THE issue of the orange bags has again come under the spotlight after a Westville resident complained that she has not received the bags in more than six months.

Margaret Forbes said she believes that a lot of the trouble with the dumping, especially at the Westville Civic Centre, is because people do not receive orange bags.

“The problem is that a lot of people put dirty recycle stuff in bags or non recyclable stuff. It would help if people understood what is acceptable in orange bags and what is not,” said Forbes.

Recently, the Highway Mail featured an article about the illegal dumping at the centre, which had become an eyesore due to the influx of non-recyclable waste.

Also read: Ratepayers applaud CSW for clearing Westville Recycling Centre

Last week, the Cleansing and Solid Waste Department cleared the dump, a step that was welcomed by the ratepayers’ association which urged residents to take responsibility and refrain from illegal dumping.

Responding on the Westville Civic Centre dumping issue, eThekwini Municipality spokesperson, Gugu Sisilana, said the civic centre is a drop-off centre for recyclables only and emphasised that any other type of waste is not permitted at that site.

She explained that a drop-off centre is a facility where residents can take their recyclables to.

“Residents separate their recyclables at home and drop it off in different designated bins at the drop-off centre. Employees working at the centre will direct residents on where to dispose of their recyclables accordingly.”

According to Sisilana, residents have been bringing all types of waste which is not designated for the centre.

“Some residents would bring in their domestic waste. We request residents to desist from this behaviour and urge them to take out their domestic waste and garden waste on their scheduled collection day. Westville receives refuse collection service on a weekly basis.”

On the issue of the distribution of the orange bags, which residents have complained about for years, Sisilana reported that these bags are distributed per quarter and each household in the participating area receives a roll of 15 bags.

Also read: What is happening with our orange recycle bags?

“The last issue was done in February for the current quarter. The distribution of the bags has been done in most parts of Westville but not yet completed though.”

She advised residents to take out the orange bags on the same collection day as the black refuse bags (domestic waste).

“Residents are urged to dispose of their dry recyclables in the orange bag. Items that can be disposed in an orange bag are paper, all food grade plastics, (cool drinks, juices, maas, milk), rice bags and soft plastics (bread plastic bags, fruit bags), food steel cans (residue must be rinsed off to avoid contamination and smell) and aluminium cans.

“Glass bottles must be placed in a separate orange bag due to their weight. Ceramics and window glass are not accepted. White paper, brown paper, and cardboard may be placed next to the orange bag for collection.”

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