Residents across several Johannesburg suburbs recently raised concerns over uncollected refuse and recycling delays, with ward councillors calling for clearer communication from Pikitup about the cause of the disruptions and the plan to restore normal services.

Complaints were reported from areas including Sandhurst, Hyde Park, Bryanston, Morningside and parts of Sandton, where residents said household refuse had not been collected for days and, in some cases, weeks. Councillors also received reports of missed recycling collections and entire streets being skipped during collection rounds.

Read more: Pikitup confirms waste collection disruptions at five Johannesburg depots

Ward 91 councillor Andrew Stewart said the issue appeared to extend beyond isolated operational challenges. “It is starting to become quite broad now,” Stewart said, adding that residents and councillors had received various explanations for the delays, including staffing shortages, disruptions related to the June 30 marches and reports of fuel constraints.
Ward 103 councillor Lynda Shackelford said complaints had become increasingly widespread across different wards, while Ward 90 councillor Renate van Onselen said residents in Sandhurst and Hyde Park had received updates from the Marlboro depot indicating that collection rounds were running behind.

In response to the concerns, Pikitup confirmed in a statement issued on July 9 that waste collection services had been disrupted at five of its 12 depots due to ongoing protest action by casual workers seeking permanent employment. Pikitup spokesperson Anthony Selepe said the entity had been engaging with stakeholders and implementing operational measures to minimise the impact on residents.
“Pikitup continues to engage with all relevant stakeholders to resolve the current impasse involving ad hoc service providers and casual workers, while implementing operational measures to minimise service disruptions and progressively restore waste collection services in affected areas,” Selepe said. According to Pikitup, the Avalon depot was the most severely affected during the disruptions, while temporary blockades at the Randburg and Marlboro depots had prevented employees from leaving the premises to conduct waste collection services.

Also read: Pikitup responds as Bryanston garden refuse site struggles to cope with surge in garden waste

Pikitup said the blockades at Randburg and Marlboro had since been lifted, allowing operations to resume. The Waterval depot had also resumed normal operations, with both permanent employees and casual workers returning to work. The entity noted that some constraints remained at certain depots, including staffing-related challenges at Marlboro and a shortage of compactor trucks at the Roodepoort depot. However, operational interventions were being implemented to clear backlogs and stabilise service delivery. Pikitup said waste collection services had resumed at the affected depots and that the entity was working to restore normal collection schedules in areas where backlogs had accumulated.

Follow us on our WhatsApp channel, Facebook, X, Instagram and TikTok for the latest updates!