Refuse collection chaos as garbage truck shortage causes pick up delays in Ekurhuleni

The Boksburg Advertiser has been inundated with a series of calls from residents complaining about refuse collection service delays.

Uncollected rubbish bins filled to the brim were spotted piling high on the streets across many parts of the City of Ekurhuleni, causing an unbearable stink. Others claimed that in their areas refuse-collection trucks had not been able to collect rubbish on the scheduled days for at least two weeks.

Following these complaints, this publication visited some of the most affected areas in Boksburg. It was found that many streets in those neighbourhoods, including the CBD, South Street, Lilianton, Witfield and Beyers Park, were covered in piles of rubbish as refuse trucks failed to honour their weekly schedule to cart away the refuse.

In South Street, uncollected overflowing rubbish bins and bags were, on July 28, found on the streets of the area. One of the residents, Maria Pereira, said rubbish had been piling on the streets for weeks. “We are as a result forced to put up with the unbearable smell and the rat, fly and maggots infestations. It’s a huge problem and a health hazard to our community,” said Pereira.

Large parts of the Boksburg CBD, including Leeuwpoort, Market and Commissioner streets, were also covered in piles of rubbish as a result.

One of the callers to the Advertiser, who gave her name as Udo Ross from Beyers Park, said, “Refuse removal in his neighbourhood is Tuesday, but they were by July 26 sitting with more than two weeks’ worth of waste on the streets. It’s just a mess, the whole area is a mess.”

Meanwhile, a concerned Lilianton resident, Neo Mda, highlighted the impact of the missed weekly pickups and the resultant potential health hazard the situation poses to residents, particularly children, in his neighbourhood. He shared photos of an overflowing municipal skip bin outside a residential complex on the corner of Biddulph and Solomon streets.

Shortage of trucks is to blame

Information gathered suggested that the city’s refuse collection service has been crippled by the breakdown of a substantial number of refuse compactor trucks.

Ward 32 Clr Marius de Vos expressed his concerns about the situation and pointed out that he was also inundated with complaints from frustrated residents, who demanded answers.

“As far as I’m aware, the department is facing a serious shortage of vehicles, with about 85 of its ageing fleet of vehicles, that break down frequently, out of service.

“This is badly impacting the department’s mandate to collect waste in the city. Only two trucks are servicing Boksburg. Business people in the CBD are complaining that their precinct stinks and has gone to the dogs,” said de Vos.

What do the authorities say?

Ekurhuleni spokesperson, Zweli Dlamini, said the metro has noted the backlog and, on behalf of the municipality, he apologised for the inconvenience it caused.

Dlamini assured residents that the matter is receiving attention, saying the city is doing everything in its power to resolve the matter.

He stated that the availability of the fleet is urgently being addressed.

Due to the severity of the situation, Dlamini said the metro was sourcing more vehicles to counter the challenges, especially in the most severely affected areas.

“Once additional vehicles are available we will share information with the relevant councillors to communicate to residents when bins will be removed.”

At the time of going to press our publication was informed that priority facilities, such as the city’s local hospitals, have been serviced weekly and are therefore not being affected by the backlog.

Temporary closure of the landfill

At the beginning of July, our sister publication, the Benoni City Times, reported that the initial backlogs were due to the temporary closure of the Weltevreden Landfill Site.

At the time, MMC for Environment and Waste Management Services André du Plessis said stakeholders were locked in negotiations with the site after its contract with the facility expired on June 30. Negotiations, which were then already in their sixth month, were expected to be wrapped up by July 7.

Dumping was then being diverted to the Chloorkop landfill in Kempton Park as well as Platkop in Heidelberg, resulting in a two-day backlog expected to be cleared.

It has been confirmed that Weltevreden Landfill Site is still temporarily closed.

To add further strain to the system, many of the fleet vehicles have broken down, leaving the CoE with less than 50% functional vehicles to service Benoni and Boksburg.

However, it seems that the extended refuse removal backlog has further increased the likelihood of illegal dumping in some parts of the city.

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