Good News from South Africa

Dear friends,

We received great news from partners in South Africa: the densely populated, low income community of Atlantis won’t become home to Cape Town’s trash.

Trash from the City of Cape Town

The City of Cape Town is running out of places to put trash, so it proposed building a massive landfill in nearby Atlantis. The Apartheid government established Atlantis in the 1970s as a racially segregated industrial center. Citizens of Atlantis have struggled socially and economically for decades. Concerned about the potential impact of the massive landfill, local residents called on ELAW partners at the Legal Resources Centre for help.

ELAW scientists reviewed the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and sent information about the impact of landfills on people and the environment. Using this information, our local partners argued successfully that Atlantis is not a good place for a landfill. Instead, it will be sited in a less populated area.

Victories like this inspire us, and we hope they inspire you too!

All the best,

Michele Kuhnle
Donor Liaison
Environmental Law Alliance Worldwide