The functionality and importance of the large black refuse bins are often underappreciated until something happens and you can no longer use them. Whether because of damage or theft, you may find yourself needing to order a new rubbish bin from the City of Johannesburg’s (CoJ’s) waste management entity, Pikitup.
If your bin is broken or has been stolen and needs to be replaced, you can follow these steps:
• If your bin has been stolen, report the theft at your nearest police station and obtain a case number
• Make sure you have your municipal account (and case number if the bin has been stolen) ready before calling the call centre
• Call the Pikitup call centre on 010 055 5990 or the CoJ call centre on 0860 56 28 74, follow the prompts and request a bin replacement
• A reference number will be supplied, which you must keep
• If calling the City call centre, the reference will be passed on to a Pikitup official who will attend to your request
• Pikitup’s operating hours are from 8am to 4.30pm from Monday to Friday
Any queries can be emailed to info@pikitup.co.za.
Several residents have been buying replacement bins from other suppliers such as West Pack so as to not wait for the Pikitup turnaround, but are complaining that their rubbish does not get collected when it is in the privately purchased bins.
Pikitup spokesperson, Muzi Mkhwanazi, has previously responded to these complaints saying that some of the bins not sold through Pikitup do not fit on the loading mechanism of their trucks, meaning the loaders are unable to empty them.
He further said that Pikitup does collect privately purchased bins, provided they fit the mechanism. “Pikitup does collect bins that residents bought privately, provided they are compatible with Pikitup’s bin specifications.” Pikitup bin specifications can be found on their website, www.pikitup.co.za.
In hopes of reducing illegal dumping and helping residents who are unaware of what to do with large waste items such as fridges, mattresses, and old furniture, Pikitup runs a free bulky-waste removal service. Residents who do have suitable transport are welcome to go to their nearest garden site to dispose of these bulky items, or alternatively, calls can be logged at any Pikitup depot to have the item(s) collected.
The Roodepoort Depot can be contacted on 087 357 1564 and the Randburg Depot can be contacted on 087 357 1327. Once a call is logged, the responsible Depot Manager will book the call and arrange for the free, once-a-month bulky waste service to collect the waste.
If you have your own transport, the Panorama Garden Site is situated just off Jim Fouche Road in Panorama AH and can easily be found on Google Maps.
Illegal dumping is a serious issue; if you are aware of any illegal dumping in your area, please report it to 080 872 3342.
