Pikitup's Managing Director Siva Pillay cut the ribbon at the official opening of phase one of the Linbro Park rehabilitation project

RELATED LINKS: Landfill site transformed into park THE Linbro Park landfill site is to be transformed into a recreation area as part of Pikitup's ongoing efforts to rehabilitate all five of Joburg's landfill sites. Read more Waste disposal ONGOING efforts by the City of Johannesburg's waste management company Pikitup to clean up the 1 625 square kilometres that make up Johannesburg have reaped positive results. Inner city areas that were once littered and untidy are now clean and neat. Read more Pikitup picks up top award PROJECT 100 Spots, a Pikitup initiative aimed at ridding Johannesburg of illegal dumping sites, has won a silver medal at the prestigious Commonwealth Association for Public Administration and Management International Innovation Awards. Read more

A section of the trail being developed at the Linbro Park site

Welcome to Linbro Park nature reserve PIKITUP's landfill site in Linbro Park is being transformed into a nature reserve, with phase one almost finished. September 23, 2005 By Tammy O'Reilly THE landfill site in Linbro Park is well on its way to becoming an environmentally sensitive nature reserve, with the first phase of its transformation nearly complete. A nature trail is already open to the public. The eastern section of the landfill site has been targeted for phase one, with a portion converted into a nature trail with an adjacent horse trail. There are rest areas along the trail that can be used by visitors for recreational activities. In an effort to reflect the original appearance of Linbro Park, the area has also been landscaped and trees and shrubs have been planted across the eastern plateau. The entire facility is wheelchair friendly. The Linbro Park landfill site, run by City waste management company Pikitup, has served the northern suburbs for the past 36 years. The rapid increase in commercial and residential development in these areas has led to an increase in the amount of waste being produced. It is estimated that the dump will reach its capacity in the next 16 months. Its closure will signal the start of phase two of Pikitup's biggest rehabilitation project yet. "This initiative is closely linked to Pikitup's vision of becoming not only the pioneering, but also the most environmentally focussed waste management company in Africa," Pikitup's business development executive, Francois van Aswegen, said in a press release. Linbro Park communities, local forums and the provincial and national departments of water affairs and forestry were consulted on the concept for the park. Planned for this phase of the project is an eco-diverse wetland, herb growing gardens, a library, a community centre, an environmental education centre, a botanical garden and a nursery. Temporary labour for this phase will be drawn from the neighbouring communities. It is envisaged that the project will be completed within the next five years. Permission to use web site material Publishers may use material from this site free of charge, as long as: Credit is given to either the "City of Johannesburg website (www.joburg.org.za)" or to "Johannesburg News Agency (www.joburg.org.za)"; If the article is used online, a link is provided to the original article on this website; The name of the article's author is acknowledged; The webmaster is informed of how and where the material is used (fill in this brief online form). Johannesburg News Agency is operated by BIG Media at 011-484-1400 Print this Page E-mail this article to a friend Help using Joburg.org.za