Sharpeville winning the war against waste

Illegal dumping sites have become common sightings in various communities around the country. These sites often stretch for miles, are hazardous to human health and are displeasing to the eye.

Over the years, the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) has worked with numerous local municipalities, communities and other key stakeholders to help communities clean up such sites through effective clean-up campaigns. However, despite these efforts, illegal dumping sites are an ever-growing problem.

According to Deputy Director of Waste Management, Ms Boitumelo Dlamini, the effectiveness of community clean-up campaigns lies in the community’s awareness about waste and in municipalities that ensure that communities are kept clean.

“The effectiveness of cleanup campaigns depends on the consistency of the municipality’s waste management efforts and in the awareness against littering. In areas where the municipality is active, the area remains clean and people become custodians of their environment.

“One of the most important aspects of cleanup campaigns lies in the education and awareness built around them. The set-up, design and frequency of the cleanup campaigns then determine the level of awareness that is built into people’s minds,” she said.

According to the 2016 Stats SA Household Survey, an estimated 59% of households had their waste collected by the local municipality while 2% had their waste collected from a central collection point or communal container. However, 34% of households disposed their waste at a communal dump or their own dump site while 5% dealt with their waste through other means.

Rustenburg Local Municipality spokesperson Mr David Magae says that the negative mind-sets of community members is also one of the causes of illegal dumping sites.

“Many factors contribute to illegal dumping sites but a negative mind-set is one of the main causes of illegal dumping. When community members have a don’tcare or negative attitude towards the environment, illegal dumping sites will occur,” Mr Magae said.

Illegal dumping sites are not just bad for the environment and the health of communities, they can sometimes become illegal graveyards.

How Sharpeville won the war against waste

Mr Lebese Mothijoa, from the community of Sharpeville in Gauteng says community members decided to clean up an illegal dumping site after they discovered a dead baby buried in the trash.

“The site has now been rehabilitated into a park which is both clean and beautiful. Members of the community volunteered to rehabilitate the site and erected a white stone to represent the soul of the baby that was found in the area,” he said.

Ms Dlamini says illegal dumping sites can create health hazards for community members and can also be bad for business and tourism in the area.

According to the Stats SA report, solid waste is an urban problem as waste generation in urban areas tends to be much higher than in rural areas. It was also found that developing countries, like South Africa would experience continuous urbanisation with the population of people living in urban areas rising by 71.3% in 2030 and 80% in 2050.

Ms Dlamini says DEA and municipalities continuously run sustainability efforts which includes clean ups and rehabilitation of illegal dumping sites. However, those cleaned areas can also be affected if the community is not cooperative and doesn’t maintain it.

Director for Sustainability at Plastics SA, Mr Douw Steyn, says as the founders of Clean-up and Recycle SA Week and the International Coastal Clean-up Day which began in 1997, they often see a change through the various clean up campaigns they help sponsor.

Here are some tips from Plastics SA on how communities can start their own clean up campaigns to help keep their environments clean:

● Pick the right project and location for your community, conduct either a roadside, river or beach clean-up.

● Make a detailed event plan.

● Choose an enthusiastic leader or co-ordinator.

● Recruit volunteers early by contacting local newspapers, community members and schools.

● Get supplies donated.

● Assign specific tasks during the clean-up.

● Make a plan for debris removal.

● If possible, try to reward your volunteers.