LOCAL garden services around Buffalo City Metro (BCM) will resort to shedding some of their workers after the municipality forced them to stop dumping garden refuse in residential dump areas, but instead to use the Berlin site.
Some business owners have already started laying off staff in order to afford the added costs of transport to Berlin.
The garden services said they understood they could not dump other waste besides garden refuse at the tips but did not understand why the metro was stopping them from using the areas.
BCM spokesman Thandy Matebese confirmed that businesses could only dispose waste, including garden refuse, at the Roundhill site near Berlin.
“The garden refuse tips were only for residents.”
Local businessman Anton de Coning said he was only informed last week that he could not dump at the Amalinda site.
“I was told to go to Berlin to dump garden refuse. There was no alternative area closer to town,” he said.
De Coning said he was worried that stopping garden services from dumping garden refuse would promote illegal dumping across the metro.
“As a garden refuse service we are going to get rid of staff because we cannot afford to go dump in Berlin,” D e Coning said.
Another business owner Ria Els said she had been dumping in Berlin for the past two months.
“Every day we must make trips to Berlin more than once and it is dangerous especially for a woman,” she said.
Els said at times she has had to go to Gonubie to dump garden refuse .
Another garden service owner Arthur Mylie said he did not understand why they could not dump garden refuse in areas designated for that.
“The only difference between us businesses and other people is that we are bringing everyone’s refuse at once but we are not bringing in things that should not be dumped there,” Mylie said.
Matebese would not say why businesses were not allowed to dispose garden waste in Amalinda and Stoneydrift.
He said to curb the dumping crisis in the city the metro was in a process of identifying suitable sites in different areas to be developed as garden transfer stations. —
BCM, businesses clash over garden refuse dumping
Some business owners have already started laying off staff in order to afford the added costs of transport to Berlin.
The garden services said they understood they could not dump other waste besides garden refuse at the tips but did not understand why the metro was stopping them from using the areas.
BCM spokesman Thandy Matebese confirmed that businesses could only dispose waste, including garden refuse, at the Roundhill site near Berlin.
“The garden refuse tips were only for residents.”
Local businessman Anton de Coning said he was only informed last week that he could not dump at the Amalinda site.
“I was told to go to Berlin to dump garden refuse. There was no alternative area closer to town,” he said.
De Coning said he was worried that stopping garden services from dumping garden refuse would promote illegal dumping across the metro.
“As a garden refuse service we are going to get rid of staff because we cannot afford to go dump in Berlin,” D e Coning said.
Another business owner Ria Els said she had been dumping in Berlin for the past two months.
“Every day we must make trips to Berlin more than once and it is dangerous especially for a woman,” she said.
Els said at times she has had to go to Gonubie to dump garden refuse .
Another garden service owner Arthur Mylie said he did not understand why they could not dump garden refuse in areas designated for that.
“The only difference between us businesses and other people is that we are bringing everyone’s refuse at once but we are not bringing in things that should not be dumped there,” Mylie said.
Matebese would not say why businesses were not allowed to dispose garden waste in Amalinda and Stoneydrift.
He said to curb the dumping crisis in the city the metro was in a process of identifying suitable sites in different areas to be developed as garden transfer stations. —
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