Illegal dumping is so rife in Hanover Park, children can’t play in the local parks and fields, say fed-up residents.
On Wednesday December 2, they joined mayor Dan Plato and ward councillor, Antonio van der Rheede, on a drive to take back their neighbourhood from the trash.
Mr Plato said the dumping and littering had increased with the easing of Covid-19 lockdown restrictions.
“The clean-up campaign is intended to remind all that we are working hard to maintain clean communities, but we need the support of residents to keep neighbourhoods neat and tidy.”
Xanthea Limberg, mayoral committee member for water and waste, said the City had needed fewer cleaning staff during the early lockdown because there had been so little littering.
That had changed with greater freedom of movement.
“This clearly illustrates how much of an influence human behaviour has on our environment. The City will continue working to keep areas clean, but ultimately the power is in the hands of residents who could see big changes in the environment following small changes in habits.”
Hanover Park resident Yaseen Johaar said the City couldn’t hope to solve dumping in the area by putting skips there. He called for the ward councillor to get residents more involved.
“There are about ten different dumping places. They need to implement different initiatives. Speak to the residents, have public meetings and let them know how they can help to prevent dumping. There is no excuse for dumping, people need to understand what they are doing is wrong.”
Kashiefa Mohammed complained that the skips overflowed because they weren’t collected regularly, and drug addicts and the homeless scratched in them, scattering the contents.
“Something needs to be done. I’ve never really seen the containers being collected or emptied, so how is it supposed to stay clean? People are mostly dumping household dirt like tins, plastic and food. Our councillor needs to do something about this.”
Mr Van der Rheede, said women and the youth had been involved in previous anti-dumping campaigns in Hanover Park.
“People shouldn’t be dumping in the first place, so it shouldn’t be a case about involving youth.
People dump at night and the City cleans during the day and the next day it’s back.
“We’ve confiscated vehicles and fined people, but people still continue to do it. People must report those who are dumping.”
He said that while a lot of people in Hanover Park relied on skips to dispose of their rubbish, they were still cleared regularly.
To report illegal dumping, call 0860 103 089, the City’s emergency number 107 (from a landline) or 021 480 7700 from a cellphone.