MONDEOR resident Rene Parker, who lives across the road from the Mondeor Pikitup Garden Refuse Site, which is situated in Royal Park Drive, says life is becoming unbearable because of the stench from the rubbish being dumped both inside the refuse site and now all outside the site on the pathway, with rubbish encroaching onto the road.
“The smell is absolutely nauseating and there are flies swarming everywhere. We can’t even open one window in our home and have had to keep all our doors shut as well. It’s a terrible health hazard and now, as well as thousands of flies, there are rats.
“We don’t know what to do any more and all the residents in this area are being affected by it,” Rene told the Comaro CHRONICLE.
The Pikitup sign outside the refuse site clearly states, “Only light garden waste is accepted at this site. Pikitup reserves the right to refuse access to this site and reject the dumping of non-permissible types of waste. Garden refuse is refuse generated as a result of normal gardening activities, such as grass cuttings, leaves, plants and other small and light matter. ”
The CHRONICLE reporter took a walk with Rene to check out the overflowing refuse site and had to keep a tissue over her mouth and nose. The flies are swarming all over the huge piles of rubbish, including food matter as well as everything else. One man was sitting on the outside of the huge pile of rubbish searching for anything edible.
With no end in sight to the Pikitup strike, rubbish is going to take over Johannesburg City and surrounding areas. “I’m sure it will only be a matter of time before people begin to get sick,” Rene added.
With schools back on Tuesday, April 5, children from both Mondeor Primary and Mondeor High will have their lives put in danger as they have to walk along Royal Park Drive to get to their respective schools. “The road is already a quarter covered in rotting rubbish and there is no pathway left for them to walk along. Such a dangerous situation.”
You may want to read:
How to dispose of your trash during the Pikitup strike
