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12 August 2021 | Story Leonie Bolleurs | Photo Supplied
Tinus Viljoen (second from the left) is responsible for waste management at the university. Here he is pictured at the new chemical waste facility on the western side of the Bloemfontein Campus. With him, on his left, is Nico Janse van Rensburg, Senior Director, University Estates; Prof Danie Vermeulen, Dean of the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences; and on the far right is Benedict Mochesela, officer at University Estates.
A new chemical waste facility on the western side of the Bloemfontein Campus started functioning in July 2021 and will enhance the safe storage of hazardous materials on campus.

Since the safety of its staff and students are a key priority for the university, as stipulated in its strategic plan, a facility such as this plays an essential role in reducing any health risks and even the possibility of an explosion.

Tinus Viljoen, a Lecturer in the Department of Genetics, concurs that this facility makes the university a safer place because there are less toxic and flammable waste lying around in the labs. 

Besides his role as lecturer, he is responsible for waste management, including the collection of hazardous waste internally, classifying it, and arranging for it to be collected by accredited waste companies. 

A safer space

Waste previously stored in the Genetics Building is now kept at the new facility. Viljoen is of the opinion that this new space is safer because fewer students and staff have access to the western campus. “The chemical waste tends to smell, and on this part of the campus it is out of the way,” he says.

He also says that it helps to have a central place to store the waste, because of logistical reasons. “It makes the overall waste management easier.”

It is mainly inorganic and organic liquid/solid waste, contaminated glass, contaminated solids (e.g., filter paper and gloves), acid waste, and expired chemicals that are stored at the facility. 

This facility makes the university a safer place because there are less toxic and flammable waste lying around in the labs. – Tinus Viljoen

Adhering to legislation

He explains that he is notified by departments in the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences when they have waste to collect and that he then collects it on Fridays.

Viljoen continues: “The chemical waste is then classified according to the various waste streams and stored in large 210 l drums. When the drums are full, I contact an accredited hazardous waste company to remove, transport, and dispose of the various waste according to strict legislation, constituting the National Environmental Management Act (Act 107 of 1998), the National Environmental Management: Waste Act, 2008 (Act 59 of 2008), the Hazardous Substances Act (Act 5 of 1973), and the National Road Traffic Act, 93 of 1996 (NRTA).”

“The majority of the waste is transported to a hazardous landfill in Gauteng and the rest are incinerated,” he concludes. 

News Archive

Kovsie TV Launched
2015-05-06

Victor Ngubeni, Grace Thoabala, Nangamso Dlatu, Aisha Poswa, Lesego Maakamedi, Nothando Hlope, Aldene vd Merwe and Lawrence Siyoko

“We have to change our university before we can change our country.”

 

There is a revolution at hand, and students are requesting new and exciting platforms on which they can voice themselves. Kovsie TV aims to do just that for Kovsie students. 

 

As a student initiative, the steam behind it is SRC Student Development and Environmental Affairs, Victor Ngubeni. He says that it is only right that it be by the students themselves. The launch saw many from the campus community gathered out of curiosity and excitement for the new venture. The evening started out as quite a classy frenzy, which had attendees clearly prepared for the level of broadcasting that the launch would showcase.

 

The initial idea is to increase the number of platforms where students can receive information. The Student Media portfolio, which oversees the functioning of student media platforms, aims to make Kovsie TV as autonomous as possible. As an introductory initiative, it will aid in the sharing and telling of students’ stories.

 

It is important to mention the preparation process that was endured by the many hopefuls who auditioned, hoping to make it as one of the Kovsie TV presenters. For more than three weeks, the panel of judges sieved through the contestants until they had just six rough diamonds. Then, for the first time, the audience met the faces that they would become familiar with from this point.

 

As Ngubeni stressed during his speech, Kovsie TV would not serve as propaganda machine for the SRC, as many might have asked about the relationship that could be expected between the two. The architects of Kovsie TV hope that, as a student initiative, it will inspire a new era in student activism.

 

When asked about the concept behind this new platform, Ngubeni informed us that, “the concept is to have a twenty-minute campus TV show highlighting what goes on around campus so that students know, and so that we can get them participating in campus life activities.”

 

This is a student initiative whose future will depend solely on the students themselves.

 

Presenters:

Nangamso Dlathu – Studio presenter

Grace Thoabala – Studio presenter

Lesego Maakamedi – Social events

Nothando Hlophe – Current affairs

Aldine van der Merwe – Culture events and Vox-Pop

Mbulelo Siyoko – Culture and Vox-Pop

Aisha Phoswa ? Sports

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