Uncollected rubbish a breeding nest for rats, cockroaches in Greenhills
Real estate agents have voiced their concerns saying that uncollected rubbish is an eyesore for them and could potentially affect business operations in future.
Businesses in Greenhills are being affected by the rubbish dumped on the side of the road along Kenneth Avenue which allegedly sometimes goes uncollected by the Rand West City Local Municipality (RWCLM) for weeks on end.
Point in case is the RE/MAX offices operating in the area where the company’s employees have voiced their concerns saying that the rubbish is an eyesore for them and could potentially affect business operations in the future.
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Speaking to the Herald in an interview, one of the employees at RE/MAX Elsie du Toit said the problem started early this year and has no prospects of being resolved anytime soon.
“We started experiencing this problem at the beginning of the year and it is just getting worse by the day. The tenants who occupy the flats around here discard their rubbish on the pavement and the municipality is meant to pick it up but they never do this on time.
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“As a result, homeless people go through the rubbish to find recyclable products and end up leaving the rubbish strewn all over the place,” said Du Toit, who added this is attracting rats and cockroaches in the area.
Meanwhile, her colleague Marti Fouché also didn’t mince her words and essentially shared the same sentiments.
“We are just fed up with all of this. It’s causing a horrible stink and it’s just bad for business. We work very hard to ensure that our offices are kept clean and it’s just so sad to see this happening in front of us,” said Fouché.
She added that they have reported the matter to the municipality to no avail.
The Herald approached Rand West City Local Municipality (RWCLM) spokesperson Phillip Montshiwa who said that this is an unfortunate reality but urged residents to play their part in this regard.
“This is an unfortunate reality for a lot of people in our communities, but we would love to urge residents to assist where they can. They can either report the matter to the municipality or inform those that go through the rubbish to do so neatly and put back the rubbish into the refuse bags once a day. Alternatively, residents can also take the initiative and put the rubbish into wheelie bins.
“This is because the refuse collectors have to cover a huge area where refuse removal is concerned and won’t necessarily have the time to stop and pick up the rubbish at all the places that could be faced with this problem,” said Montshiwa.
He added that such problems can sometimes be caused by stray dogs and it then makes it difficult to control.
