Homestead residents raise health concerns over uncollected refuse
Residents in parts of Homestead say refuse has not been collected for more than three weeks, leading to growing health and safety concerns, including rats, flies and foul odours.
Residents of Homestead have raised serious health and safety concerns after refuse was not collected in parts of the neighbourhood for more than three weeks.
Refuse had not been collected in Kenneth Avenue, Edward Avenue and Elberfeld Avenue, leaving residents fed up and concerned about health risks.
Residents expressed disappointment with the city’s failure to collect waste on its scheduled weekly basis.
One resident, Barbara Helm, said waste has piled up, resulting in an increase in rats, maggots and flies.
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“We are having a huge challenge with flies. We can’t even open our doors and windows,” she said.
Helm added that she is a pensioner and medically unfit to pull a full refuse bin in and out of her yard daily in the hope that it will be collected.
“There is a food shop nearby that cannot afford to have rats around. Health should be a priority at all times, but this situation compromises that,” she said.
She explained that a pharmacy in the area was forced to hire a private service provider to dispose of its medical waste.
Residents also said they cannot leave bins outside as they are often stolen, tipped over, or used to jump over fences, resulting in waste being scattered across the streets.
Another resident, Sarel van Westhuizen, said that among other issues affecting the community are non-functional street lights, a lack of road signage, and faded stop signs.
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Ward 92 Clr Kade Guerreiro said the city has failed to collect waste in some areas due to non-payment of private waste pickers.
“This leads to residents becoming agitated because they are paying for these services,” Guerreiro said.
“When a day of collection is missed, the city must ensure it is collected the following day or at least the following week. “However, these residents have been without service for almost a month.”
He added that residents’ health is at risk due to the rise in maggots, foul odours, and rats.
“Trucks have collected waste in neighbouring streets but failed to service the affected neighbourhoods,” said Guerreiro.
GCN requested comment from the City of Ekurhuleni on February 5, with a deadline of February 6 at 13:00. At the time of going to print, no response had been received.
