Cape Town Urgently Needs New Regional Landfill Site as Coastal Park Nears Full Capacity

The City of Cape Town is facing a pressing issue as its Coastal Park landfill site is rapidly approaching full capacity. According to the city’s 2023 Infrastructure Report, there are only four years left before the site reaches its limit. This situation puts additional strain on the City’s Vissershok landfill, which will have to bear the burden of accommodating all waste once Coastal Park is full.

The population growth in Cape Town adds to the urgency of finding a new regional landfill site. The city is now almost home to 5 million people and is on track to surpass Johannesburg as the most populous metro in South Africa. With a growing population, the need for adequate waste disposal capacity becomes critical.

Over the years, the City of Cape Town has been attempting to establish a regional landfill but has faced obstacles due to bureaucracy and delays. Stakeholder appeals and issues with the Environmental Impact Assessment process have significantly slowed down the progress. Although the process of identifying a new landfill site is currently in the feasibility stage, the acquisition of land is targeted for 2026, just a year before Coastal Park’s anticipated full capacity.

The City is now emphasizing the necessity of fast-tracking the purchase and development of a new landfill site to alleviate the pressure on existing facilities. The potential overflow of waste to Vissershok landfill if no immediate action is taken poses a concern for Cape Town’s waste management system.

To address the impending capacity issue at Coastal Park, the City plans to create a refuse transfer station (RTS) at the site. The RTS will serve as an intermediate waste disposal facility, allowing for waste to be transported to Vissershok. Additionally, there were initial plans to establish an organic reduction facility at the Coastal Park site to process organic waste closer to its point of origin, but this project has faced delays.