Illegal dumping along certain roads in Parow has become an eyesore in the neighbourhood.
A drive through the area revealed that dumping close to the railway line is widespread.
Cloete and Railway streets are littered by strewn with rubbish, and the Pacrif (Parow Crime-Fighters) Neighbourhood Watch says it is at its wits’ end.
Wendy Skorbinski, spokeswoman for Pacrif, said it had hosted a community clean-up in February, but the problem still remained.
“The areas where dumping is a concern are at Da Gama Park, located between Alexandra and Victoria streets; Cloete Street under the Van Riebeeck Road bridge; along the railway line in Cloete Street; on the field at Tygervallei and Cloete streets; on the corners of Steenbras and Cloete streets; the parking area at Klosser and Parow streets; on the corners of King Edward and Tygervallei streets and the Station Road arcade,” she said.
“Dumping poses a health hazard as it limits where children can play and lowers property values. Some of the residents allow the vagrants to remove their dirt (garbage), and this results in the dirt (garbage) being dumped nearby, which makes the area quite unpleasant,” she said.
Ms Skorbinski urged the City of Cape Town to post “no dumping” signage in the community.
Ashley Marais, chairman of the Parow Ratepayers’ Association (PRA), said that while Parow North residents were “very good” at keeping the area clean; homeless people in the area make a mess.
“When the homeless move into the bushes close to the N1 highway, surrounding residents also experience a spike in break-ins. We have reported this to the ward councillor and the police,” he said.
The PRA notified the Northern News about this issue last week. it has also urged the City to draw up a plan to decrease or eradicate stop dumping in Parow.
Leon van Eeden, chairman of the Parow North Lower Neighbourhood Watch, said vagrants congregating on the McIntyre Road bridge and nearby green belts were causing a mess.
“They set up camp anywhere and leave a huge mess behind. On Mondays, when the refuse is collected, the vagrants come out and carry black bags away.
“They then find a spot in the community, rip the black bags open, search for items of value and leave the dirt behind without any consideration for the community,” Mr Van Eeden said.
Mr Van Eeden said a lot of rubbish was also dumped in Marsinga Street in Parow.
“The street has a dead end and people go there to dump their refuse,” he said.
He said vagrants also caused a mess at De Grendel train station, where they ripped open bags found in the green rubbish bins.
“They loot the black bags and just leave the dirt behind.”
Mr Van Eeden said his complex employed a man to clean-up the mess left by bin scratchers on the bins are looted by the homeless on“bin day”.
A fund-raising drive among residents was being planned to employ someone to keep the area clean, he said.
Mayco member for water and waste, Xanthea Limberg said the City of Cape Town has 26 drop off sites across the metro for receiving garden refuse, builders’ materials and any other items that do not fit into household wheelie bins.
“These are more than sufficient to ensure the legal and safe disposal of waste. Residents can drop up to three loads, limited to vehicles with a maximum carrying capacity of 1.5 ton, each day at our drop-off sites for free. Residents can find the most convenient drop-off site for their purposes on the City’s website,” she said.
She said the Solid Waste By-law Enforcement Unit also performs blitz operations focusing on business areas; patrols dumping hot spot areas and proactively assesses waste management practices of businesses in the City.”
The community can report illegal dumping on 021 480 7700 or from a cell phone or 107 from a landline.
