Waste piles up in Germiston as city battles backlog
These challenges lead to dustbins being stolen because residents have leave their bins outside for too long.
For over two weeks, residents of wards 92 and 36 in the City of Ekurhuleni have grappled with uncollected waste, prompting widespread complaints and growing frustration.
Inconsistent collection has seen rubbish cleared on some streets while others are left neglected.
As piles of waste accumulate and foul odours worsen, residents have resorted to alternative and often costly methods of disposal.
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Ward 36 Clr Kade Guerreiro, who is also Ward 36 acting ward councillor, expressed concern over the city’s failure to deliver basic services.
Speaking to the media, Guerreiro admitted the reason behind the disruptions remains unclear.
“One possibility is a lack of diesel for waste trucks, or perhaps contractors have not been paid. However, this seems to happen around the same time every year,” Guerreiro said.
He criticised the city for its lack of communication, which has left councillors and residents speculating.
“We are bearing the brunt of residents’ frustration as they desperately search for solutions.
“Bins are being stolen as they are left outside for days, and unsanitary conditions are escalating, with rats, maggots, and flies becoming prevalent,” he added.
The closure of the Simmer and Jack landfill site and the Marlands mini fump has compounded the issue, forcing residents to seek private landfills and pay for disposal.
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Residents speak out
Primrose resident Larisa Troskie voiced her concerns about illegal dumping, saying that some areas have gone nearly four weeks without waste collection.
“Residents are billed for waste collection, yet nothing is being collected.
“People are now dumping rubbish in open fields, creating unhygienic and unsafe conditions for those living nearby. This is unacceptable,” Troskie said.
Another resident, Linda Potgieter from Barbara Road, shared her frustration.
“My 81-year-old mother had to rely on me, at 61, to dispose of her rubbish because it hadn’t been collected for two weeks. The smell, rats, and cockroaches are unbearable,” she said.
Potgieter also criticised the erratic collection pattern.
“Garbage trucks pick up trash from a few houses on even-numbered addresses, then skip others entirely,” she said.
