A fed-up resident from The Hill Gareth Dorrington is taking a serious stance against illegal dumping and wants the community to be part of the solution.
Gareth shared a picture of a truck that was caught in the act of dumping refuse illegally on the corner of Southern Klipriversburg Road and East Road on April 8.
Security personnel arrived on the scene for investigation, it was established the suspects were dumping illegally they then alerted JMPD and SAPS.
Upon arrival, the suspects were made to reload the refuse back onto the tuck and were escorted to the Pikitup site to offload the refuse there.
Guardian Angel Security (GAS) owner Steve Dwarika said the truck was impounded and Living Concepts was fined R15 000 by the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department.
Unconfirmed reports indicate that the driver of the truck was arrested and detained by SAPS.
Illegal dumping has constantly plagued the South of Joburg as people have not been deterred by the fines issued by the CoJ and the JMPD.
Illegal dumping doesn’t just affect the environment but also the health of those living close to the illegal dumping sites.
The City’s by-laws against illegal dumping and littering say no person may:
• Cause litter
• Sweep waste into the gutter, road or property
• Dump waste
• Disturb anything that has been placed to collect litter in such a matter for its content to spill from it
• Allow any person to do any of the acts referred to above
Despite the best efforts from the City to try to get rid of illegal dumping sites, they always resurface.
The City urges the residents to adhere to its by-law when it comes to waste as this will help keep the City clean.
The problem usually comes from little violations that lead to bigger problems later.
Littering is seen as one such conduct people do without realising the long-term effects it has.
Littering is seen as the forbearer for illegal dumping.
If caught for illegal dumping, an R5 000 fine will be issued to the person by the City.
If the person fails to pay the fine, they can be prosecuted and sent to jail for not more than six months.
Apart from the fine and jail time, the person can also be forced to pay for the rehabilitation of the piece of land they dumped on.
If you see someone illegally dumping, you can report them to Pikitup on 011 688 1500.
