'Annually, it costs the City R350 million to clean up illegal dumping. There is no doubt the actual costs are immeasurable when taking into account the man hours spent responding to and investigating cases, the toll it takes on the health of communities who have to live near dumping grounds and the damage it does to City and private infrastructure.

'For this reason, we are taking a hard line against those who dump their waste wherever they can with no regard for the damage they are doing to residents, the environment or the neighbourhood. The mess is left for the City to clean up and law-abiding residents shout at us when it doesn't happen fast enough,' said the City of Cape Town's Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, Alderman JP Smith.  

For the last five months, July to November this year, Law Enforcement issued 1 875 fines for littering, 1 158 fines for dumping, issued 170 compliance notices and impounded 32 vehicles.

'Although the City has a number of waste management strategies and services in place where residents can dispose of their waste, illegal dumping remains a problem. Everyone wants to live in a clean city, but there are many who are not willing to do their part to make it a reality. Law Enforcement will continue to clamp down on those who insist on making areas unhealthy and unsightly,' said Alderman Smith.

Cleaning up illegally dumped waste is about 20 times more expensive than collecting it from individual wheelie bins, as specialised equipment, including front-end loaders, must be hired to remove the waste.