By Loushe Jordaan Gilbert
The City of Cape Town is appealing to residents to dump their litter and debris at registered dumping cites across Cape Town after the City’s Solid Waste By-law Enforcement Unit issued a total of 1 405 fines this year, with a total value of R1,3 million.
Alderman Grant Twigg, Mayoral Committee Member for Urban Waste Management said that his department has established a Solid Waste By-law Enforcement Unit which deals specifically with contraventions of the Integrated Waste Management By-law.
“The Unit is still very small, and we are trying to expand the unit, in fact more a team of new recruits is joining, and their core focus would be to make sure that we clear dumping sites and that people in various communities in exactly where and how to dispose of their unwanted thing, through awareness programs,” he said.
Twigg said that although the city is doing everything in its power to keep communities clean, residents also have a huge role to play.
“Communities are in control of how bad the dumping is because most times residents ask people who has trolleys to clean their backyards and gardens, knowing that they will dump the stuff in the community. As much as we try to clean up, there’s only so much we can do to control illegal dumping,” he added.
When asked why people are being fined, Twigg said it is only because they are trying to alleviate the issue of dumping and fining people or impounding their vehicles is the only way they can do so.
“The penalties for illegal dumping include fines ranging from R500 to R5 000, or impoundment of the vehicle involved. If a vehicle is impounded due to dumping, there is a fee of R9 158.10 to release it,” he stressed.
“I want to encourage communities that are struggling with illegal dumping to please work with the City’s Solid Waste By-Law Enforcement Unit to address this problem. This year over R300 million from City resources was allocated to clear illegal dumping. This money could be used for something more constructive if people rather made use of drop-off sites.”
“Illegal dumping can depress property values and attract crime and grime to an area. Don’t let those who use your community as a dumping ground get away with it. Please take pictures and submit them via the contact details below so we can ensure the guilty parties think twice before dumping again,” said Twigg.
Residents are reminded that there is a network of drop-off sites throughout the City where vehicles with a carrying capacity of less than 1,5 tonnes can drop up to three loads of builders’ rubble per day for free.
To report illegal dumping call 021 444 6231/ 021 444 6224 / 021 444 6223 or Email: solidwaste.bylaw@capetown.gov.za. To notify the city about dumping that needs to be cleared please call 0860 103 089.
