The illegal burning of tyres is an almost daily occurrence in parts of the city.
A concerned resident, who does not wish to be named, contacted the GCN about the problem.
She said that she has been in contact with various people at the metro, as well as Chris Crozier, at Redisa (Recycling Economic Development Initiative of South Africa), regarding the burning of tyres in Germiston and its surrounding areas.
“Particular areas of concern are the Marathon informal settlement, opposite the Caledonian Hotel, and the dumping ground across the road in Primrose, as well as various other areas, including Marlands and Stanhope Road,” she said.
“In 2012 the metro was successful in closing down this illegal practice at a scrap yard in Primrose, but it would now seem that someone is now employing individuals in the settlement to burn the tyres on vacant lots.”
The concerned resident added that this is a highly illegal practice, which is on the increase daily.
She said that she was told to contact the Primrose Police when she sees the smoke plumes.
“When the police have gone out to the site, the people burning the tyres tell them that the tyres belong to them and they can do what they like with them,” she said.
“The police say that they are, therefore, unable to do anything about this.
“This is, however, an illegal practice and the police are entitled to arrest anyone breaking the law.
“We are also suffering severely with health problems due to this practice, and somebody in the council has to be accountable for allowing this to continue and for the health of all the people being affected.”
The resident told the GCN that there are serious health issues which result from this activity, for example, burning tyres releases toxic pollutants and a tremendous number of small particles that settle deep in the lungs.
“Over and above this, it is highly mutagenic and contains significant amounts of carcinogens, benzene, 1.3 butadiene and benzapyrene to name but a few,” the resident said.
“This is a serious threat to human health.
“Most affected are the children and elderly in the informal settlements, who are in the direct line of the smoke plumes.
“Other residents, in the suburbs where the burning takes place, are also suffering severely with health problems due to this crime.
“We need to know from the various departments and the councillors for whom we voted, what is going to be done about this potentially life threatening situation.”
The GCN contacted the metro for comment on the matter.
Themba Gadebe, from the metro’s department of communications and brand management,said: “Tyre burning can be stopped by the enforcement of the legislation called Waste Tyre Regulations, that is intended to regulate waste tyres.
“It requires the tyre manufactures and the dealers who use and store tyres to register with the authority, such as the Ekurhuleni Metro.
“This is a new regulation.”
The burning of tyres is a contravention of the Public Health Bylaws, as well as the Air Quality Act.
Gadebe said that the metro agrees with the resident’s concern about the potential harmful effects of tyre burning and that the metro believes that, with the help of the communities, this problem can be resolved by the metro police.
He added that the Green Scorpions for Environment can also play an important role, by patrolling hotspots.
“We encourage the public to report this practice to their nearest Customer Care Centre, so that environmental officers and the metro police can put a stop to it,” he said.
