POLOKWANE – Business owners in 19th Avenue, Industria say the two municipal rubbish skips in the street are more of a burden than joy for their businesses.
Chris du Preez, owner of Môrester Bande Super Quick says the skips are not being used by the businesses in the area but by residents who live nearby.
“The businesses around here dispose of our waste at Silicon and never use these skips. The public comes and throws their refuse and garden waste in these skips and, when its full, next to the skips.
“There are homeless people who sleep here and during the day they go through the rubbish and take what they want and throw the rest outside the bin.
“When its windy the rubbish gets blown into our shops and some hang from the trees. This is very bad for our business image and clients complain,” Du Preez said.
He added that the skips are also a fire hazard. “We are not sure who, but there are people who set the rubbish on fire. The ash then blows into our shops. Even worse, when it is windy, some of the lit rubbish could blow into our shops and set the place on fire. Something needs to be done.
The municipality must either move the bins somewhere else, or come empty it daily,” Du Preez said.
Speaking on behalf of the Polokwane Municipality, Malesela Maubane said: “We remain committed to a clean environment therefore skip bins are cleaned daily, as and when they are about to be full or when the tenant calls us on (015) 290 2532 to come and clean them, especially the ones that are inside the yards.
“We are putting in place emergency measures to clean the area and work overtime throughout the weekend to deal with the backlog.
“Residents should note that illegal dumping or burning of rubbish is punishable with a R1 200 fine, we therefore urge residents to assist us in maintaining a clean environment through refraining from dumping rubbish in non-designated areas or burning it in skip bins”.
