Concerned conservationist warns of health hazards caused by mass dumping

Following the concerns expressed about the mass dumping of mainly domestic refuse in Sibongile and other areas of Endumeni, as exposed in last week’s Courier, conservationist Angus Burns (who is attached to the World Wildlife Fund) commented on the impact that indiscriminate dumping can have on the environment and on human health.

He had this to say…

Here are just a few examples of what it actually does:

Cigarette butts can take from 18 months to 10 years to decompose and given the sheer volume of them being disposed of by smokers, this has a massive environmental impact, especially when they reach water bodies such as dams and oceans, choking and killing the creatures that accidently consume them – while polluting the water they are in with toxic chemicals.
Plastic bags and bottles can take between 10 and 1000 years to break down!
In the meantime, wildlife, domestic animals and livestock accidentally consume them, become physically trapped or choke on them.
A local community member related to me how a cow died a horrifically slow death and after an autopsy was performed, was found to have many plastic bags obstructing its stomach. Imagine the unnecessary pain it endured because of our laziness?
Glass bottles trap smaller creatures inside them, can cause grassland fires when they accidentally magnify light through them, and also present a serious health hazard to wildlife, humans, domestic animals and livestock when they break, causing terrible injuries.
All of this can be avoided by simply not littering or dumping – keep your rubbish to yourself and discard it in a registered landfill site or better yet, recycle what you can first before responsibly disposing of the rest.
As a closing thought, please remember that your litter is not a job creator, but recycling certainly is.
Contributed by Angus Burns (senior manager: WWF-SA Land & Biodiversity Stewardship Portfolio)
Mobile: 084 400 1234
Email: aburns@wwf.org.za

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