THE City of uMhlathuze removes general waste from 77% of households within its jurisdiction and recycles 20% of its total annual waste.
To improve on these figures, the city requires every household, whether in urban areas or townships, to dispose of general waste in 240-litre trolley bins.
Heavy materials such as planks, tiles or rubble should not to be placed in these bins to prevent them from breaking when lifted by removal trucks.
They should also be filled, but still be able to close before being put out.
Households in residential areas may acquire and fill any number of these bins, which the city empties without charging additional tariffs.
A pilot project to reduce the city’s waste output, also known as the kerb recycling programme in which residents are issued with yellow bin bags for recyclables such as paper, bottles, cans and plastics, has been rolled out in Meerensee and is scheduled to be extended to Essenwood and eNseleni by May.
Residents in these suburbs put out bins filled with general waste on scheduled removal days, along with the yellow bin bags containing recyclables.
Collection
The city collects the general waste and a separate recycling service picks up the recyclables.
Alternatively, uMhlathuze residents can utilise the designated drop-off points for recyclables in Essenwood and Meerensee, or take advantage of the partnership between the city and the Wildlands Conservation Trust by delivering recyclables to the old Alton landfill site, for which they will be paid per kilogram.
The recycling initiatives will be boosted by the newly constructed recycling centre in eNseleni, which will act as a waste transfer station while also assisting in the recycling process, and the construction of a second centre in Mzingazi, which, despite being delayed owing to budget constraints, is scheduled to be completed later this year.
A third centre is to be constructed in eSikhaleni in the next financial year.
For long-term results, city officials, in partnership with the German government and the Department of Environmental Affairs, are conducting a feasibility study regarding alternative waste treatment and expect preliminary results by August.
