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Pikitup's refuse collection rounds have experienced delays at various depots across Johannesburg.
Image for illustrative purpose. Picture: Nigel Sibanda
Johannesburg residents may have noticed their black municipal bins sitting in the street a day or two longer than usual.
Areas across the city reported intermittent delays in refuse collection dating back to 2024, with some depots only completing a fraction of their daily route.
Pikitup explained the cause of the delays, while the opposition party in the city council alluded to deeper issues that may be at play.
Pikitup states it has roughly 350 refuse collection trucks stationed at 12 depots across its municipal footprint.
Since the beginning of March, the entity relayed delays in Bryanston, Cosmo City, Soweto, Buccleuch and Hyde Park, among others.
In Region C alone this week, only three out of 19 routes had been completed on time.
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Pikitup spokesperson Muzi Mkhwanazi explained that each depot had its own fleet, but that depots would assist where needed.
“[A depot will help] if one has completed its waste collection rounds and another requires a truck to help complete its collection,” Mkhwanazi told The Citizen.
“The sharing of resources extends beyond vehicles, also including personnel, mechanical sweepers and other equipment,” he added.
Keeping the trucks moving in an efficient manner when collecting and dumping refuses was a primary driver of the delays.
“The main cause of delays is vehicle breakdowns. Additionally, the city has been experiencing torrential rains recently, leading to congestion and traffic at landfill sites,” said Mkhwananzi.
“Due to slippery and wet conditions, this results in slow disposal at these sites. This, in turn, contributes to waste collection delays in some depot areas,” he explained.
Democratic Alliance’s Johannesburg spokesperson on environmental health Emi Koekemoer stated the problems stemmed from historical contract payment delays and budget limitations.
“There needs to be capex injection into the Pikitup fleet as they are largely under resourced,” Koekemoer told The Citizen.
Mkhwanazi stressed that the delays were not widespread but limited to select depots.
“In the past week, only the Roodepoort, Randburg, and Marlboro depots were affected, meaning that only three depots out of the 12 experienced backlogs,” the spokesperson confirmed.
However, Koekoemoer warned of a possible problem approaching the horizon and said more could be done to streamline waste processing.
“More emphasis needs to be placed on waste diversion as there [are] 18 months left on landfill airspace,” warned Koekemoer.
“There needs to be a re-implementation of separation at source to reduce the burden of recycling operations on the entity,” she advised.
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