Metro addresses illegal recycling depots in the West
The residents in Wards 1 and 55 say that these depots are unregistered and unlicensed and deal with various trades.
Residents in the west of Pretoria recently made their discontent with illegal recycling depots known with a petition that garnered over 2 000 signatures.
The petition, which 2 240 people signed, expressed wards 1 and 55 residents’ frustration over the depots on Moot and Claremont streets.
The metro had recently stated that there was no registered depot in those areas.
“Tshwane is not aware of the said depots in these locations. The facilities such as waste recycling depots must be registered under waste norms and standards issued by the Gauteng Department of Agriculture Rural Development and Environment (GDARDE) to operate legally,” said spokesperson Lindela Mashigo.
He added that this was not the first encounter with make-shift recycling depots and scrapyards.
“The city has many illegal recycling or depot facilities throughout Tshwane. The city in collaboration with GDARDE established a National Environmental Management Act (NEMA) compliance blitz in association with Tshwane waste management, metro police, and environmental inspectorate. This is to ensure these types of facilities comply with environmental legislation and are also registered under GDARDE norms and standards,” Mashigo said.
The depots reportedly attract a lot of vagrants who have been accused of littering, using and selling drugs, and causing an increase in crime in the area.
Ward 1 councillor Leon Kruyshaar held a clean-up at the park in late September with the metro police and SAPS where residents were encouraged not to support recyclers by paying them to dispose of their trash.
The recyclers typically sort trash for what they can sell then burn or discard the rest at the Groen Dam creating a fire hazard and litter.
The metro said there are legal recycling buy-back centres in the west and aims to crack down on the illegal ones.
“The city operates and manages the waste recycling buy-back centre in Atteridgeville, Pretoria West. The main purpose of the centre is to contribute towards increasing recycling in the waste management value chain and encourage the communities to embark on waste sorting of recyclable material at household level,” he said.
The waste buy-back centres operate from Monday to Friday from 08:00 to 16:00
The address of the Atteridgeville waste buy-back centre is:
Region 3, Stand 13431, on the corner of Mmale Street and Schurweberg Road.
Watch the video here:
A Re Yeng buses suspended again
Do you have more information about the story?
Please send us an email to editorial@rekord.co.za or phone us on 083 625 4114.
For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord’s websites: Rekord East
For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram
