The Mariannhill Landfill Site is located 20 km from Durban.

"The key aims of the project were to collect and treat harmful landfill emissions using natural, robust and low-cost methods, and to rescue soil and indigenous vegetation removed during construction and store it in a nursery on site.

This clean development mechanism project sets new standards for sustainable urban infrastructure by combining natural, robust and low-cost technologies."

Text by Natalie Mayer in https://www.resourcepanel.org/file/323/download?token=oYh3a-SH

"The project began with an Environmental Impact Assessment, making Mariannhill the first landfill in South Africa to undergo such a study

The design of the Mariannhill landfill thus included three core approaches:

• The ‘naturalistic' containment, treatment and reuse of leachate

• The capture of landfill gas for electricity generation

• The protection and restoration of indigenous vegetation"

"The Mariannhill Landfill Site is a significant contributor to urban sustainability. Dependence on fossil fuels and greenhouse gas emissions are reduced by the generation of electricity from landfill gas, the supply of indigenous plants by the on-site nursery, and the re-use of biologically cleaned water on site.

Local biodiversity is protected by the restoration of indigenous vegetation, the removal of alien plants, and the creation of wetlands and migration corridors.

Economic viability is improved by the sale of electricity and carbon credits as well as the cost savings associated with on-site landfill rehabilitation and reuse of water.

The creation of employment, realisation of skills development opportunities, and education programmes each contribute to social sustainability.

A community centre and bird hide on the site are used to educate school children about sustainability, landfills, wetlands and the dangers of alien vegetation, helping to spread sustainability messages to the surrounding community"

"The landmark nature of the Mariannhill Landfill Site brought with it significant obstacles along the way. [For example] Municipal bureaucracy and the obligations of the Municipal Finance Management Act impaired the design team’s ability to find innovative solutions and required time-consuming reports."