Metro plays catch-up after backlog in rubbish collection

The City of Ekurhuleni is endeavouring to clear the garbage collection backlog, and its broken waste trucks are now getting special attention to speed up repairs and maintenance.

This is after residents in certain parts of the City recently suffered delays in waste collections in their respective areas. 

The metro spokesperson, Zweli Dlamini, admitted the City had fallen behind the weekly schedule due to a shortage of vehicles, emanating from delayed repairs. Dlamini, however, pointed out corrective measures were subsequently put in place to clear the backlog and also to deal with the cause – vehicle shortage.

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“All possible means are undertaken to ensure backlogs are cleared within a week, and backlogs of more than a week are prioritised.

“The list of vehicles out of service due to breakdowns is receiving attention and relevant paperwork is being processed to ensure orders are issued for repairs and maintenance,” said Dlamini.

According to the metro, the truck breakdowns vary from minor repairs such as replacement of batteries to major repairs like engine overhauls.

“The major cause of the delays in repairing and maintaining the trucks is non-availability of parts or delays in parts supply. The parts supply delays are due to the subsequent closure of industries following the lockdown.

“The closure during the festive season also affected the repairs as most industries only re-opened in the second week of January, which resulted in backlogs in repairs.

“Furthermore, the backlog in the licensing department also has an adverse impact on the issuing of certificates of fitness, and issuing of licence discs which affects vehicle availability,” said Dlamini.

Resources

Council owns 196 trucks and has its own workshops to service its vehicles across the metro. However, other vehicles are outsourced for repairs and maintenance.

In addition to these resources, the City also makes use of contractors to collect waste, and the numbers of contracted vehicles vary daily per depot, depending on the need and available budget.

Workers

Regardless of the shortage of trucks, the about 450 staff members working in refuse collection continue to perform their functions as expected are utilising hired equipment. Others are deployed to other services if necessary, which include litter picking and transfers to other stations.

Landfills

The City said it is in the procurement process for the appointment of service providers in Rooikraal, Rietfontein and Simmer and Jack Landfill sites. Three out of the five landfill sites in the metro are operational.

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