Combat illegal dumping

4 July 2023

Fines not enough to combat illegal dumping

New legislation is urgently needed to combat the growing waste dump open areas in South Africa has become, due to municipalities inability to address illegal dumping.

Martlé Keyter, Chief Executive Officer: Operations of MISA, the Motor Industry Staff Association, says the various municipal by-laws making provision for fines ranging from R1 500 to R5 000, is totally inadequate to serve as a deterrent for offenders.

“According to prosecutors MISA spoke to, jurisdiction is also a huge problem when it comes to law enforcement. If the dumping site fall outside of the border of the specific municipality, it becomes a fight of who is accountable on a provincial and a national level. It makes it impossible to hold individuals accountable,” says Keyter.

President Cyril Ramaphosa says green is the new gold because combating climate change is not only an environmental imperative, but an economic one.

The President responded to the Just Energy Transition (JET) Framework that was handed to him by the Presidential Climate Committee (PCC). This framework will serve as a key evidence-based guide for policy making for South Africa’s transition from a carbon-intensive economy to a greener and cleaner economy.

Keyter says South Africa needs to respond fast because the country is on the verge of waste disaster. “With an estimated population of 61 million people producing about 2 kg of waste per day, we have no time to waste.

Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Barbara Creecy, has called on all citizens to find creative and innovative ways to remove plastic pollution from communities in an effort to protect the environment.

According to the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), in South Africa, a little over 2.5 million tons of plastic are produced annually.

Keyter says Government is not acting with enough speed to create ample legal areas for waste to be dumped. Illegal dumping sights are also not cleared or cleaned, creating an unhealthy and environmental hazard.

Issued on behalf of MISA by Sonja Carstens, Media, Liaison and Communication Specialist.

For MISA Press Releases, phone Carstens on 082 463 6806 or email Sonja.Carstens@ms.org.za