Middelburg residents have been urged to leave their bins out for longer than usual as ongoing service disruptions continue to affect refuse collection in some areas, according to a public notice that was issued by the Steve Tshwete Local Municipality earlier today.

According to the municipality, refuse collection teams will now work until 18:30, meaning some neighbourhoods may not be serviced on their normal collection day.

In certain cases, bins may only be emptied a day later or even on a later “revised collection date”.

Residents are encouraged to keep their bins on the kerbside until they have been emptied.

The municipality said updated collection arrangements will be communicated through ward councillors, WhatsApp groups, bulk SMS notifications and its Facebook page.

The temporary changes are caused by “challenges” that also contributed to delays in collections and an increase in illegal dumping in several of the towns residential areas.

The community is asked to “be patient while efforts continue to restore the service”, according to officials.

Luckily, the municipality apologised for the inconvenience caused…