Randburg residents face overflowing household rubbish and severe health risks after municipal collection routines ground to a halt across multiple suburbs.

Entity spokesperson Anthony Selepe confirmed that Pikitup has faced delays in waste collection over the past few days. “The City of Johannesburg’s waste management entity sincerely apologises to residents who have been affected,” Selepe said.

Read more: Pikitup delays frustrate residents

He added that Pikitup has since stabilised its operations and is working to clear the backlog as quickly as possible. “Available resources are being prioritised and deployed to affected areas, with teams focusing on outstanding collection rounds and restoring normal collection schedules. Residents who can do so are encouraged to use Pikitup’s integrated waste management facilities to dispose of excess household waste during this recovery period,” Selepe said.

Ferndale Ridge Residents Group member Pierre van Wyk explained that their bins have reportedly gone uncollected for up to 13 days, leaving overflowing containers and bags of waste exposed. “We put our bins out as usual last Friday (October 2), and they failed to collect in our area. This means we have waste that has been accumulating for 13 days so far,” said Van Wyk. “Over the past year we have had a lot of collections missed so far, yet we are expected to pay for the service, yet nothing is ever done about it.”

The growing piles have brought unpleasant smells and concerns about pests, hygiene, and the impact on neighbourhoods. “Our bins are full now, and some residents have either filled them beyond capacity or have had to make other arrangements at their expense to have their waste removed. The smell is becoming a problem, and it will most certainly cause an increase in rodents as we have experienced before,” Van Wyk added.

Also read: Landfill closure disrupts Pikitup schedule

Blairgowrie and parts of Ward 102 also remain with bins on the side of the streets. Ward 102 councillor Bea Campbell-Cloete said she receives regular complaints from residents and continues to escalate affected routes with Pikitup and monitor recovery plans. “Residents should not have to live with overflowing bins while waiting for explanations. We need a clear recovery plan, reliable operations and, most importantly, consistent service delivery,” Campbell-Cloete said.

She said she will continue pushing for answers and monitoring the situation until collections are back on track, urging residents to log missed collections and escalate them to their councillors.

More questions regarding the recovery plan were sent to Pikitup and its response will be published once made available.

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