A section of Hathorn Street has become a makeshift dumping site, tarnished with litter and construction rubble.
A large portion of the area around the municipal skips is surrounded by refuse such as bottles, cement and the occasional toilet seat.
Further up the road opposite Hathorn Street Park, even more refuse and construction rubble turn portions of the street into a dumping site.
As illegal dumping becomes more prevalent in the area, Thava Kelly from Community Services Waste Management said she was not pleased with the situation and explained the skip area was meant for garden refuse.
“Residents who fail to take out their refuse timeously on collection day, and contractors who try to avoid cost, dispose of their waste negligently,” she said.
To curb illegal dumping in the area, Mrs Kelly said the municipality would be clamping down on offenders.
“The new by-laws make provision to penalise residents for dumping, which is a R2 500 fine. We have also met with the Planning Department and all construction applications will not be certified complete, unless a skip is being hired and waste is disposed of in an appropriate manner.”
Mrs Kelly encouraged residents to be more conscious of their surroundings and to be socially responsible.
“People are spoiling the aesthetics of the environment. The enforcement department will be setting examples of anybody guilty of this behaviour.
The department has already cautioned a number of people thus far, and will be charging people in the near future. Enforcement, in my opinion, is the way to go. You act irresponsibility, you pay the penalty.”
