Where ROT is called HOME
Most people consider an illegal dumping site an eyesore, as well as a breeding ground for germs, but for a few men in the city, this is a place they call home.
POLOKWANE – Most people consider an illegal dumping site an eyesore, as well as a breeding ground for germs, but for a few men in the city, this is a place they call home.
These men also make a living from collecting the refuse and selling it to scrapyards for recycling. Illegal dumping grounds have sprung up all over the city, especially in the industrial area, including Staal Street, Nelson Mandela Road, Chroom Street, on the city’s outskirts on the Mogwadi road, and at Ext 100 in Bendor.
One of these men, Simon Ramotshabi (58) has been making a living in this way for the past five years. “People throw away the rubbish and never think of it again but we see the potential in every little thing.
“We make our living from the rubbish other people throw away,” he said.
He said refuse “collectors”, were usually the ones responsible for setting the contents of refuse bins in the city alight so that they could extract the scrap metal easily. According to him, they were paid between R1,70 and R2 per kilogram for the scrap metal. “It is not much but at least it enables us to buy a bit of food,” he said, adding that scrap metal dealers often refused to accept dirty tin cans, but accepted burnt tin.
He said some of the men also used dumping sites to burn the casing off copper cables, and then sold them to scrap metal dealers.
Several business owners operating near these dumping sites in the industrial area, complained that the burning of copper cables and other refuse was a huge problem because of the smoke as well as the smell. They say they have contacted the municipality in this regard.
Municipal spokesperson, Matshidiso Mothapo said the municipality’s waste management team would investigate the matter. He said the illegally dumped refuse would be removed, and the municipality would decide whether there was a need to place skipper bins in these areas.
He further said there was a refuse transfer station in Vermikuliet Street that residents could use. “We encourage residents to make use of the facilities that have been made available in order to keep our area clean,” he said.
He said dumping refuse of any kind on open ground was illegal and people caught doing so could be fined R1 000.
“We regard our residents as important stakeholders in the fight for a cleaner environment and we urge them to join us in this fight by reporting anyone they see dumping refuse illegally. They can take down the vehicle registration numbers of these offenders, and the municipality will follow up and identify them,” he said. Report the incidents at the municipality at (015) 290 2366/67 during office hours and (015) 290 2000 after hours.
