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Environmental experts warn of illegal dumping

Dumped rubbish
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Environmental experts in Limpopo have warned against the potential danger of illegal dumping and littering. Polokwane is filthy and environmentalists and residents alike have blamed the Polokwane Municipality and street hawkers.

Once one of the cleanest cities in the country, although some parts of the city remain unsullied, downtown Polokwane is awash with dirt. Motorists, pedestrians and hawkers have been blamed for the garbage in the streets and roadways.

The effects of littering include breeding bacteria that can pose a health hazard. It can also cause fires and flooding.

“People are the one’s that are littering. The municipalities are cleaning up after the people but then they throw things. Littering must be managed properly. The impact is very scary because the municipal workers even fail to carry all the dirt away and they sweep it into storm water drains, so when it rains our streets become flooded,” says Environmental expert from University of Limpopo, Dr Trevor Mulaudzi.

Street hawkers and the Polokwane Local Municipality have refused to take the blame for the problem.

“We have been complaining about this for a long time we sell food here but the municipality takes too long to remove the filth,” says one hawker.

“Every day we put this waste in sacks to make it easy for the municipal people but in the morning we find it here we don’t understand why,” adds another hawker.

Experts say environmental education should be compulsory in school.

 

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