What was meant to be a peaceful stroll ended up with a gruesome recovery of disposed of medical waste for Mark Montgomery.
Mark who lives across Lake Road says he found the medical waste dumped at the open field on July 31, which he suspects had been lying there for a while.
Mark and his two daughters, Zhaney and Simonè, safely collected the medical waste and went through the rubble using pliers.
Upon discovery, they found used hypodermic needles, bandages, plasters, surgical gloves and pregnancy tests.
“Some of the stuff contained blood,” said Mark.
Through the pile of medical waste, Mark also found an invoice with details about the medical supplier and the medical practitioner.
“The medical supplier was grateful that I alerted them about the medical waste. They found it unacceptable that medical waste would be dumped illegally. They advised that they would send someone to collect the waste.”
“However, I haven’t been able to reach the medical practitioner.”
Mark fears that children in his neighbourhood often play around the open field.
He also fears for the animals roaming the streets.
“Illegal dumping of hazardous waste poses a great danger to the environment.
“As citizens, we have the right to an environment that is not harmful to our well-being and health,” said Mark.
At the time of going to print the Gauteng Department of Health had not responded to our query.
