Company cleaned up its act
Reports of illegal dumping of used oil and other waste byproducts has come to an end,
PHOTOS: Andrew Cornew
ILLEGAL dumping of oil has come to an end at 5Ways Mall, Empangeni, much to the delight of tenants and residents.
Stormwater drains at the mall are no longer being illegally used as disposal points for used oil, food byproducts and other waste.
This follows an article in the Eyethu Bay Watch two weeks ago, after reports from concerned tenants and residents come flooding in about Nando’s employees dumping waste into a stormwater drain.
According to one resident, who asked to remain anonymous, ‘ two female Nando’s employees were seen dragging a black plastic bin each across the drive-through area of the parking lot towards the stormwater drain where they were going to empty them. The bins were filled with an oily smelly liquid.’
A few hours later, a tenant of the mall reported that she had also seen employees of Nando’s dumping the contents of rubbish bins into the drain.
‘It happens often, sometimes the bins are washed out and all the muck washes down the gutter past my shop. The smell is terrible and I am sure it chases away customers.’ she said.
However, since the article was published in Eyethu Bay Watch, Nando’s have cleaned up its act and no more reports about illegal dumping have been received.
After visiting the mall and speaking to other tenants the consensuses seems to be that the problem has stopped.
One tenant said, ‘There has been no smell or trace of oil round here for a couple of weeks now which definitely helps my business.’
A Nando’s employee confirmed this, showing just how the used oil is stored and then collected by an oil recycling company.
‘We are following all the rules and regulations and everything from the amount of oil used, to the amount which is collected, is documented.
‘We have a daily schedule which involves cleaning the grease trap and storing the used oil in a safe place until it is collected. We are following all the bylaws and we are extremely environmentally conscious.’
On closer inspection on Tuesday, it can be seen that no oil or waste material had been poured into the drain for a number of weeks and there is no foul smell present.
