WASTE: HEFTY PENALTIES FOR NON-COMPLIANCE

Substantial fines for non-compliance is the fate awaiting property owners and tenants in the MMID who take short cuts with the disposal of their trash.  The common practice of leaving waste material out for random collection by bin-pickers is a thing of the past.

MMID’s assigned law enforcement officer, Percy September, has been tasked with identifying and fining occupants of premises within the MMID who do not comply with waste disposal regulations.

The practice of leaving skips and bins open at the roadside, for the informal removal of excess waste has become commonplace as a means of avoiding taking the material to the dump or hiring waste disposal contractors.

The result is bin-pickers in large numbers arriving to collect the unsorted trash which they move to nearby open areas and then strew discarded items of no value far and wide, with unsightly results.

Businesses are warned against allowing informal recyclers to rummage through garbage containers either at the street side or in their premises.  It’s what happens to the material after it gets taken away by the pickers that are the source of the problem.

Pre-sorting of any usable or recyclable waste and handing it directly to informal collectors is acceptable, but building occupants are required to take the unusable leftovers to the dump or, if a small amount, dispose of the junk in their bins.

The problem of waste goes further than non-compliant property owners and tenants. Outsiders have been caught dumping rubbish in the railway servitudes and along Station Road. In the last six months, successful action against four dumpers has seen them have their vehicles impounded, together with an R5 000 fine. Return of the vehicle costs them up to R9 000.

In line with broad waste management plans, MMID staff are currently working with residents of Joe Slovo Park to improve waste handling and disposal.

 A recycling project is in the pipeline for the MMID district along with a Clean Verge/Green verge competition.  

We are waging a battle against pollution – and unmanaged waste is a primary offender.