centre by this industrial area. For this reason,

The transfer station will be built next to the old landfill in Robertson, which is on the road to

The building site of the location has a


shows the entrance road to the current informal transfer station. This road

14 shows the current situation on the location.

informal transfer station is

The waste isnt covered by a roof

and the other pile is

n waste is going to the compost site, next to the informal

Part of these walls can be reused for the

Another obstruction on this location is the electricity line. Two electricity lines

ines will be moved away from the location and placed next to it. An

Because of this there wont be high costs on levelling the building

14 : Current situation on the building location



4.3.3 Zoning plan

Several concepts are made. These concepts are described in chapter 7.3. There are a couple of

departure points:

Office on the north

Short distances for cars and trucks,

One space for distribution of the brought waste.

Logical routes

4.3.4 Fit in neighbourhood

The location is in a rural area. It is difficult to fit an industrial building like this in a rural area. It can be

done by using natural materials with natural colours. It is the intention to use natural materials. This

has to be feasible for the municipality as well.

There wont be height limitations, because there are no surrounding buildings.



5 Architectural analysis

To get a good insight of the local architecture research is done about the local architecture of the

different buildings in Breede River Winelands. A comparison is made of the different buildings styles,

building methods, roofing types and building years. In order to get a complete view of the area, the

industrial and public facilities were visited as well. The research is shown in the annexure. This

chapter describes the conclusions of the research.

The architectural styles that can be found in Breede River Winelands are influenced by the history.

There is a big different between the buildings of the white people and the black and coloured people.

The buildings in the poorest communities dont have any architectural style. There are quite a lot of

houses that have been built in the Cape Dutch style. The more prestigious public buildings are built in

Neo-styles.

The next figure shows the identified styles with their characteristics.

Architectural style Buildings Characteristics Period

Cape Dutch style Houses Decorated fronts

Pointed roofs

Plastered with walls

H-shape houses

Thatched roofs

1650- 1880

Neo Baroque style Schools

Municipal

buildings

Decorated fronts

Arched ceilings

Big windows

Covered walls (with plaster)

Round 1900

Neo-Gothic style Churches Pointed arches

Curved windows

Turrets on the roof

1800-1900

For the design of the transfer station there has been tried to insert an architectural style in the

expression, so that it will correspond with the existing architecture styles in the region. However, the

municipal budget is very limited. For that reason, it was very challenging to add an architectural style

to the transfer station.

WASTE MANAGEMENT


6 Building methods

In this chapter, the available building materials and the local building methods will be explained. First

the possibilities will be described, which will be followed with a material overview, which will give

clearness about the advantages and the disadvantages of

6.1 Foundation

The most common way to make foundations in

South-Africa is with a thin in-situ concrete floor

with bricks up, till ground level. Mostly they dont

use pales in the ground, because the clay ground

is strong enough to take care of the weight of the

buildings.

For bigger buildings, a concrete slab is made to

hand over the weight of the building. These

concrete slabs are connected to each other by a

concrete beam. In figure 15 you can see the

principle of this slab. The slabs are made at the

places where the steel columns are.

On the concrete beams a brick wall is made as foundation wall. This brick wall is a cavity wall and

reinforced with steel mesh. The cavity is filled up with concrete or cement to

Bricks and blocks are the most basic building components. There are two basic types of bricks, clay

bricks and concrete bricks. Blocks are made of concrete. Bricks and blocks can be bought in the

BRWM.

Mortar is a mix of cement, water and s

and plasterwork, as well as for general jobs such as building

There are three classes of mortar. Class I

light stressed applications.

Cement is made from limestone and

temperatures to make cement clinker. A small amount of gypsum is added to the cement clinker

once it has cooled and then ground i

chemical and physical reaction called hydration occurs. This hardens, so binding and giving strength

to concretes and mortars.

Cement in the BRWM can be supplied by several companies. For example Bui

The most famous factory who delivers cement is PPC Cement.

Concrete is a mixture of cement, aggregates (

Concrete needs to be compacted once it has been poured. There are lots of ways to compact

concrete, but the workability of concrete must always allow full compaction, in the position required.

Concrete can be made on site or supplied by factories. There arent factories in the BRWM who can

deliver premixed concrete. The companies Build it and Marais AH can supply the materials to mix


2009

chapter, the available building materials and the local building methods will be explained. First


clearness about the advantages and the disadvantages of each material.

The most common way to make foundations in

situ concrete floor

with bricks up, till ground level. Mostly they dont

use pales in the ground, because the clay ground

is strong enough to take care of the weight of the

For bigger buildings, a concrete slab is made to

hand over the weight of the building. These

concrete slabs are connected to each other by a

you can see the

b. The slabs are made at the

places where the steel columns are.


reinforced with steel mesh. The cavity is filled up with concrete or cement to create



Mortar is a mix of cement, water and sand. The main use of mortar is for bricklaying, laying floor tiles

and plasterwork, as well as for general jobs such as building-in or sealing holes.

There are three classes of mortar. Class I has got the highest strength and Class III should be used by

Cement is made from limestone and shales which are finely ground, blended and fired at very high


once it has cooled and then ground into a fine powder. When cement is mixed with water, a


Cement in the BRWM can be supplied by several companies. For example Bui

The most famous factory who delivers cement is PPC Cement.

Concrete is a mixture of cement, aggregates (common aggregate is river sand and stone





Figure 15: Foundation of the MRF in Ashton

BRWM

33

chapter, the available building materials and the local building methods will be explained. First



create more strength.



for bricklaying, laying floor tiles

got the highest strength and Class III should be used by

which are finely ground, blended and fired at very high


nto a fine powder. When cement is mixed with water, a


Cement in the BRWM can be supplied by several companies. For example Build it or Marais AH.

common aggregate is river sand and stone) and water.





Foundation of the MRF in Ashton

WASTE MANAGEME

Design of a waste transfer station in Robertson, South Africa

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