Recyclers cause a fresh stir in Linden

The community is again concerned about recyclers burning waste and making a mess next to the Voortkrekker Monument in Emma Park.

According to Ward 99 councillor Nicole van Dyk and president of the neighbouring Linden Bowling Club, Marc Haley, the burning of waste and spread of rubbish has increased since the lockdown began.

“I have been involved in various clean-up projects at the park and with the monument for four years,” Van Dyk said.

“Our Integrated Service Delivery [ISD] project normally cleans up the area every two or three months but they took a break during lockdown. It has definitely become a bigger problem since and there are also illegal traders at the other side of the park.”

She said it had always been a struggle to get either Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo or the City’s heritage department to take ownership of the area around the monument, and clean it up regularly.

Instead, residents and the Johanna van der Merwe Voortrekker Monument Association had to often clean up the area.

However, Van Dyk said she would open communication channels with the City again and see what could be done. Furthermore, the ISD projects would resume soon.

The monument was dedicated to Johanna van der Merwe, a Voortrekker who survived an attack in 1838 despite suffering 21 assegai wounds.

Haley said he had worked with Van Dyk as an intermediary between the bowling club and City utilities for a long time and commended her for her efforts to help.

“This problem is years old and it is as bad as ever,” he said.

“They are burning plastic and there are excrement smells that waft by, and it makes it unpleasant to play bowls next to this. Where I live, the police clean up the area often and I don’t see why they cannot do that here. This is becoming a recycling park although it should be a heritage site.”

Rubbish trucks sometimes drove through the park to collect the waste the recyclers did not use, he added.

Also read: Emma Park headed in a new direction