LAST week two Empangeni residents have recorded people illegally dumping refuse in different greenbelt areas.
One resident posted a video on Facebook of one culprit in action, and said she contacted the relevant authorities.
The video was posted to Facebook by Marie van Heerden, who says she is fed up with people treating Empangeni as a dumpsite, and shows a woman calmly offloading rubbish from her car on Copper Drive in The Rail.
Since the video was uploaded, Van Heerden has been visited by officials from the City of uMhlathuze, who plan to pursue the matter.
‘I managed to get the name of the owner of the vehicle and passed it on along with the video to the municipality,’ she said.
‘On Thursday they visited me and I pointed out other areas nearby where people have also been dumping, and they have promised to take action.’
Growing concern
‘According to audits conducted by the Department of Environmental Affairs, the City was voted number two in the country in terms of cleanliness,’ said City spokesperson, Mdu Ncalane.
According to current council bylaws, people caught dumping illegally could be fined R1 000.
‘We suggest this amount be reviewed in view of the increase in illegal dumping, and will discuss this with the Chief Magistrate.’
The City’s landfill sites are open from 7.30am to 4pm and Ncalane emphasised that residents should make use of these facilities.
‘For quartered tyres or rubber it costs R1 812.58 per ton, while general domestic waste, building rubble and green waste cost only R141 per ton.
‘The rate at which the community is polluting through illegal dumping is a great cause of concern for us,’ he concluded.
