Illegal dumping still plagues Algoa Park
MONTHS after the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality was alerted to rubbish piling up in Algoa Park, not much has changed – except some areas are now even worse than before.
The worst spot is an illegal dumpsite behind houses in Dennehout Street, which The Herald reported on in January.
At that time, municipal spokesman Mthubanzi Mniki said the municipality had put plans in place to enforce by-laws that dealt with illegal dumping.
He also said more town rangers would visit the area.
But when a reporter revisited Algoa Park this week, it appeared not much had been done.
In the veld between the Dolfyn, Aloes, Winterhoek and Jasmyn blocks of flats, household refuse, including old furniture and appliances, is still heaped up.
Bianca Minnie, 31, who lives in Dennehout Street, said the veld behind her house was filling up with even more rubbish. She said the carcasses of five dogs had been found in the veld.
The illegal dumping seems to stem from the closure of a refuse drop-off site in Ditchling Street.
Residents are meant to use refuse drop-off sites in either Stanford Road, Helenvale or Ralo Street, KwaMagxaki.
Resident Lisa Esterhuizen, 46, said the area had looked terrible for some time.
“People dump their rubbish, but nobody cleans it up,” she said.
Candice Grootboom, 32, said: “You can’t walk through that area, it’s disgusting. It’s dirty and dangerous.”
Celeste van Tonder, 24, the mother of a three-year-old daughter, said: “Our children suffer the most. We can’t let the kids play outside because we don’t know what they might find and pick up.”
Mniki said this week that after the refuse drop-off site in Ditchling Street was closed, municipal officials did random checks to curb illegal dumping.
“The waste management sub-directorate is utilising ward-based litter-picking and the War-On-Waste project participants to remove litter,” he said.
Mniki said more resources and inspections would be introduced to curb illegal dumping and littering.