The new 240l wheelie bin system, which the metro describes as ”more hygienic and user-friendly” no longer allows for the collection of plastic refuse bags or other rubbish not placed inside wheelie bins.
In addition, only bins supplied by the municipality will be emptied.
Dougie Douglas took his refuse bags to the EMM’s Brakpan Customer Care Centre on Friday morning, and discarded them inside the rates hall.
“You have a right to do this as you regularly pay your rates and taxes for the municipality to remove your refuse,” he said.
According to Douglas, the municipality cannot refuse to collect rubbish if it is not inside a wheelie bin.
He cited a number of reasons, including that the bins are often stolen and that non-collection is a health and safety hazard.
“If refuse is not collected, they cannot charge me for refuse collection,” he said.
“Citizens should think about initiating a class action suit against the municipality for not collecting the refuse.”
He also bemoaned the fact that residents were not notified of the implementation.
This was evident by the hundreds of complaints the Herald received.
A 70-year-old woman relayed how she had chased the waste removal truck for a block, after realising they had not collected her rubbish.
“They wouldn’t take it, because it’s in an old bin, but they broke the new one,” she said, adding that she would be dumping her rubbish along Voortrekker Road.
Another resident commented that “they want to do less work and steal more of our money”.
Herald reporters briefly followed a waste management truck along its Dalview pick-up route, on Thursday, last week, and the new rules were almost flouted when one worker — in exchange for a bag of food from a Gerrit Maritz Avenue resident — agreed to pick up this resident’s refuse bags.
Gesturing to his colleagues to help, he was quickly stopped when they pointed out he was being watched.
The Herald’s presence also ensured that the bins, which are usually left in the middle of the road after they have been emptied, were returned to their correct addresses and neatly placed on the pavement or in the driveway.
Notices, containing information about the new system, were handed out to those residents who queried why their rubbish wasn’t being taken away.
These notices, which were also distributed to households in some areas of Brakpan over the festive season, were titled ”Press release – Brakpan Herald”, to which the Herald took umbrage, as they were neither written nor distributed by the paper.
In fact, the Herald received no prior notification from the municipality about the implementation, and the information contained in the notice was verified by metro spokesperson Themba Gadebe yesterday (Monday).
“The information in the notice, which Waste Management Services intended for publication in the Brakpan Herald, is valid,” said Gadebe.
Meanwhile, Brakpan has become a rubbish dump.
This is the only way council will remove your refuse
The notice reads:
The changeover from the plastic bag system to to the wheelie bin system is in progress throughout the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality in order to eliminate some operational and service delivery inefficiencies, and to enhance legislative compliance with regard to service standards and cost reflectiveness of the Waste Management Service’s tariff structure.
As the roll-out of the 240l bin system has now been completed in the Brakpan area, it must be noted that, as from January 1, 2015:
* Only 240l bins supplied by Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality will be emptied.
* No 240l bin not displaying the Ekurhuleni, EMM and the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality logo will be emptied.
* No additional refuse bags, branches or any other form of refuse placed on top or next to the 240l bin will be removed.
* Should you generate in excess of 240l of refuse per week on your premises, you should apply to the Brakpan Waste Management sub depot, along the corner of Lemmer and Denne roads, Vulcania, for additional bins.
The sub depot can be contacted on 011 999 7730/1.
It should, however, be noted that 240l bins will be levied individually as per the promulgated Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality’s Waste Management Services tariff schedule.
* Compactable garden refuse can be disposed of free of charge at one of the mini garden disposal sites in Brakpan — Brenthurst (Muriel Brand Street), Minnebron (West Street) and Geluksdal (Rheumanell Road).
* 240l bins should be placed out for removal no later than 7am on the scheduled day for refuse removal, as per the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality colour coded refuse removal calendar.
Residents can contact Joe Mokoena or Mauchly Makhanthisa on 011 999 7730/1, on weekdays between 7am and 3.30pm, for more information.
The metro also urged residents to reduce, reuse and recycle where possible.
Watch the video
Rubbish is piling up all over Brakpan. See gallery below
