Help stop expensive illegal dumping
This week, from 13 to 17 February, Mossel Bay Municipality, along with other Garden Route municipalities, participated in an awareness week regarding illegal dumping.
The municipality hosted radio talks, rolled out a door-to-door campaign and cleaned illegal dumping hotspots.
Although Mossel Bay Municipality has several waste management strategies and services in place for dealing with all types of waste, often residents dump illegally.
Illegal dumping results in high costs, damage to the environment and harm to both humans and animals.
The first six months of this financial year alone, the municipality has spent more than R500 000 due to the necessary hiring of digger loaders and tipper trucks.
The annual budget for illegal dumping last year was about R1.2 million rand. This is only the cost for machinery and excludes contractors who do street cleaning and cleaning of open spaces.
Illegal dumping is the depositing, discharging, spilling or releasing of any kind of waste in or on any public space. This includes: open fields vacant or occupied land roadsides sewer systems waterways
Dumping on any public land is illegal and is an offence in terms of municipal by-laws. Should you be found dumping illegally, you could be issued a fine of R1 000. The municipality is in the process of revising its by-law, which may lead to the impounding of a vehicle, should a motorist be found dumping illegally.
One of the major concerns regarding illegal dumping is that rubbish blocks drains and stormwater canals, pollutes waterways, and can contaminate drinking water.
Medical waste can spread infections and disease and illegally dumped toxic waste is a threat to our communities, the municipality notes.
Deaths could occur as a result.
The community should report a person they see dumping by calling the Waste and
Pollution Control department at the municipality (044 606 5143) or the afterhours call centre (044 606 5000).
Where to take your refuse
KwaNonqaba waste disposal facility: Domestic waste, electronic waste, oil, small amounts of green waste / building rubble.
Sonskynvallei transfer station: Domestic waste, electronic waste, oil, green waste / building rubble.
Great Brak Landfill: Only green waste and building rubble.
Louis Fourie Landfill: Only green waste and building rubble.
Moloks or underground waste bins in public spaces are also available. These are situated in different locations such as Dana Bay, Mossel Bay central business district, Heiderand and other areas.
Moloks are the enclosed underground bins normally situated in public spaces for community use.
Only household general waste can be deposited into the moloks.