Westdene Dam bins overflowing

While Westdene Dam Park visitors are glad to see the park is open again, some are disgusted to see how the rubbish bins are overflowing.

The park was closed on 2 May last year and opened again just in time for the festive season and the soaring Johannesburg summertime temperatures.

The closure was due to construction because the park is part of the City of Johannesburg’s Corridors of Freedom project.

The park has since seen an influx of visitors playing, picnicking and working out but due to the many visitors, the amount of rubbish in the park has increased.

While the rubbish has not yet gotten out of hand on the grass and in the water, the bins have started to overflow which could soon cause the park to be litter-ridden.

Chairperson of the Westdene Sophiatown Residents Association (WSRA), Dauw Steyn, said the maintenance of the park has been poor.

He said he understands that funding is tight in many departments across the city and said he is happy to organise community clean-ups if given a chance to.

When the Northcliff Melville Times visited the park with Steyn on 19 January, rubbish was visible on the grass lawns and under the trees.

Currently, the only real solution visitors have when the bins are full, is to pack a rubbish bag and take their rubbish with them when they leave.

Steyn said it’s sad to see the state of the park’s bins, especially after the news that the dam is a bird flu hotspot.

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