Crestwatch Neighbourhood watch calls for cleaning solutions
The bulk of the dumping is usually left on Inanda Road which is the main road that links Hillcrest, Waterfall and Molweni.
THE Crestwatch Neighbourhood Watch, in addition to its main mission of fighting against crime, has taken on the fight against illegal dumping in Crestholme and surrounding areas.
The area has experienced a spike in the amount of illegal dumping in the past two years.
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According to Cuan Saunders from the neighbourhood watch, there are always piles of waste left by passers-by, businesses and nearby residents. The bulk of the dumping is usually left on Inanda Road which is the main road that links Hillcrest, Waterfall and Molweni.
“One of the causes of this illegal dumping is due to the fact that people miss their refuse pick-up date and end up leaving their refuse on the road. Crestholme is a remote semi-rural area and businesses drive all the way from Pietermaritzburg sometimes to drop off waste,” said Saunders.
There is no nearby landfill site for the residents and local businesses, a factor Saunders believes could be contributing to the high number of waste piles left on the side of the road.
Saunders believes the area is in desperate need of a cleaning solution.
“I recall before the orange bag issue that people used to separate waste, but were left demotivated when that recycling programme failed,” he said.
According to resident and neighbourhood watch member, Bruce Ulett, they have helped illegal dumpers to pack all the stuff they have dumped back onto their vehicles.
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Piles of waste sometimes consist of empty liquor bottles from the nearby shebeens, bricks, glass and tiles which appear to be waste from home renovations or construction sites.
According to eThekwini Municipality: Waste removal by-law, 2016, it is an offence for any person to deposit building waste at any place other than a waste disposal site. “We have called Metro police on many occasions and one time, when a truck was off-loading glass, they arrived and only fined the illegal dumper R300,” said Saunders.
According to DSW, if you are a witness to this offence please take the registration number of the vehicle or the address of the person dumping and report it to DSW immediately on 031 311 8804.
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