The closure of legal public dumping sites in Roodepoort has had a significant impact on locals and businesses, particularly those in garden services.
One such business owner who has been greatly affected by this closure is Allen Tiffin, founder of Adventure Gardens in Horison, who has been in the industry since 2006.
Tiffin spoke to the Roodepoort Record and mentioned that he used to rely on Penny Road, Panorama (which are both within the borders of Roodepoort), and Fairlands dumping site close to Randburg for disposing of garden waste generated by his business. However, all three sites have been closed for about a year now, leaving Tiffin and other garden service providers with limited options.
The closure has forced Tiffin to resort to storing the waste at his home, leading to a buildup of rubbish that is now impacting his living space and that of his neighbours.
“I’m wondering what other businesses are doing because I’m trying to stick to the law and not dump anywhere illegal. I had more bags of refuse building up in my home, and my neighbours were complaining of the smell, and there was nothing I could do. In Fairlands, the weeds are up the gate stating that it has been closed for a long time, and in Penny Road, there is a security guard there stating that the site is full,” he said.
Tiffin also mentioned that Pikitup used to have trucks clearing up the disposal sites, but now it doesn’t happen anymore, and what stresses him, even more, is the fact that if you own a property, you pay the municipality to receive removal services, but they’re not receiving them.
Pikitup workers have been on the news lately for an ongoing protest for allegedly expiring contracts, and community members blocked entrances to the Norwood, Selby, Marlboro, Randburg, Diepsloot, Midrand, and Roodepoort depots, demanding permanent employment with the waste management company.
Pikitup spokesperson Muzi Mkhwanazi confirmed that the closure of these dumps has nothing to do with the ongoing protest that started on May 15. He confirmed that Paronama has been closed for some time now, but Penny Road is fully operational, and it only closes once it is full.
“Penny Road Garden Site has been extremely busy since the closure of Panorama Garden Site. Therefore, people or garden site vehicles from all over the place, even places outside Johannesburg, flock to this site. Once the site is full, it closes, to load the compactor truck to dispose of such waste at the landfill site,” Mkhwanazi said.
Mkhwanazi indicated that the only reason the site is now closed is due to the ongoing protest, but that the site is fully operational and only closes when it reaches capacity.
Residents are advised to use alternative nearby dump sites until further notice.
