THE Nelson Mandela Metro, although based in a seaside city and winner of the Green City Award in 2012, is not visually inspiring if you travel on the back roads. I have, through research in my ward as well as in neighbouring wards, found that much of the illegal dumping that takes place is done by municipal contractors, garden services and property developers.
The municipality is also to blame in some cases.
Many of the dumpers claim "everyone is dumping here" and therefore assume they can too. They cost the municipality millions and create a backlog that amounts to tens, if not hundreds, of years in action and finances.
Most municipalities have, like the Nelson Mandela Metro, legal transfer sites and dump sites where dumping is allowed free of charge.
Illegal dumpers are simply too lazy to drive all the way out there, and therefore cause major pollution and damage to our city.
I often ask myself what the people who commit these crimes think while they are doing it, dumping a bakkie-load of garden rubble in a park or on a sidewalk? Who do they think must take it away? Who do they think must pay for it to be removed?
Next time your garden service or builder brings you a quote, ask him or her if he or she is a responsible dumper, where he or she dumps and demand proof. If you move around town and see someone dumping illegally, think of the pothole in your street that could be fixed with the money wasted on cleaning his or her mess and report him or her to the police with evidence.
I have a name and shame column on my page. You are welcome to send me anonymous photos of and info about these dumpers, and I will post them for the world to see – find me at councillor Francois Greyling on Facebook.
We have to take a stand in curbing this scourge to our environment and beautiful metro. Let us take on the illegal dumping problem together!
Francois Greyling, councillor, Ward 52, Despatch
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