Media Release: Illegal dumping a threat to the prosperity of the Garden Route

For immediate release
4 November 2024

“Industrial- scale illegal dumping and littering was one of the major drivers impacting on the severity of the April 2022 Durban flood disaster when some 459 people lost their lives with billions of Rands’ damage to hard infrastructure, property and the economy”, says Cobus Meiring of the Garden Route Environmental Forum (GREF).

Globally the advent of climate change enhanced the severity and regularity of flooding with storm water drainage systems and infrastructure simply not designed for such severe events. During the Kwazulu-Natal 2022 floods, the impact of storm water drainage systems blocked by waste and rubble rendered them ineffective to channel storm water. The severe flooding caused severe damage to infrastructure like bridges, roads and resulted in thousands of tons of waste washing up on KZN beaches – a disaster on its own.

All Garden Route towns are serviced weekly in terms of standard waste removal best practice but despite best efforts illegal dumping and littering prevail unabated.

The degrading impact of littering and pollution on the well- being and quality of life of communities is well documented. Changes in climate will further the damage caused by unmanaged waste and litter if social behaviour patterns do not change.

Garden Route municipalities have no choice but to spend millions of Rands, earmarked for service delivery annually, to clean illegal dumping sites and remove mountains of litter from vacant land and township borders.

Littering and illegal dumping, just like the impact of invasive alien plants have become an immense threat to not only the environment but also human safety and well- being. The degradation of water quality, river health, bio-diversity, marine and coastal environments and general quality of life of those living in the Garden Route is at stake.

Many Garden Route residents do take ownership with regular community beach and river clean-ups, and we salute all who assist the overwhelmed public services.

The Garden Route Environmental Forum (GREF) is a public platform for environmental managers and a climate change think- tank. (grefscli.co.za).

Feature Image: Children are often subjected to illegal dumping hotspots.

ENDS