It is just crazy what some people will throw away these days.
A Facebook post on the Hout Bay Community Policing Forum’s page, dated Wednesday 5 January, said the Hout Bay Solid Waste Drop-Off Facility had been closed by the police due to a suspected explosive device that was dumped there.
The post read that the police were waiting for the bomb disposal unit to arrive and that the site would be closed until the situation was deemed safe.
Located on NR Mandela Road close to the Hout Bay Police Station, the facility is for use by residents with cars, trailers or LDV’s with a carrying capacity not exceeding 1,5 tons.
According to the City of Cape Town’s website, a maximum of three loads of garage waste, builder’s rubble and clean garden waste can be dropped off per day. There is no limitation on the number of loads of recycling that can be dropped at the facility.
The website then goes on to list the accepted waste material include clean builder’s rubble, garage waste, paper and cardboard, cans and metal, plastic, e-waste, motor oil, clean garden waste, tetra pak, glass bottles and polystyrene.
Waste materials not accepted include organic kitchen waste and hazardous waste. It is safe to assume that an explosive device would definitely fall under the latter.
Hout Bay Police Station confirmed that police officers attended a complaint of a possibly explosive device found at the recycling depot at 15:20 on Wednesday 5 January.
According to the police station’s support services, on the scene officers found a device with the writing “explosive” on it. The scene was cordoned off.
“The bomb disposal unit and dog unit attended to the scene. No injuries and no property were damaged as the line throwing rocket (was used). The device was disarmed and removed from the scene.”
