Cape Town has recently embarked on an illegal dumping clamped down in an effort to curb the R350-million spent annually on cleaning up the City. “This money could have been better spent on a new sports facility or on social welfare programmes, but instead it is being used to compensate for a few irresponsible residents,’ comments the City’s mayoral committee member for utility services, Councillor Ernest Sonnenberg.

Since the inception of the City’s illegal dumping campaign in February, a total of 610  fines with a total value of R588 520 have been issued. Over and above that, in May the municipality held a week-long blitz where the combined efforts of various departments patrolling 822 dumping hot-spots saw 127 fines issued with a value of R210 000.

Part of the City’s strategy has been to pool enforcers from the Solid Waste By-law Enforcement Unit and Metro Police, with support from the City’s health and traffic services departments. The campaign also includes an awareness and education drive.

“I would like to thank the various units who remain committed to bringing offenders to book through this campaign. This ongoing work being done by City officials shows that we will not be defeated in the fight against a practice that is unnecessary and highly expensive to ratepayers. Many residents underestimate the impact that illegal dumping has on the City, and believe that anti-dumping laws are something they can ignore, but it affects every one of us,” said Sonnenberg.

The strategy involves a period of one week each month in which City officials clamp down on illegal dumpers and litterers, by patrolling known dumping spots, as well as taking action against landowners who have allowed illegally dumped material to accumulate on their properties.

“Those who dump illegally take a deliberate decision not to make use of the City’s drop-off facilities. It is high time that the law-abiding residents of the city stop suffering the consequences of decisions made by those who refuse to dispose of their waste in a safe and legal way,” concludes Councillor Sonnenberg.