Image: Siya Makwabe
Things are looking up in Walmer township, where a group of residents have worked hard to clean up their streets after months of irregular refuse collection by the metro.
A group of residents from Area A and Area B recently removed more than 500 bags – and now it seems the municipal collection service is back on track.
Siya Makwabe, a community development officer with the provincial department of co-operative governance and traditional affairs, and a lifelong resident of the township, said on Tuesday that the situation had started deteriorating in early March.
“Bags were not being collected and were being torn apart by dogs and cows and then blown by the wind.
“The rubbish was all over the show. There were nappies and carcasses of dead animals.
“It was polluting the environment and posing a community health risk, especially to the kids.”
One day, shortly before the general election, residents had been told that the refuse collection trucks would make their rounds but once again did not arrive, he said.
“The rubbish was piled up in Whitebooi, Yoyo and Fountain streets.
“I got furious and posted my thoughts on Facebook.
“I thought it was happening in just my area but I started getting comments from people all over the township saying it’s just as bad their side.”
The problem was that the municipal team was not getting to all the areas and even when they did they were only collecting the bags piled on the main street corners, he said.
“Often old people could not carry their bags to those points so they would just put them outside their yards where they would sit a long time and that’s where the problem started.”
On May 7, Makwabe, together with a group of residents including fellow organisers Xoloni Noqoli, Mthumzi Tembani and Vuyisile “Coach” Meko got stuck in.
“In the end, we collected 500-plus full rubbish bags and transported several bakkie and trailer loads across to the Fifth Avenue, Walmer, refuse collection site.”
Mismanaged waste in Walmer township was 95% due to irregular municipal collections and irresponsible behaviour by residents was not a major factor, he said.
“Where there is an individual who is just dumping his rubbish, then, through communication with the area and street committees, the metro can identify and fine that person.”
Ward 4 councillor Ayanda Tyokwana said on Tuesday that he had tried for two weeks without success to get the municipal public health directorate to help him tackle the backlog of refuse in his ward while a mooted partnership with a new township co-operative was finalised.
“But things are going better now.
“The municipal compactor truck and excavator were on site yesterday and today and good progress should have been made by Wednesday to clear the backlog.”
Tyokwana said he would be working with the public health directorate to educate residents on the importance of putting household rubbish bags out on collection day only.