Illegal dumping continues in Eersterust
The bins fill up quickly and then residents empty them at an illegal dumping site.
The plague of illegal dumping of waste in Eersterust is still making life miserable for residents.
In several spots across Eersterust, illegal dumpers drop their building, domestic and garden waste in heaps that cause a foul smell to linger at houses in the vicinity of the waste.
One illegal dumping site on the corner of Good Sheppard Avenue and Roodt Street has been a problem for several years.
Ward councillor Ingle Singh said this open piece of land had always been a dumping hotspot.
“What happened is the former MMC placed some bins here and people used to come and drop off their waste. Because the bins were higher than the bakkies people could not put the dirt into the bins, so started littering here,” said Singh.
The bins had since been removed and the dumping site closed. Dirt banks had been erected around the open piece of land to prevent residents from dumping their waste.
“That is why the piece of land is clean on the inside but we still have an issue with people leaving their waste here. We cannot make sand banks on the side walk because cars drive here.”
Singh said these banks were erected at all illegal dumping sites that had been identified.
“The banks have curbed the dumping to a certain degree but illegal dumping is still a problem here. You can smell the stench in the area.”
Singh said many residents complained about the illegal dumping problem but he believed the people of Eersterust were the guilty parties.
“At first people were coming from outside with their trucks and bakkies to come and dump here because the council was cleaning the area,” he said.
“But now that it has been closed and you cannot just come in, I do not think its people from outside. Most of these are people with their dustbins who come and drop off their waste when it is not emptied or put out to be collected.”
Singh said it was difficult to monitor an issue like illegal dumping.
“The Tshwane metro doesn’t have a unit that does it, the metro police don’t have the staff to police it.”
The piece of land in Good Sheppard Avenue was divided into two parts: one belonging to the metro and the other being a business property.
Singh said there was confusion over who owned the business property.
“If the owner of the business property could put up a wall on his side, the dumping would become less there.”
Singh said the residents of Eersterust said they should be more mindful as to where they dump.
Hashim Consalves, an executive member of the Eersterust CPF and a member of the Concerned Parents Association, said there were several illegal dumping places in the community.
“There are dumping sites at Helium Street at the empty stands, in Highlands Park, on the corner of Wilfred Roodt and Bennet Ernest Streets, Atlantis Avenue and close to 7de Laan the nightclub.”
Consalves said these illegal dumping sites were a health risk, especially to children who walk through the waste.
“There are children who are walking through used condoms, waste and maggots that breed in this dirt,” Consalves said.
He said at one illegal dumping site, dagga trees were even to be seen growing between the rubbish.
“We already have a problem with drugs in the community, now the dagga is even more readily available to young people.”
Henry Godfrey, chairperson of the Eersterust CPF said people were beginning to dump everywhere.
“It is this dumping that is making our people sick. It’s really a health and safety risk. It does not look like residents love their environment and no one wants to take responsibility for it,” Godfrey said.
Consalves said overpopulation was contributing to illegal dumping in Eersterust.
Singh agreed, saying Eersterust had an estimated population of 80 000 people, but only 7 500 bins.
The bins filled up quickly and then residents emptied them at an illegal dumping site before the municipality collected them weekly.
“Every week one bin will go into the veld and one will go to the dump site. The problem is we cannot increase the collection because then it will increase the cost to residents.”
By the time of publishing, the metro had not yet commented on the matter.
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