The Cape Town mayoral committee has approved a draft wastewater and industrial effluent bylaw, which gives the city the power to confiscate any vehicle used to dump waste illegally.

985 illegal dumping sites have been identified and measures such as increasing fines have been put in place to discourage the illegal practice, the Cape Times reported.The city has issued 364 fines amounting to millions for illegal dumping in the last six months.

The issue of illegal dumping came under the spotlight last year when a toddler died after she consumed chemical substances at an illegal dump site in Delft.

“Officers have reported zero dumping activity at certain sites in the Philippi Horticultural Area where prolific dumping used to take place. This is mainly due to daily monitoring and enforcement of these locations. However, the offenders often tend to shift their activities to another location within the same broad geographical area. Landowners using their properties as landfill sites is another challenge,”chief for enforcement and security Rudolf Wiltshire told Cape Times.

The draft bylaw, which will go to council for approval, will also force the food industry to refrain from discharging fat and grease into the sewer system as well asprevent medical waste from being discharge into the sewer system.

The city has budgeted R200m annually to clear materials at illegal dumping sites.