Cape Town - Increasing illegal dumping of waste over the past few years has been a concern in the Western Cape, Local Government, Environmental Affairs, and Development Planning MEC Anton Bredell has said.
Responding to a legislature question, Bredell said municipalities in the province struggled to find solutions to mitigate or prevent dumping of waste.
Many of the municipalities within the province suffered similar waste management challenges, he said, such as a lack of funds, human resource challenges, rapidly decreasing landfill space and the continued absence of operational regional waste disposal facilities.
He said incentives needed to be implemented to encourage residents to dispose of waste at waste disposal facilities instead of in public open spaces.
“Some municipalities implement methods which allow the public to dispose of construction and demolition waste free of charge if the load is below one ton.
“Clean/uncontaminated builder’s rubble is discounted at other municipalities, and some municipalities have introduced a cost reduction of 50% for disposal at the waste disposal facility irrespective of the quantity disposed of,” he said.
Illegal dumping and littering continue to be a headache in most areas in the city, with more than 180000 ton of waste cleared annually from illegal dumping hotspots city-wide, costing the City more than R300 million over the last year.
During the Cleaner Schools, Safer Schools project launch at Bloekombos Primary school in Kraaifontein last week, urban waste management Mayco member Grant Twigg said illegal dumping could become a vicious cycle. He said it could degrade an area, and lower property values, which then could cause more dumping and attract crime.
Bonteheuwel ward councillor Angus McKenzie said illegal dumping, more than it being an aesthetically unappealing act, was also a huge social ill. “We encourage residents and communities to consistently report illegal dumping through our emergency lines.
“Last week we were able to catch an individual dumping illegally in the act. The vehicle was tracked down, impounded and a hefty fine was issued,” he said.
McKenzie said community involvement was key to optimal implementation of waste management solutions and the prevention of illegal dumping.
“The more we can report it and impound the vehicles and issue the fines – which act as a huge deterrent – the more we are going to slowly but surely start chipping away at the challenge and moving forward,” he said.
Kusile Kewana from the ASEZ group said through clean-up campaigns and educating the community about the adverse effects of illegal dumping, small steps can be taken towards creating a clean environment and reducing illegal dumping.