Waste surge overwhelms Bryanston garden refuse site

The Pikitup Ballyclare garden refuse site in Bryanston is under growing pressure, as waste volumes increase following the temporary closure of the Pikitup Woodmead garden refuse site for renovations.

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Ward 103 councillor Lynda Shackelford raised concerns during a site visit on March 6, warning that the facility originally intended to serve nearby residents disposing of garden waste, small recyclables, and small amounts of rubble is struggling to cope with the additional demand. “The small dump site is mainly for the residents in the surrounding area to come and bring their garden refuse and very small recyclable loads, a tiny bit of rubble from homes. The problem is, since they closed the Woodmead dumping site for renovations, which is going to take eight months, all the residents from that side, instead of going to Cedar and Linbro Park, are also coming here.”

During her earlier site visit, she observed that only a limited number of loads had been declared. “On March 3, when I was here, they had only managed to get five loads out and already that area they cleared was full up. Pikitup management needs to come to this dump. They need to help the guys on the ground here.”

She added that the increased use of the site by landscapers is worsening the situation, while waste removal is failing to keep pace with the number of loads being dropped and people who are throwing waste outside the site.

Shackelford said the operational pressures at the dumping site are not new. According to her, the site began closing at 15:00 in 2023 due to difficulties managing the volume of waste and transporting it to landfill sites. “They couldn’t manage the loads, and the loads getting to the landfills, and now it’s just getting worse. You’ll also see in the afternoons, residents and landscapers are dumping the rubbish outside the dump or above the dump because they just have nowhere else to go.”

Also read: Bryanston dump site struggles to cope with surge in garden waste

Responding to these concerns, Pikitup spokesperson Anthony Selepe said contingency measures have been implemented to manage increased waste volumes in the north of Johannesburg following the Woodmead site closure. “Pikitup has communicated the closure of the Woodmead garden site and has directed customers to alternative nearby facilities, including the Ballyclare garden site in Bryanston and the Linbro Park garden site located at the Linbro Park landfill.”

To manage green waste generated at the Woodmead garden site, Selepe said Pikitup has also positioned a wood chipper that will be used to chip the waste before it is transported for disposal. “However, chipping operations have not yet commenced as the chipper is currently out of order. Once the chipper has been repaired, chipping operations will begin and the processed green waste will be transported to designated offtake facilities, rather than to landfill sites. Pikitup is engaging with private companies based in the north on possible offtakes of some waste streams.”

@caxtonjoburgnorth WATCH: Ward 103 councillor Lynda Shackelford raises safety and environmental concerns over damaged storm water infrastructure in Hobart Park, which has remained unresolved for three years after it was reported to Johannesburg Roads Agency. Video: Xoliswa Zakwe #Ward103 #Sandton ♬ original sound – Caxton Joburg North

Responding to concerns of illegal dumping outside the facility, Selepe said: “Security risk management will ensure that there’s daily deployment of security officials at the garden site.”

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