Matsapha Town Council shook by the illegal dumping of used syringes and vials identified at Mkinkomo Dam worked tirelessly to remove the hazardous waste. The used needles were identified on Tuesday 4th of June 2019 where the community of Mkinkomo in Matsapha were reeling in shock and fearing for their lives after dis covering the thousands of needles.
On the same day of discovering the used disposed needles and vials, the Council arranged for litter pickers to pick all the needles and vials to immediately control the risks that the needles might pose to the public, especially children. The used needles and vials could expose the public to different types of infections such as HIV/AIDS. Council was able to collect 21kgs of the needles and vials which were safely collected into a hazardous waste bags and then were taken to the Council’s incinerator. The incinerator is used by the ratepayers and other companies, specifically health facilities that have engaged the council to safely dispose of any hazardous waste materials.
Unaware of the time that the needles were dumped, any items or waste that was dumped along with the needles is considered contaminated and could be infectious. Therefore the general waste will also be collected and taken to the incinerator as it is also now considered hazardous. The waste that cannot be incinerated such as industrial waste and builders rubbles will be taken to the Matsapha Town Council Landfill where they will be buried to eliminate further exposure to the contamination.
The Council has also gone an extra mile by deploying Rangers to patrol the site to ensure that the illegal dumping does not occur again after the place has been cleared. Since the Council along with Eswatini Environmental Authority (EEA) are investigating the matter to identify the culprits that are contravening the Waste Regulations of 2000, random inspections will be conducted at all hours of the day. Meanwhile council is also working on erecting signs that will warn against the littering and or illegal dumping.
The Matsapha ratepayers are requested that they manage their undeveloped plots by cutting overgrown vegetation. The overgrown plots encourage illegal dumping. Matsapha Town Council is mandate to ensure that the ratepayers are always safe and the environment is well conserved.
