Refuse removal should happen tomorrow
After several residents complained about their refuse not being collected since the start of May, Ward 23 councillor André du Plessis said refuse in affected areas should be collected tomorrow (May 4).
Du Plessis said he had a discussion with an Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality (EMM) official last month who agreed to postpone the May 1 deadline by which people had to collect their wheelie bins, in order to hold further roll-outs of the receptacles.
The May 1 deadline would have signalled the official switch to the waste department collecting only waste placed in the 240l wheelie bins.
READ: More time to collect your wheelie bins
He said the metro made a decision that in the interim, refuse would still be collected, regardless of whether it was in a bin or not.
“We, as Benoni councillors, have subsequently informed our communities accordingly,” said du Plessis.
“However, this message has not been communicated to the Benoni depot manager.
“[He] has given strict instructions to his staff not to collect any black refuse bags.
“This has resulted in numerous streets, throughout the entire Benoni, being littered with uncollected refuse bags and the community being outraged that they are paying for a service which Ekurhuleni is not honouring.”
Du Plessis said the affected areas of Farrarmere, Brentwood Park, Goedeburg, Lakefield and Actonville should have their waste collected tomorrow.
“The city manager’s office responded by saying that there is an instruction to collect the plastic bags,” du Plessis said, after he wrote to Ekurhuleni mayor, Mzwandile Masina.
“They must put out teams immediately to resolve backlogs.
“They do not have any mandate to suspend the refuse removal service.”
Call your councillor
Du Plessis said people must collect their wheelie bin at 4 Golden Drive.
If they’re unable to, they need to indicate so to their councillor by May 13.
Click here for your councillor’s number.
The councillors will then forward the figures of interested persons to the metro, so that they can ensure enough bins are allocated to specific roll-out points when dates have been confirmed.
The councillor said he is hoping the roll-outs will be complete before the end of May, so that the metro can switch over to only collecting refuse placed in wheelie bins.
The City Times is awaiting comment from the EMM.
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