Medical waste investigations have been closed, says City
Officials will not be investigating the source of the waste, as it was determined that the debris was ‘general and nature’.
THE eThekwini head of communications, Tozi Mthethwa confirmed today that investigations regarding the ‘pharmaceutical waste’ that washed up along the Durban North beaches have been closed.
This follows reports of pills, condoms and other medical items found along the Beachwood Beach and uMngeni River over the past two weekends.
According to Mthethwa, the City received reports of ‘general household’ waste, which included some pharmaceutical products, that had deposited onto the beaches.
“Most are empty containers without labels and others contain medication of various types, many freely available over the counter or issued by clinics or hospital pharmacies,” she said.
A multidisciplinary team consisting of city, provincial and national health officials as well as other relevant government departments, she said, conducted investigations from 16 to 20 May, who determined that the debris was ‘general and nature’ and ‘the matter was closed’
“The City is aware of the matter. We currently have a team conducting a clean-up. We are treating this as we would our daily clean-ups as none of the waste found to date poses any health or safety risk to our workers,” she concluded.
William Collingwood, a Red Hill resident, who first spotted the illegal waste on 16 May said yesterday that he had once again come across condoms, pills and medicine containers along the beach on Sunday as well the previous weekend. After the initial discovery the City closed several Durban North beaches.
Yesterday the City’s Logie Naidoo said there is no dedicated unit investigating the source of the waste at Beachwood Beach.
