VEREENIGING. – Illegal dumping near Roshnee and Rust-ter-Vaal has not only become an eyesore but also a health hazard for residents living nearby.

Residents of Roshnee are complaining about the growing illegal dump in the area that is attracting rodents and insects such as flies and cockroaches.

The site had in the past been used exclusively by residents of Roshnee and Rust-ter-Vaal as a transfer station, but has now become a dumping site for people from other areas as well, following the closure of dumping sites in the Emfuleni Local Municipality.

The closures were enacted due to the non-adherence to license conditions, leaving the municipality grappling with dire consequences.

With limited alternatives for waste disposal, residents and businesses in Emfuleni are resorting to illegal dumping, exacerbating pollution and endangering public health.

The dumping is also causing water and soil pollution as well as air pollution. According to a resident, recyclers are constantly setting rubbish alight. This causes smoke and a very bad smell.

“It has become so bad that we can’t open our windows at night. It is also causing breathing problems,” says a resident.

The Emfuleni Local Municipality recently vowed to tackle the backlog in service delivery and announced that it had acquired 12 new compactors to tackle the backlog in service delivery.

So far, residents of Roshnee and Rust-ter-Vaal have yet to see a difference.