Two land uses which often compete for new land amidst the developmental pressures of urbanization are land for conservation purposes and land for new waste disposal sites.  The e’Thekwini Municipal Area (EMA) contains over a third of the population of KwaZulu-Natal province and has to dispose of waste within this area.  The Marianhill Landfill Conservancy is an initiative by the EMA designed to address both these issues. The main priorities of the initiative were to ensure that no pollution of the environment occurred and to save on costs. 

Key features of the site include the Plant Rescue Unit, which provided indigenous vegetation for rehabilitation of the peripheral “buffer zone” areas of Marianhill and on-going rehabilitation of the Bisasar Road Landfill Site.  The rescued plants help the municipality save on rehabilitation costs.  Leachate, produced as a result of rainfall passing through waste is treated onsite and landfill water is treated to reduce leachate content until the water is reusable.  This reduces the load on the municipal sewer system and allows Marianhill to use effluent for on-site dust control and irrigation.  The landfill also has a gas extraction scheme, which has been operational for 4 years.
The initiative takes the concept of a landfill, which people perceived as “disgusting” and something to avoid, and turns it into a beautiful place that is an asset to the community.