Highway adds to ‘Dirtbin’s’ litter problem
Litter has become a growing concern among residents across the Highway area.
WHILE driving through the Highway area, one common denominator across all of its suburbs is the increasing amount of trash found on streets, main roads, parks and other public spaces. With common litter bugs and brazen illegal dumpers turning the City into a veritable trash can, Durban has quickly become labelled by many as ‘Dirtbin’.
Officials, residents and non-profit organisations have united in their call for people to discard their refuse responsibly. The DA PR councillor for Ward 13, Marlaine Nair, has received numerous complaints from residents regarding discarded refuse and illegal dumping across the Mariannridge area.
“Mariannridge refuse is picked up on a Monday and in addition to that, because there is so much of refuse outside the flats, these areas are covered again on a Saturday,” she said.
Nair urged all residents to play their part to keep the area neat and clean.
Mark Cranston, a father of two, said his three-year-old child enjoyed playing in the park at the Westville Civic Centre and was worried that alcohol was now being consumed on the premises and that littering has become an increasing issue.
“I am always picking up litter and, when you see how it is now, you just lose interest. The litter is not being picked up on a regular basis and the bins are not being emptied,” he said.
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“Dropping litter isn’t going to create job security or create jobs. If people didn’t litter, the staff at parks would not spend their time picking up trash. Could you imagine what our parks would look like then?” he pondered.
According to the bylaws, as stipulated by the eThekwini Municipality, a person may not bring into, consume or sell any alcoholic beverage or other intoxicating substance in a park, unless authorised by the municipality in writing to do so.
Members of the Keep Westville Beautiful Association also noted the increasing amount of litter that has piled up along the M13.
A Highway resident contacted the Highway Mail regarding littering at the St Helier Dam in Hillcrest.
Marge Mitchell, a member of the Keep Hillcrest Beautiful Association, said, “It is not a good sign for our society that people don’t care. If we don’t care about our environment it is going to go one way. People really need to start caring.”
The eThekwini Municipality failed to comment.
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