Stakeholders tackle the filth at Acutt Avenue
Lawnmowers, appliances and power cables are just some of the items that have been dumped on the busy intersection.
SCRAP metal sellers operating along Acutt Avenue have once again earned the ire of Durban North residents and businesses alike.
Not only are many of them operating illegally without a licence, but they have also been degrading the area by dumping their excess scrap at the corner of Acutt Avenue and North Coast Road, said Brian Daish, of the Greenwood Park sub forum 4, sector 3 Community Police Forum.
While Durban Solid Waste (DSW) has been conducting regular clean-ups at the site, ward councillor Shaun Ryley, called for a more proactive approach.
“DSW cleaned up the site on the Monday and then by the Thursday new rubbish had been dumped at the site. It is an ongoing issue,” he explained.
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Lawnmowers, appliances and power cables are just some of the items that have been dumped on the busy intersection.
The pavement along Acutt Avenue has also been damaged as the sellers have bashed the appliances and other items to secure the prized metal. What’s more, sellers and other illegal vendors on the traffic circle were also adding to the issue as by littering, said Ryley.
A meeting between various stakeholders, including DSW, Metro Police and the South African Police Service was held to devise a plan to resolve the issue.
“To help relieve the mess we are hoping to find an alternative space where legal sellers can operate. DSW is open to setting up a site for the traders at one of their sites so that they can disassemble the items on site and then easily discard them,” said Ryley.
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“We understand that in these hard economic times this has become a part of some people’s livelihoods, so we want to support them while creating a system that is more conducive to a clean environment,” he added.
Ryley said he would also motivate for CCTV cameras to be erected on the island to monitor illegal vendors.
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