St Francis Dump Site an eyesore and health hazard
The following correspondence was received from a group of concerned St Francis residents who are calling for the immediate closure of the St Francis Dump Site
“The St Francis dump site is in a terrible state.
It is illegal and overfull with no control, dumping is taking place outside the gate area and poses a serious fire hazard for the residential areas in the vicinity. Vagrants and livestock roam the area unhindered and it is increasingly developing into a flashpoint for drug trading and crime.
At least six fires have broken out during the last month and a toxic concoction of all kinds of matter is burning, fanned by the prevailing winter North Northwest wind it drifts and settles over the surrounding villages. The stench is unbearable and older residents and those suffering from respiratory problems are adversely effected, this has become a very serious health problem. The area is simply not suitable for any form of waste management.
Aviation activities at the nearby runway at St Francis Field could be compromised. The westerly take-off point is within three hundred meters of a smouldering dump and this poses a risk to aircraft and sub-standard visibility could necessitate periodic closure of the runway.
It is suspected that the Dump is being purposely burnt to make space. There appears to be no infrastructure in place to clear the area that is already over full.
It is difficult to understand what exactly is happening. The dump/transfer station has been declared illegal and the Department of Economic Development Environmental Affairs and Tourism issued a permit ordering the closure. The Kouga Municipality placed a notice in the local Express Newspaper announcing closure but apparently are having a re-think and the matter is about to be delayed. Who are the decision makers? Have the public and the local Civic Associations been consulted? It appears the Fire Department have not been approached for an evaluation of the current and ongoing fire risks.
The Dump facilities at Humansdorp have been upgraded and declared operational. Surrounding areas like Jeffries Bay, Ashton Bay and Paradise beach travel to Humansdorp to dump. This indeed is the theme throughout the Country, illegal landfills are being closed and replaced by properly licensed and equipped sites.
This has now become a far greater issue than just an unsightly mismanaged Dump, the health aviation and fire hazards are serious and it is about time we start holding however is delaying the closure personally responsible, after all there could be lives at stake.
If the dump site is closed have they thought about what the area around the Industrial area is going to look like from all they LAZY midnight dumpers
I fuĺly agrèe with the points raised in this article. The situation at this dump is deteriorating by the day and cannot be ignored any longer. It is illegal and has been mismanaged for many years.
Disposal of refuse, recycling, garden refuse and building rubble in St Francis Bay, Cape St Francis and Sea Vista needs to managed properly.
It is clear that the Kouga Council are unable to manage this process, we the community will have to assert pressure on the council to put the required frame work in place and to physically get involved in environmentally sound refuse disposal. Such as close the Illegal Tip, create a well managed transfer station, start a recycling program….
Thank you to those residents who are already helping, such as the people who periodically clear the litter on the road to Cape St Francis and others that are pedantic about recycling.
We are blessed with living in one of the most beautiful places on Earth, lets not turn a blind eye and accept that we have to drive past areas overflowing with litter in-order to get to our pristine beaches.
The dump is in the state it is because it is no longer maintained by the Kouga municipality & graded regularly to cover the waste. This was always done in the recent past. The dump is used by many, many of the St Francis residence & businesses. It is of value to the residence of St Francis. It also provides jobs to many unemployed, who recycle & work the tip. It is very far to drive to Humansdorp to dump & those who cannot get there will just dump illegally. Rate payers should have a say as to whether they want dump closed or not. I certainly don’t! To say its a flash point for drugs & crime is absolute rubbish. I have in all my years going to the tip never seen any criminal activity only the really poor trying desperately to eek out a living & they do a great service re-selling bricks, & sorting thru the the metal, re- selling the thatch too!! wake up st francis driving to Humansdorp is not an option for many!!
We are totally in agreement with the article would encourage the use of the legal fraternity to ensure that this decision to close the Dump is carried out with immediate effect.
The dump has developed into an issue, however, the real problem is not so much the dump as what it is the management thereof!. A refuse dump for bio degradable waste (garden refuse etc) is needed and should be provided as a service to the community. Very few will drive to Humansdorp to dispose of a few bags of garden refuse – this will end up being dumped illegally. Unless such services are properly managed they will all degenerate as we have witnessed with so many services in and around St Francis. The only way to ensure adequate and properly managed services (including the dump) is to make sure we all use your cross effectively on 3 August.
This tip is illegal. We agree with the article, and needs to be closed immediately. When using the western gate to enter St Francis Field one has to pass the entrance to this tip where it is evident that there is no management at all. Refuse is dumped one the side of the road, left there, and is very unsightly. When there is a fire, which is often, the stench is unbearable.
Can not agree with Andrew more. What’s more the Humansdorp dump, last visited in January, was a complete mess, disorganized and populated by a number of very dodgy characters. Not somewhere one would like to be dumping recyclable refuse. Offer some other viable alternative rather than just close the tip down regardless.
The continuous calls, emails, whatsapp messages I have sent from dump supervisor Nxobisa to munipal manager Sydney Fadi to our local health Inspector Thando!! There hasn’t been any management for the last 5 years people, the TEREX eish is broken, the municipal bakkies who do our verges and parks etc, in since last year for service and repairs! Notice the blue tractor driving with the trailer??? Open your eyes guys! The chipper that once operated on this very same dump has rusted to pieces in the municipal store Jbay. I am one of many contractors who employs 6 local men from sea vista. Going to Humansdorp is a costly exercise and impacts the residents who will have to pay double for every load!