Glass recyclers disappear from river’s edge after municipality finally acts
The municipality has finally acted against the illegal glass recycling business that sprouted up next to the Klein Olifants River in November last year.
The recyclers, many of whom slept at the makeshift recycling camp in the Asalia Street bend, are nowhere to be found after residents came out guns blazing against the municipality over the past couple of weeks for allowing the illegal business to flourish despite breaking at least four by-laws.
In this week’s paper, the Middelburg Observer reports on the community’s dissatisfaction with the municipality for targeting some illegal businesses, while others, like the glass recycling venture, were ignored for weeks, despite numerous reports to the municipality by, among others, the DA councillors of Kanonkop and Dennesig, as well as community members.
The article includes responses from the community and focuses on the municipality’s inaction to address the situation since November.
The recyclers settled metres from the river’s edge after having been removed by the municipality once before from another area around the stadium.
The recyclers tried, but failed, to garner the support of DA councillor Helda de Klerk to declare the recycling area a community-adopted spot.
While Councillor De Klerk encourages job creation, she told the Middelburg Observer that the business should be operated in an industrial area, which the municipality could supply. Furthermore, the business was established way below the floodline.
Councillor De Klerk could also not condone sleepovers at the recycling camp where no ablution facilities are available.
It’s unclear at this stage where the recyclers plan to resettle, as the municipality failed to answer questions about the authority’s months-long inaction with addressing the situation, resulting in the business rapidly expanding before its removal.
