Steel giant ArcelorMittal on Wednesday stopped waste disposal at its Vaal site after being ordered to do so by the government, the company said.
Waste disposal at the site was halted due to air and water pollution and the dumping of hazardous waste.
The company halted dumping after the Green Scorpions on Tuesday shut down operations at the Vaal site following numerous ”futile attempts” at getting the steel company to clean up its act.
In a statement on Wednesday, CEO Rick Reato said the company was complying with the order from the Gauteng agriculture, conservation and environment department, received on October 16.
The Holfontein waste-disposal site had been identified as an interim dumping area for the company. However, Reato expressed concern about dumping large quantities of general waste at the site, usually reserved for hazardous waste.
Rehabilitation at the Vaal site had also ceased as per the department, who had asked the company for an ”amended rehabilitation plan” in the next 15 days.
”We have since asked the department for an extension to this deadline as our independent advisers say they need more time to finalise the amended rehabilitation plan.
”We are, however, doing our best to ensure we comply with the department’s requests,” Reato said.
The company said that the ”environmental problems” it was experiencing were ”a legacy of past operating practices”.
It said it had made a commitment to clean up ”this environmental legacy” through a ”focus phased approach” to address the situation in a ”planned and sustainable manner”.
On Tuesday the department said environmental management inspectors, better known as the Green Scorpions, had found a ”series of non-compliances” by the Vereeniging-based company.
”Based on these violations, the department issued a notice providing the company with an opportunity to make representations to the department about the cases of non-compliance and the stern actions available to the department in cases of such negligence,” said department spokesperson Sizwe Matshikiza.
”Having studied submissions from this company as well as other applicable information and dissatisfied with the company’s representation, the department issued a directive and compliance notice against the company,” he said.
This was in addition to a criminal investigation into the dumping of waste at the Vaal site despite repeated directions to stop, he said. — Sapa