The major issue right now in Craighall Park is the Pikitup strike.
The Craighall Residents Association (CRA) recently met with their Ward 90 councillor, Anthony Still, to address the issue and find solutions for the community.
“There does not appear to be an end to the strike so we need to be prepared for the long haul,” said Wendy McAllister, deputy chair of the association.
According to McAllister, the CRA had put in a request to Pikitup for their suburb to arrange a collection from one of the large contractors they are using. She added that they had also asked if they could be given advance notice of a collection, however, they were informed that due to intimidation, schedules are not made public.
She explained the difference between this and the lengthy 2010 strike is that refuse sites are open and geared up to receive garbage. The CRA has, therefore, not arranged for a large waste contractor to collect from individual the households as they did before because the refuse sites are open.
Still added, “As to when the strike will end and things go back to normal is totally unpredictable. Therefore, I still urged residents to make use of the refuse centres to get rid of their rubbish. Pikitup will then collect the rubbish from there, however, I cannot promise when that will be.”
He said that leaving bins outside premises may attract rats and other vermin. The nearest Pikitup garden sites are in Greenside and Bryanston. The sites are open seven days a week.
The CRA has organised for a medium-sized contractor, Mr Rubbish, to empty all the bins at Craighall Primary School and at about 20 complexes which are CRA members, giving priority to areas where there is a large volume of garbage.
A small private contractor will be emptying street litter bins during the course of this week.
Two small CRA approved contractors will take garbage to a Pikitup site and will go to your home and charge R50 per bin if requested, and they may offer a same-day removal if they are available.
“Please use a recommended contractor and please do not encourage door-to-door waste removal contractors. We don’t know who they are and there could well be a criminal element among them. [Some] take your garbage and dump it close by, like along the spruit or along roadsides,” concluded McAllister.
Details: Wendy@cra.org.za
