Cape Town gives fly-tipping hotspots an extreme dump makeover

Cape Town is plagued by a “chronic” illegal dumping problem.

The city spends more than R100m a year cleaning up to 3,000 dump sites. But the money seems to be going to waste.  

According to councillor Xanthea Limberg, responsible for water and waste, “dumped waste tends to reappear almost immediately after cleaning”.

In their efforts to tackle the “chronic challenge”, city departments, community organisations and residents on Friday turned six illegal dumping sites in Nyanga and Gugulethu into “healthy green spaces”.

“[We want to] to try a different approach that will make dumpers think twice before dumping waste,” said Limberg.

“Two illegal dumping hotspots, one in Nyanga and one in Gugulethu, were selected for piloting the new ‘beautification’ intervention, with a view to creating a living green space that the community could enjoy and take pride in.

“First, the waste was cleared over a period of several days, using specialised equipment including grab trucks and diggers.

“Once the spaces had been cleared local residents, together with city representatives and NGO partners, rolled up their sleeves and got to work planting the now-clear space with indigenous plants donated by the city’s recreation and parks department.

“Indigenous plants are resilient to the region’s weather patterns and do not require much maintenance or water. Maintenance of the gardens will be a joint effort by the communities, an NGO and the city.”

Limberg said four more spaces will be beautified.

“I’d like to commend the solid waste team for leading this initiative, which shows what is possible when we come together to take a stand against illegal dumping,” she said.

“I thank the local residents whose active involvement in the project is key to its success and sustainability. The message is clear — the broader community has had enough of living with the careless acts of a few.

“We want to raise awareness around how serious the illegal dumping challenge is, and instead of just cleaning these spaces, turning them into healthy, positive green spaces for the communities to enjoy.”

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