A month after 240 steel refuse bins were strategically placed throughout the municipal area, at least 25 have already been stolen.
The bins, that each cost R1 800, have been widely welcomed by residents as it is helped in the battle against the scourge of littering, which leaves the town looking dirty and unwelcoming.
Rajen Dubree of the Municipal Waste Management Department is at his wit’s end to try and stop the theft.
“Two placed at the taxi rank have gone. And at least eight have been stolen from central Glencoe. Thieves have also targeted the bins placed at the entrances to the town, opposite the airfield and adjacent to Majuba College,” he said. The weld on swivel, which makes the bin easy to empty, is simply broken and the bin removed leaving behind only the cemented-in stands.
“We have also placed black refuse bags into the bins to make removal easier and more hygienic. Even the bags have been stolen.” Some shop keepers use the bins to dump old cooking oil and even discarded fish heads which leave behind an unpleasant smell.
Mr Dubree anyone with any information regarding the theft of the bins to contact either the police, municipality or the police. Thieves are believed to sell the bins for braais or waste metal.