Residents of Overport say they have had enough of complaining about the filth left on the streets for weeks. A resident, Mrs Govender, said the state of Brickfield, Clayton and Roslyn roads is appalling.
“I am disgusted by what I see on the streets. There is garbage piling up for days or even weeks on the streets. What makes it even worse is the mess caused by those that dig in the bins, leaving the packets torn. We also find broken furniture dumped on the road and broken cupboard pieces from those renovating their businesses or homes,” she said.
Another resident said it’s not only in the residential areas that there is a problem of uncollected garbage but, also in front of businesses. “The bins are filled to capacity and rubbish bags are in piles on almost every intersection. This is ridiculous,” she said.
She said the filth is a serious cause for concern as the area is deteriorating and now there are rats everywhere.
“Overport is classified as a suburb, however, driving on the streets you feel like you are in a landfill site, with all the black and green municipal garbage packets,” she added.
She said that the municipality is partially to blame as sometimes garbage pick-up is not done regularly, however, the residents themselves should be held responsible as many of them just take out garbage, trashing them on the road, knowing very well that it’s not pick-up day.
Ward 31 Councillor, Remona Mackenzie, said the biggest challenge is illegal dumping in the area and also the fact that residents are not aware of the by-laws and procedures of garbage collection.
“I have noticed that a lot of the illegal dumping happens during the night, by people from other areas. I do urge residents who witness this to take pictures and send them to me so that they can be dealt with. Also contributing to this is the fact that residents take out their garbage a day before collection day, which results in mountains of black bags in one spot, giving an opportunity to dogs and vagrants scratching in the bags, leaving a mess on the streets,” said Cllr Mckenzie.
She added that businesses are also non-compliant with the Durban Solid Waste (DSW) by-laws.
“If anyone sees a local business dumping illegally please report it as we have discussed this with Nelson Khuzwayo, one of the managers of DSW to have the businesses fined if they do not adhere to the laws of dumping. Sometimes in the evenings, when I drive around the ward, I notice uncollected garbage and I make sure I act on it immediately by contacting Khuzwayo who ensures collection. The only challenge we normally have is when people take out their rubbish in the night after collection and it is left the entire week until the next collection day,” Cllr McKenzie said.
Cllr McKenzie said that last year she started a community clean-up programme with community activists which stopped in the festive season.
“We will be starting those clean-ups again and DSW will provide us with bags and gloves. I have also requested that DSW issue me with a copy of all the by-law rules and procedures of refuse collection which I will be sharing on the community WhatsApp groups to educate residents on the by-laws,” Cllr McKenzie said.
She added that she is not sure of the exact dates of collection for the various streets, however, has requested that DSW send her the dates.
