Hillbrow residents vow to stop illegal dumping

26 June 2017

 

The City of Johannesburg’s Department of Environmental Health on Friday June 23 concluded its month-long waste management campaign targeting service lanes in Hillbrow in Region F.

 

Service lanes are arteries used by waste collection, emergency and delivery vehicles to access high-rise apartments to provide tenants with the necessary services.

Environmental Health Practitioner Masego Sehloho said through the campaign the department was, with the assistance of Pikitup, the City’s waste management entity, able to clear at least eight service lanes of tons of waste that had turned them into illegal dump sites in the neighbourhood by residents.

“We are highly impressed with the work that we have managed to do and we will be working closely with the residents to ensure that the service lanes are kept clean at all times,” said Sehloho.

She said the community support the City had received during the campaign, although minimal, was welcome and encouraging. She, however, vowed the department would continue with its efforts to get more buy-in from residents to ensure a sustainable clean environment in the area.

“This is why the educational aspect of this campaign is important because it does not only educate residents about the dangers of illegal dumping, but it also engages them. It gives the residents the opportunity to contribute to a litter-free environment,” said Sehloho.

She said one of the concerns that came up regularly during the campaign was that there were not enough bins in the buildings in Hillbrow, hence the illegal dumping.

“I would like to thank Pikitup’s Operations Manager, Donald Radingoane, for coming on board and ensuring this project is a success and that we achieve everything we had set out to achieve,” said Sehloho.

Community member Phindile Sithole, 39, said the clean-up campaign had inspired her and some of her neighbours. 
“The City came to help us clean our neighbourhood. Now it’s our responsibility to keep it clean and put a stop to illegal dumping,” said Sithole.

“We came out in numbers today because we have been alerted to the dangers of living close to filth and illegal dump sites,” said Sithole.

She added that overcrowding in the buildings was a contributing factor to the illegal dumping problem in the area.
“I think those who dump waste through their windows onto the service lanes must face punishment so that they can refrain from littering,” concluded Sithole.