Birch Acres residents are upset about the alleged illegal dumping of items on vacant municipal ground in a residential area.
Robert Brown (70), who has lived in Birch Acres for 10 years, says this problem has been going on for five years.
“In the mornings, right before the garbage is collected, people who don’t have bags or wheelie bins throw their rubbish there,” Brown says. The situation, according to him, has gotten so out of control that he either cleans the area himself or employs someone every four weeks.
At R250 each time, this costs him about R3 250 each year.
The latest items dumped in the area were four large bags containing insulation fibres. Labels on the bags indicate that its contents are a product of Rockfibre SA, which produces insulation fibres used for thermal and acoustic insulation purposes.
According to sales manager Frik Snyman, however, Rockfibre SA is in Vereeniging, where all scrap material is taken to the Vlakfontein landfill. Therefore, it is unlikely that the product found in Birch Acres is directly from the Rockfibre SA factory.
“We sell our products to insulation contractors and also have a few re-sellers in the insulation business,” says Snyman, who will try to track down the guilty party by looking at the dates and contents of the dumped bags.
Residents hope that the municipality will help them solve the general issue of illegal dumping in the area. “Ideally, they could build a palisade fence around the area with a gate so a tractor can enter and clean the grounds,” says Brown.
Ekurhuleni municipality spokesperson Themba Gadebe said a litter picking service was rendered in this area on Thursday and that the bags were removed.
