Ekurhuleni hit by waste removal backlog again

While residents still celebrated that the struggling solid waste department now boasts 36 new vehicles to help it provide efficient services, the City of Ekurhuleni announced on Friday that it is again experiencing a rubbish collection backlog.

According to the metro, this time, the collection services hit a snag after the closure of crucial landfill sites.
“The City of Ekurhuleni understands that our customers are experiencing challenges with waste removal services. We want to express our sincere apologies for the inconvenience caused by the backlog.
“We are working tirelessly to address this issue, which is compounded by the closure of multiple landfill sites,” explained the metro’s spokesperson, Zweli Dlamini.

Dlamini said the metro is engaging with stakeholders to expedite the reopening of these sites. However, in the meantime, the city is working toward clearing mini dumpsites and transfer stations to alleviate the pressure on the only operational Platkop landfill site.

“We appreciate your patience and understanding as we work to resolve this issue.
“We have advanced plans to fast-track the reopening of the affected facilities to attend to the city-wide waste removal backlog over the weekend,” said the MMC for Environmental Resources and Waste Management, Brandon Pretorius.

“Once again, we apologise for the inconvenience and thank you for your understanding during this difficult time. We remain committed to providing our customers with timely and efficient waste removal services.”
The metro had hoped the Rooikraal landfill site would start operating at a limited capacity to ease the pressure on Platkop. However, the site remains closed.

Collections hold-up
Residents across the city were recently hit by weeks of refuse collection hold-ups because the solid waste management system had collapsed.

A task team was established to help turn things around in the department, and eliminate the backlog in the region, while the HoD was placed on leave to let the task team sort out the waste debacle.
Among the measures taken to boost the department, the council approved a plant hire tender that saw the department receive 36 vehicles to reach its maximum fleet capacity. The city now boasts at least 58 trucks that service the metro.

“We experienced a challenge with waste removal with trucks breaking down. The city managed to buy new trucks, but we need to get to a stage where everything is back to normal.
“What we have is a tender that allows us to rent trucks as and when we need them to provide efficient service delivery,” said Ekurhuleni Mayor Tania Campbell.

Meanwhile, Pretorius said it was important for the city to replace its internal fleet as soon as possible and only use the plant hire tender when necessary.
“The city’s ultimate goal is to stabilise the rotational collection of waste in all parts of Ekurhuleni,” said Pretorius.

Adjustment budget
With the recently approved adjustment budget, the city promised to ensure the efficient delivery of services.
“With the passing of this adjustment budget, we are in a position to purchase waste compactors to replace our ageing in-house fleet,” said the MMC for Finance, Economic Development and Information Communication, Fanyana Nkosi.

Also Read: Ekurhuleni rubbish saga: Metro comes close to clearing backlog