THE issue of refuse bags has once again come under the spotlight as a Pinetown resident has raised his concerns and frustrations about the poor quality of the bags.
Last week Terry Moss said the eThekwini Municipality supplied black refuse bags not only tore easily but were of differing sizes.
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Moss questioned who the supplier was.
“The bags are unusable, they sometimes just tear into strips and if not, they are just too hard to open. It takes literally a lot of strength to pull one bag off the roll.”
On closer examination, Moss said he noticed the perforations are only halfway through, making it almost impossible to pull one bag off.
In June last year the City set about replacing sub standard black bags.
At the time they said the move to replace the bags came after an investigation.
“The Municipality wishes to inform all residents of eThekwini that any recently distributed black refuse bags of inferior quality will be replaced. This comes after a thorough investigation into the matter after numerous customer complaints about the poor quality of the refuse bags and incorrect sizing.
“The results of the investigation were communicated with the supplier who will replace the bad batches at no cost. According to the supplier this was due to lapses in their quality control,” the City spokesperson Msawakhe Mayisela said in a statement on 4 June 2020.
DA PR councillor, Marlaine Nair said she has consulted with the West Durban DSW depot manager concerning the defective refuse bags.
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“The defective bags can be taken to the nearest DSW depot and handed in for a replacement.”
People residing in Pinetown and surroundings can take them to the New Germany depot in 5 Koning Kramer Road.
Nair said she has enquired if these bags could not be delivered to residents since there is a lockdown and many residents will not want to move around, “but unfortunately DSW does not have the resources to deliver replacement bags to individual houses that require it.”
The City said they will investigate the matter.