Illegal dumping in Florida leaves residents frustrated

What was once a beautiful landscape is now a decaying breeding ground for waste as the Florida area is inundated with litter.

Shop owners and street vendors allegedly continue to empty their waste bins in public spaces deemed non-dumping sites.

This follows an article in the Roodepoort Record, published on July 28 [HYPERLINK], where residents raised concerns about the state of the decaying Florida area.

Street vendors allegedly dump their waste on the corner of 3rd Avenue and Lockies Lane. One resident cited that he had seen these fruit and vegetable vendors empty their waste bins and dump full black bags.

According to resident *Peter Swarts, he had once approached one of these vendors on their way to dump a plastic bag and asked him if he was aware that the site is not for dumping, to which he responded that everyone dumps there.

“This person was very adamant to dump there but eventually turned back. I’m pretty sure he went back there after I left,” Swarts said.

Suspicious activities of a vendor at the corner of 3rd and Dan Street were also brought into the spotlight with residents citing that he leaves his rubbish on the corner nearby.

As the problem persists throughout the Florida market space situated at 4th Road and Lockies Lane, where the terrain is used for vendors to set up stalls, etc, illegal dumping is prohibited, yet garbage bags filled with grass and leaves indicated how property owners use the area to discard their gardening remains.

Numerous concerned residents cited that ‘Florida has become a new dumping area, and nobody seems to care’ and those community members should all weigh in to get their beloved community clean again.

Community leaders also weighed in on the matter and noted that illegal dumping is a major problem in communities across the country.

“We as residents must create working partnerships with city departments to keep our areas clean. In turn, the city can educate our kids from a school level on what illegal dumping is and what it’s doing to our suburbs and environment,” Rodney Churchyard, chairperson of the Florida South Residents’ Association said.

Ward 70 councillor Caleb Finn was approached on August 15 regarding this matter but was unavailable to provide comment at the time of going to print.

Ward 85 councillor Zone Hughes cited that illegal dumping is a challenge across the City of Johannesburg and mentioned that ‘Pikitup is trying to deal with it the best they can, but simply do not have enough resources’.

Further on, she said that residents who see someone dumping need to report it, and the one who is caught dumping should receive a hefty fine.

It should be common knowledge that illegal dumping constitutes by-law infringements, and Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JMPD) said that they had received numerous complaints from members of the public regarding this and that it is a serious offence.

“Illegal Dumping has been a thorn in the flesh of not only the City of Johannesburg but also, its residents,” Xolani Fihla, spokesperson for JMPD said.

According to Fihla, JMPD has a dedicated team within the By-law Management Unit which was established to combat illegal dumping. This team has been deployed to monitor and put a stop to illegal dumpers and when caught red-handed or traced they are issued a fine.

JMPD urged residents to report illegal dumpers using the Anti-Illegal Dumping Hotline on 082 779 1361. They further urged residents to take clear photos of the illegal dumping as well as the number plate of the vehicle and then send these pictures together with the date, time, and location of the illegal dumping.

*Pseudonym.