![](https://images.caxton.co.za/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2015/12/51srdumpsj1_61792.jpg)
A Strubenvale resident, Trevor Bhowan (32), has had to deal with the illegal dumping of refuse for about four months.
The island in Lewis Road, Strubenvale, is strewn with cigarette cartons, plastic bags and old food.
“Ekurhuleni Metro refuses to collect the rubbish if it is not in the assigned wheelie bins,” says Trevor.
“Many of the residents did not collect the bins when issue dates were sent out and, therefore, they did not get a dustbin,” he adds
Trevor says when the illegal dumping started he would email metro and the refuse would be cleared, but “now nobody responds to my emails”.
He believes that the Lewis Road residents were not aware of the collection date for the bins and this explains why no residents have the correct wheelie bin.
“To date the refuse had been on the island since last Monday and the smell is getting worse by the day,” Trevor says.
He has requested the metro to reassign a date for the Lewis Road residents to collect their correct bins.
Trevor says the illegal dumping can not be pin-pointed to an individual without the correct evidence being supplied to the metro and he does not have the time to watch each house for photographic evidence.
“Metro should just reissue the bins and the problem will be drastically minimised,” he says.
Spokesperson for the metro, Themba Gadebe has responded saying, the refuse will be collected by Tuesday.
Bins can be collected at the Springs Waste Depot from 8am until 4pm, Mondays to Fridays, a copy of the relevant services account and ID need to be provided, he adds.