HUNDREDS of bags of unsorted recyclables, including plastic and waste were dumped at the Keep Hillcrest Beautiful Association’s (KHBA) recycling drop-off zone in Hillcrest recently.
The illegal dumping has set back the financially-strapped non-profit organisation by a month’s work.
“People have been dumping old chairs, garden refuse, household refuse and plastic. It was reported that a large truck arrived from an estate in the area and dumped all their orange bags, containing plastic, at the site,” said the KHBA’s Marge Mitchell.
Despite the placement of chevron tape across the entrance to the site along Delamore Road, people were not deterred from dumping at the site.
“People have been abusing the security staff and forcing their way in,” she said.
“KHBA is not a recycling company, we are a drop-off site. It has been necessary to request the DSW to collect and remove all that has been left there by the public. This means that all our genuine recyclables will go. Thank you to DSW for clearing away the rubbish from the site” said Mitchell.
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“We do not receive any funding from any source and rely on sponsors and subscribers and we try to encourage people to support us financially,” she said.
The association employs three full-time staff, two of whom beautify and maintain the rail reserve through Hillcrest, and one works at the recycling drop-off site alongside two other part-time workers.
During April, the NPO received no income from recycling, its main source of funding, and will receive no income in May.
“The income from recyclables, in the past, paid the wages of all our three permanent and two part-time workers. However, with the large reduction in prices paid for recyclables, we do not cover those wage costs any longer,” said Mitchell.
“Depending on the regulations for level 3, KHBA will be in a position to ascertain if it may send its workers back to work. When normal work resumes, it will be a monumental task to rectify the mess and disgusting state of affairs due to the illegal dumping,” she said.
Mitchell believes it could take up to a month to return the site to its regular state.
“Financially, KHBA is looking at a dire situation,” she said.
The footage of the on-site CCTV cameras will be investigated. SAPS and Metro police will patrol regularly.
“I have been informed by them that anyone who is there without a permit stands a good chance of being arrested. I have asked the security staff to record the registration number of vehicles in which the driver forces his/her way in and then SAPS can identify the owner of the vehicle and we can report a case of illegal dumping to the DSW law enforcement department,” said Mitchell.
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The KHBA is a non-profit organization launched in in 2006.
Its objectives are to beautify the area, encourage recycling and to minimise litter. A dedicated committee of eight members, whose ages range from 66 to 93, each have a portfolio that aims to fulfill its objectives.
“The recycling drop-off dept was an initiative that began in 2008 and is managed and run by the committee of the KHBA, pro bono. The recycling site encourages members of the public to drop off their recyclable items. We do not accept refuse and rubbish of any kind,” said Mitchell.
Support the KHBA’s work by making a donation or become an annual subscriber. A subscription is R100 per annum for individuals and R500 per annum for corporates.
Banking details:
Name: Keep Hillcrest Beautiful Association
Bank: Standard Bank
Branch code: 051 001 00
Account number: 25 661 876 3
Recycling options: Cardboard, paper, glass bottles, cans and large polystyrene.
Not accepted: Plastic, polystyrene trays, Tetrapak, tyres, paint tins, crockery, hazardous waste or globes.
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