ILLEGAL dumping has continued to mushroom across the broad expanse of the Highway area, from Westmead’s industrial sector to the rolling green hills of Hillcrest. Despite the continuous efforts of residents to clean up the affected areas, the trend of dumping waste along sidewalks has continued to grow at an alarming rate.
The Keep Hillcrest Beautiful Association’s recycling centre has placed visible ‘no plastic’ signage at key points and is still utilised as a dump site.
“Another sign clearly states what is acceptable for recycling. There are still these inconsiderate, selfish, entitled oafs who continue to dump rubbish at the site. Do these people ever think of anyone else and the problem they cause to our association?” asked the Keep Hillcrest Beautiful Association’s Marge Mitchell. “Do they know they can place their bags of plastic on the verge on their normal collection day?”
The local non-profit organisation has to bear the cost of the waste removal.
“In the 15 years of trying to provide a recycling service to the public, there remains the disrespectful, dishonest and selfish who ruin it for everyone,” she said.
ALSO READ: Foreign objects major cause of sewer blockages – says City
The eThekwini Municipality’s spokesman, Msawakhe Mayisela, said, “The Durban Cleansing and Solid Waste Unit has implemented a number of waste management education programmes aimed at educating the public on the dangers caused by illegal dumping, this has been coupled by clean-up campaigns that were meant to eradicate illegal dumpsites.”
Despite the empowerment initiatives, Mayisela said illegal dump sites constantly appear across the eThekwini area.
“The Unit requests residents to report those who are illegally dumping waste to authorities or CSW law enforcement. Those found guilty of dumping will be charged and be liable to pay a fine or face imprisonment,” he said.
Two New Germany residents, Maddy Bouraimis and Lynn Robson, said they have identified 12 people in the area that have dumped illegally and, even though they have reported it, no fines have been issued.
“We are not having the desired backup from law enforcement,” said Robson.
The duo said the main reason for the increasing amount of illegal dumping in the area was due to people not putting their rubbish out on time. According to Robson, one resident placed 11 black bin bags at the bus stop on Bosse Street.
ALSO READ: Residents hacked off by illegal tree felling in Westville
“The bags can’t just be left lying there as it just gets worse. We have reports of dogs going ballistic every week, our neighbourhood watch teams and security companies are called out only to find that its dogs going through the bin bags. We are now wasting valuable resources on false alarms,” said Robson.
Another trend they have picked up was people from outside the area, from residents as far afield as Botha’s Hill and Waterfall, would dump their uncollected bin bags in New Germany.
“One of the stories we were spun when we confronted the dumper was that their bags were stolen and dumped there by someone else,” laughed Robson.
Report illegal dumping to 031 311 8804.
Black bags (domestic refuse):
These bags are used mainly for household refuse.
Blue bags (garden refuse):
These bags are used for garden refuse only. To take advantage of this service, contact the DSW customer helpline (031 311 8804) along with your name, delivery address, electricity account number and the number of units required on a monthly basis.
Orange bags:
Residents can place newspaper, magazines, cereal cartons, cardboard, plastic, plastic bottles and Tetra Pack material.
Coronavirus reporting at Caxton Local Media aims to combat fake news
Dear reader, As your local news provider, we have the duty of keeping you factually informed on Covid-19 developments. As you may have noticed, mis- and disinformation (also known as “fake news”) is circulating online. Caxton Local Media is determined to filter through the masses of information doing the rounds and to separate truth from untruth in order to keep you adequately informed. Local newsrooms follow a strict pre-publication fact-checking protocol. A national task team has been established to assist in bringing you credible news reports on Covid-19. Readers with any comments or queries may contact National Group Editor Irma Green (irma@caxton.co.za) or Legal Adviser Helene Eloff (helene@caxton.co.za).
