GEORGE NEWS - Illegal dumping sites remain a problem for all seven local municipalities in the Garden Route. As part of the Garden Route District Municipality's (GRDM) and George Municipality's (GM) illegal dumping response, Thembalethu and Pacaltsdorp have been earmarked for additional assistance.
Nine 6m³ waste skips have been placed at illegal dumping hot spots in the area, including seven for Thembalethu and two for Pacaltsdorp.
These waste skips are being hired for the interim until George Municipality has concluded the procurement process of its own waste skips to be placed in and around illegal dumping hotspots in George.
Members of the public are urged to use these waste skips for disposing their household waste that cannot be stored until the weekly refuse removal days of GM.
According to Johan Compion, manager of Municipal Health and Environmental Services for GRDM, the placement and proper management of skips could also provide a solution to illegal dumping. "We are hopeful that a notable change will be visible as this pilot project continues. In addition, we await survey data being collected at the moment to provide more insights into the issue," said Compion.
Skips are free for everyone to use, but at the same time the public has to keep in mind that once skips are removed from hotspot areas, it does not mean that illegal dumping is permitted.
General assumptions by GRDM about illegal dumping is that it takes place more frequently in informal or poorer communities because people can't afford the transport or removal of waste to waste transfer stations.
Contractors
The process of ensuring that skips are frequently emptied involves skip contractors. These small business owners are responsible for transporting waste skips to the George Waste Transfer Station. After emptying each skip, the containers are returned to the hotspots where they were collected.
The help of 30 Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) workers is very important as they assist municipalities to clear areas inaccessible to machinery. These same EPWP workers are also tasked to assist the public, especially the elderly and children, to dispose of waste into the skips.
Twelve EPWP participants are still on the ground working with the JCBs to clear illegal dump sites. A total of 36 educators (24 educators are working in Thembalethu and 12 in Pacaltsdorp) are also doing door-to-door education and awareness.
They are also conducting a survey to determine the factors that contribute to illegal dumping, the community's requirements and possible solutions to prevent issues in future. The educators move in groups of six and are easily identifiable by high visibility vests and identification cards.
Garden Route District Municipality wants to remind the public that illegal dumping is a danger to your health and that of your children and animals. Let's put an end to illegal dumping and report perpetrators to our local municipalities.
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