THE ongoing dumping at Beachwood Beach has earned the ire of residents who say the beach has become a ‘cesspool’. Last week the Northglen News spoke to local resident Warren Nel who lives close to the beach and says often the beach is left in a dire state following braais and parties in the parking area.

Nel said he has found everything from syringes to dead goats to rubbish buried in the sand, because it had not been collected in time by Durban Solid Waste (DSW). He also had a syringe pierce his toe while walking on the beach.

“It’s a health hazard, not just for the environment but also for people who walk along the stretch. The problem has been an ongoing one and around two to three times a week there is dumping of bottles after parties. The problem also is the lack of bins.

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“There were several bins but the vagrants began using them to burn fires or urinate against causing them to rust and damaging them. Now there are no bins and the filth dumped on the beach has become unbearable, it’s a cesspool,” he said.

Nel added he had no problem with people who party, but urged those using the beach to consider others.

“I have no problem with parties, it’s when it comes to dumping or disposing of their rubbish where it becomes a problem. We need better service delivery from the City and we need the rubbish to be collected timeously. Often times the items are bagged and left in a pile and eventually if not collected, the wind buries the rubbish in the sand,” he said.

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Nel believes adding more bins to the area would help alleviate the problem.

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