North residents fed up with illegal dumping sites

Pretoria North residents continued to raise concerns as they felt helpless as the number of illegal dumpsites increased.

Residents have raised the question: Why are people dumping wherever they want?

Illegal dumping poses environmental and health risks and creates an unpleasant and unhealthy living environment for residents.

Ward councillor Quentin Meyer said illegal dumping has been ongoing for some time and some organisations have been working around the clock to keep the community clean.

“The clean-up campaigns are there to make this place look great again.

The organisation cannot clean up all the illegal dumping sites because you clean today and tomorrow there’s a new dumping site opened,” said Meyer.

Meyer said these illegal dumpsites are a setback on the ward’s mission of returning the area to its former glory.

Jan Van Riebeeck Street resident Adrian Peters said people resort to illegal dumping because they don’t get the service they pay for from the municipality and delays in refuse collection.

“This thing is now becoming a norm and the smell and dirt are so terrible that it’s hard to go outside.

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People are paying for services and the municipality is the one that will push you to pay but is taking time to render services.

The municipality must do something about these illegal dumping spots because people have medical conditions,” said Peters.

Tshwane spokesperson Lindela Mashigo said due to limited resources, the metro’s environment and agriculture department has created a schedule to clear illegal dumps.

“The department also runs cleaning campaigns through the Re Kaofela programme incorporating education and awareness.

The department has allocated EPWP workers to do litter picking daily,” said Mashigo.

He said that waste collection in Dorandia, Gwendolen Street and Pretoria North is on Wednesdays.

“Residents do not use the municipal channels to apply for waste containers, inadequate waste storage supposedly results in illegal dumping.

They have a “lack of knowledge, regarding the disposal of waste and the impact it has on the environment as well as backyard dwellers in one yard using a single bin,” said Mashigo.

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Mashigo said a R5 000 fine is payable should a resident be caught dumping illegally.

He said north residents could find dumpsites in Dorandia at Daan Der Wet Nel Avenue and Magalieskruin Koorsboom Avenue in Sinoville.

Mayor Cilliers Brink recently joined the Tswelopele clean-up campaign in Pretoria North to clean several areas and open spaces in Ward 2.

A total of 1 050 bags of waste were collected on Koos De La Rey Street, Gerrit Maritz Road, Jan Van Riebeeck Street and Station Street.

The team cut grass and repaired streetlights and water leaks.

The campaign is aimed at encouraging residents and businesses to work together with the metro to clean up their communities and living spaces.

Brink said it is also important to work together to change behaviours and mindsets to stop littering.

“The metro spends about R30-million a year to clear illegal dumping sites.

These are funds that could go to improving other core services if we all stopped littering and illegal dumping.”

Brink said the Tswelopele clean-up campaigns are not a replacement for regular metro cleaning programmes and services.

Tshwane would like to call on residents to assist by reporting illegal dumping to the Tshwane metro police department on 012 358 7095/7096.

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