Attempt to clean up thwarted
STRUBENS VALLEY - Restrictions at local dumping site foils attempted clean-up.
A clean-up campaign can only be called a success if the rubbish can be disposed of safely.
A company called Clean-it-up teamed up with Remax properties and went on a huge clean up of Northside streets on Saturday 1 March. They picked up litter around Strubens Valley and Little Falls.
The group focused on cleaning up Hendrik Potgiter Road because, for over a month now, black refuse bags had been a permanent feature of that road. Northsider reported last week that the bags were left by a subcontractor appointed by the Krugersdorp Roads Department to cut the grass on Hendrik Potgieter Road.
Having brought all the bags at a central point, they were then faced with the challenge of disposing them.
“I took the first load to Panorama dump site but I was told that I’m only allowed to dump one load per day at that site,” Roman van der Merwe of Clean-it-up explained.
He alleges that Pikitup personnel at the dump site advised him to dump the other loads in Dobsonville.
The clean up continued as planned, but the bags had nowhere to go. Dobsonville in Soweto, was simply too far. As a result, the dumped bags remain on the side of the road. To make matters worse, Pikitup refused to come pick up the bags, Van der Merwe alleged.
According to Van der Merwe, the company (Clean-it-up) aims to encourage businesses to give back to communities by cleaning streets and creating employment. He added that this was also a way of creating a platform for businesses to show their support for a cleaner environment.
He explained the vast amount of uncollected rubbish on major roads, especially at main intersections is the company’s main focus.
“The overflowing advertising bins on our street corners are an eyesore. None of us want to see these areas degenerate into miniature rubbish dumps.”
He pointed out that litter and toxic waste are not only unsightly, but also have a lasting negative impact on the environment. He called on the public to play an active part in nature conservation.
Pikitup was still to respond to questions from Northsider by the time of going to press.
