Residents tackle illegal dumping in Pelican Park, Zeekoevlei and Grassy Park

• A large clean-up operation in Pelican Park and Grassy Park saw over 70 residents collect more than 100 bags of waste.
• Ward 67 Councillor Gerry Gordon praised residents for taking ownership of their neighborhoods and fighting back against illegal dumping.
• The City of Cape Town spent over R350 million on waste collection last year, and officials encourage residents to report issues and take steps to keep their communities clean.

More than 100 bags were filled with waste during a large-scale clean-up operation on Friday 25 October, with the hope of reducing illegal dumping.

The clean-up operation, organised by the City of Cape Town, took place in Pelican Park, Zeekoevlei and Grassy Park.

A large scale clean-up operation was held in Ward 67 on Friday 25 October. PHOTO:

Ward 67 councillor Gerry Gordon said it was a hopeful sight to see over 70 residents pitch in to clean their suburbs.

“There are many residents taking ownership of their suburbs and we are sick and tired of dumping. Today, they are showing that illegal dumping will not be the order of the day.”

Residents filled more than 100 bags during a clean-up operation last week. PHOTO:

Waste such as plastic litter and cardboard were the most-found items picked up during the clean-up.

“Looking at the spaces and the illegal dumping hotspots, we are trying to do our bit and I am elated at the number of residents who responded to come out today,” she added.

According to Gordon, the City spent over R350 million on collecting waste in its previous financial year.

“Over R350 million was spent last year to collect waste across the city, so it is a problem we are sitting with. We could have utilised the money better in Ward 67 because our ward is high on the list when it comes to illegal dumping.”

Residents filled more than 100 bags during a clean-up operation last week. PHOTO:

She encouraged residents to take ownership of their spaces and to reach out to the City, if there are any issues with bins.

“Every household is issued a bin, but if they need an extra bin they need to indicate that to the City,” she explained. “Some residents have wendy houses on their property or three different properties, so they would need more than one bin. Often that is not the case, so residents dump the waste on open fields and that is problematic.”

It was however promising to see on Friday how many residents are interested in keeping their neighbourhood clean, she added.

“From our perspective people are happier when places are cleaner and we want to unify our communities.”