Wheelie bin communication needed
How is the community supposed to know when to collect wheelie bins?
Roger Johnson, Primrose writes:
I write with reference to the roll-out this week of the new wheelie bins for domestic refuse in the northern Germiston suburbs and have to ask when the metro is going to make an announcement about this.
I became aware of the metro’s migration from the black bags to the wheelie bins when I heard at the end of April that Benoni suburbs were converting with effect from May 1.
Since then I have been on the lookout for metro announcements affecting Primrose and, in fact, only heard of it by chance from a friend in a closed suburb whose residents’ association had obtained details and distributed them within the group.
When collecting my bin at Primrose Primary School on Thursday another resident to whom I spoke told me that word has it that notifications were sent out with the monthly electricity and rates accounts in the recent past.
Speaking for myself, I have not received such notification with any of my accounts this year.
So, there were no mainstream media announcements (for example, in the Germiston City News), there was nothing on the metro’s website and they failed to include the information with the monthly accounts!
How is the general public supposed to know a) that the change is about to be implemented, b) that wheelie bins must be collected and when and where, c) the documentation requirements, d) the implementation date and e) whether or not refuse may still be placed outside of properties in black bags and other containers?
As indicated above, it seems that the word did get out through information obtained by some homeowner/closed suburb groups with distribution to group members via social media channels.
Some of those group members have passed the information on to family and friends (as in my case) but clearly such information flows will never reach all of the affected persons in the relevant area.
What particularly irks me regarding this communication failure on the part of metro is that they often SMS me about events and issues in Brakpan but never about such in my own suburb.
Editor’s note:
The GCN sent a query to the metro requesting information regarding the wheelie bins and received the following comment:
Themba Gadebe, spokesman for the metro said, “The distribution is currently taking place in the Germiston area and will be concluded on June 15.
“The distribution is done in stages per ward (240L Bins are distributed per ward).
“The ward councillors have been provided with the roll-out plan which they need to communicate with all residents in their respective wards.
“The service provider also conducts education and awareness per ward, two to three days prior to the roll-out by distributing pamphlets which indicate the date, time, collection spot, as well as documents required in order to receive a bin.
“Residents will be requested not to place plastic bags out as our vehicles will be fitted with high level bin lifters to collect only the bins.
“The residents with additional garden waste will be requested to either apply for additional bins or to transport their garden waste to the nearest municipal public disposal facility/mini disposal site.”
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