Illegal dumping flourishes as Free State municipality runs short of rubbish trucks
Diapers and rotten food are among the trash in one such dumping site that lies just metres from Alina Mofokeng’s home in a township outside Reitz. She says the stench has driven her mad for years.
“It’s a pity that we have to accept a situation where even in the heat of summer we have to keep our doors and windows closed because of flies that come from the site,” she says. “It is a health hazard. People literally dump anything there from rotten meat to nappies – any rubbish.”
Edith Moloi works with from Tholoana Sustainable Development and Environmental Consultants, a project under the Expanded Public Works Programme. She blamed community members, and not the council, for mounting trash.
“(People are not) acting in good faith when they dump everywhere. People just need to learn to be responsible”, she tells OurHealth.
The municipality’s Sedina Maseko is responsible for rubbish collection in the area. According t Maseko, the municipality does not have enough trucks to collect rubbish.
“The problem is we don’t have enough vehicles for rubbish collection,” she says. “To make matters worse, our trucks are too old and are always broken and that means it is difficult to collect rubbish regularly.”
The municipality will undertake four campaigns against illegal dumping this year, adds Maseko, who says sites will be cleaned.
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