City to get tough on illegal dumping
uMhlathuze takes a tough stance on illegal dumping in the City.
THE City of uMhlathuze has called on the public to report incidents of illegal dumping so that offenders can be prosecuted.
This follows a public outcry over rising incidents of littering and pollution in suburban and business areas within the City.
Authorities told the Zululand Observer on Friday that most incidents of illegal dumping related to rubble disposal from construction sites.
‘There is no monitoring of contractors at residential and business properties to ensure that the rubble is indeed taken to the dumpsite,’ said uMhlathuze Chief Health Practitioner, Zilindile Masango.
‘Everyone should police the environment as we are all in this together. It is not the municipality, but people in affected communities who are dumping waste. This however, does not take away from the municipality’s responsibility to educate ratepayers.’
Masango urged residents to report individuals who were guilty of illegal dumping.
‘If you witness a person dumping, take down the vehicle’s registration number, take a photo if possible and report it to our toll free hotline on 0800 222 827. In most cases, dumping occurs at night, but if people come forward, law enforcement officers can issue fines,’ Masango said.
Waste recycling centres
The municipality is also in the planning stages for the establishment of waste recycling centres in eSikhaleni, Ngwelezane and Mzingazi.
There have been challenges relating to identification of land in the respective rural areas, but in Mzingazi plans have already been finalised with fencing of the site due to commence.
The proposed waste recycling facilities would receive about one ton of waste per week. Waste would then be sorted into plastic, paper, glass and tins/metal.
Masango said the current waste recycling project with the roll-out of yellow bags was working well with two drop-off points in Essenwood and Meerensee already operational.
According to the quarterly report on waste management services from 1 July to 30 September, 1 899 tons of waste were recovered from within the City for recycling purposes.
This constituted a quarterly increase in recyclable material of 15.2%, achieved against an annual target of 15%.
