End in sight for Durban’s waste crisis
Compass Waste Services has confirmed that the municipality has paid a portion of the outstanding fees in an attempt to restore medical waste removal services across the city.
RELIEF seems imminent for Durban’s medical waste crisis as Compass Waste Services, confirmed last week, that the eThekwini Municipality has made efforts to rebuild its severed contract with the waste removal company.
The start of the crisis:
Services at many clinics came to an abrupt halt in July, as the city’s contract with Compass Waste Services expired in January. Although the company continued with the waste removal and disposal as well as the provision of new waste containers for six months after the contract expired, it was eventually forced to stop as it could not afford to continue providing services.
By October, the situation had become dire for two local clinics – the La Lucia Clinic and Glen Earle Clinic in Newlands. Not only had they completely run out of waste bins, but the clinics was saddled with an enormous amount medical waste. Ward councillors, Heinz de Boer and Shontel Asbury, rallied the support of two private facilities, the eThekwini Hospital and Heart Centre and the Netcare Umhlanga Hospital.
The two facilities assisted in providing the clinics with waste bins and arranged for the waste to be removed.
However, the two clinics are once again running out of waste bins and collecting waste as they desperately wait for the city to pay the outstanding fees and renew the contract with Compass Waste Services.
Municipality strives to repair the contract:
Ian du Randt, managing director, at Compass Waste Services, confirmed that the municipality had paid R213 167 of the funds owed. “Compass has resumed collection, treatment and disposal of the healthcare risk waste from some of the relevant clinics. An amount of R299 529.82 is, however, still outstanding but we are led to believe that this is in the process of being approved for payment,” he said.
“The eThekwini Municipality sent a request to Compass, asking them to extend the validity of their tender bid submitted on 31 January, and Compass responded, confirming that all is in order. Subsequent to this, Compass Medical Waste Services has received formal written notification that the tender submitted has been awarded to them. Compass is currently in the process of accepting and confirming the commencement date thereof,” he said.
According to De Boer, the La Lucia Clinic only has one waste bin left. While staff have declined to comment, the Northglen News observed last week Friday that services are still being rendered at the La Lucia Clinic. A source at the Glen Earle Clinic confirmed that they were using their last seven bins.
“After having spoken to the city manager about this on Tuesday last week, I was not left with much confidence that this issue will be resolved soon. Councillor Asbury and myself are engaging with the deputy city manager and deputy of the municipal head department to get clarity and urge the city to resolve the issue. The situation cannot continue. I cannot tolerate how the city uses section 36 emergency tenders for all kinds of nice-to-have events and functions, but cannot have the foresight to timeously sort out this critical contract. It directly affects residents in the worst possible way,” he said.
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