COMMUNITY leaders are urging the eThekwini Municipality to place guards outside the Chatsworth garden refuse site to deter residents from illegal dumping, after hundreds of bin bags and household dirt was left outside the site during the festive period.
If the illegal dumping cannot be stopped, calls will be made for the refuse site to be shut down and relocated.
Don Baijnath, a law enforcement official for the city, based in Chatsworth, said: “I have been conducting regular patrols but it is not enough to deter the people who are dumping illegally. I cannot be on guard at all times.
"I have managed to chase away about eight vagrants who sit outside the dumpsite and rummaged through the dirt. Some of them even assist people to offload their dirt onto the pavement."
He said residents had dumped household dirt, cupboards, food, old furniture, and unwanted items.
Gugu Sisilana, spokesperson for eThekwini Municipality, said they were aware of the problem.
Sisilana said besides the fact that illegal dumping was a criminal offence punishable by law, it also had social, economic and health effects that affect every citizen.