Brand-new trash crisis at a busy Gqeberha street corner—until a local company stepped in.
This week, Algoa Plant took matters into its own hands, sending a cleanup crew to clear a mountain of rubbish at the Cottrell and Caseley streets intersection in Korsten. The pile had grown for months, seemingly left unattended by the municipality for at least six weeks (and, according to a local businesswoman, for years in total).
While the metro had responded sporadically in the past, a full, official intervention had not occurred since at least mid-year, despite repeated pleas from nearby business owners.
On Tuesday, the metro acknowledged the concern and the efforts of local businesses, noting that the spot had been cleared on multiple occasions. The underlying issue, they said, is illegal dumping, which they are actively working to curb.
Metro spokesperson Sithembiso Soyaya described Korsten in general—and the Cottrell-Caseley corner in particular—as a dumping hotspot. He explained that materials such as building rubble, commercial waste, food waste, and other refuse are being discarded by businesses and individuals, well outside the scope of normal household waste collection. This creates a heavy burden on municipal resources.
To address the problem, the metro plans several decisive actions:
- Metro police and waste-management bylaw officers will boost monitoring at known hotspots across the metro, including Korsten, to identify and penalize offenders.
- Waste-management teams will continue engaging with businesses and residents about proper waste practices, while encouraging collaboration with the municipality to report offenders and use legal disposal sites.
- Illegal dumping is a criminal offense, and residents and businesses are urged to stop these practices and to report offenders to the municipality.
Reporting channels include contacting the ward councillor or calling the metro’s toll-free number, 0800-205-050, which assists in registering and tracking complaints.
The Herald
