Council considers phasing out black bin bags
Council is weighing replacing black refuse bags with durable wheelie bins to improve hygiene and reduce long-term municipal costs.
Black plastic bin bags could become a thing of the past if a recommendation by the municipality’s Community Services Department is approved by council.
At a meeting of the Newcastle Council last month, June 18, Community Services proposed transitioning from the use black plastic refuse bags to 240-litre wheelie bins.
Head of the department, Mr GB Dlamini, indicated that the bins are more durable and will assist the municipality to save money in the long term.
According to the director of Budget and Treasury, Mrs PH Kubheka, the transition to wheelie bins will save the municipality R6-million a year on bin bags.
Residents will bear the cost of the wheelie bins and will have a choice of either a once-off payment to the municipality or a lease-to-own option which will be added to their monthly municipal bill.
Municipal waste collection vehicles will have to be modified to accommodate automated container handling and this is expected to cost the municipality around R12.3-million.
The Community Services Department has also requested the council’s approval for the procurement of a smart container tracking system and billing system in addition to the wheelie bins.
Cllr Bertie Meiring emphasised that no decision has been taken as yet, but said he supports the transition from black refuse bags to wheelie bins.
“I receive complaints every day from residents who say that they never received bin bags. Others are upset about the poor quality of the bin bags that they did receive. I can’t receive when the last time was, that I got a bin bag,” Meiring admitted. “At the moment we are paying R6-million for bin bags that people don’t see.”
He continued, “With the wheelie bins, you won’t have the dogs ripping up the bin bags and the streets will stay clean. I think it will be better …more hygienic. Unfortunately, I don’t think you can keep it from being stolen but I am sure people will notice someone pushing a big wheelie bin down the street.”
According to Meiring, the biggest objection that councillors had against the transition to wheelie bins is, “How will residents afford it?”
“But, it is not a done deal. It’s still being investigated,” Meiring re-iterated.
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