Vusumuzi Hostels Residents Join Hands to Fight Illegal Dumping

The scourge of illegal dumping is at its peak in the City, but Vusumuzi hostel residents in Thembisa are determined to turn the tide.

With a high number of people still working from home and schools still closed the rate of generating waste is on a high across the City, and some resort to illegal dumping on open spaces when their 240ℓ wheelie bins are full to the brim.

It is for this reason that the residents of Vusumuzi hostel embarked on an educational campaign against illegal dumping in an effort to educate their fellow residents about the health hazards posed by illegal dumping and the dangers thereof to the environment.

Hostel resident and community leader Mphiyakhe Mlangeni (52) coordinated a concerned group to oversee the upkeep of the hostel.

“There is only so much that the municipality can do to help keep our neighbourhood clean, the rest is in our hands. We do have skip bins inside and outside the hostel that are serviced by the municipality twice a week, but our people still litter. As a result we have started to work together to clean our own space and in that way one cannot just litter as they wish because it will be their responsibility to clean it up,” says Mlangeni.

Hostel residents have obtained gloves, plastic bags and tongs from the municipality and meet once a week to clean illegal dumping spots in and around the hostel.