Pikitup urge residents to bag waste

08 April 2016

 

While the City of Johannesburg is hoping that the five-week strike by more than 4 500 members of the South African Municipal Workers’ Union (SAMWU) will come to an end soon, its waste management entity Pikitup has appealed to residents, business owners, hawkers, motorists, commuters and pedestrians and other stakeholders to bag their excess waste to avoid health risks.

 

In a statement, Pikitup Spokesperson Jacky Mashapu said this would also make it easier for contingency teams to speed up the time spent on collecting waste.

Johannesburg Executive Mayor Cllr Parks Tau on Wednesday told a media briefing that negotiations between Pikitup and SAMWU were likely to be “yield positive results” by this weekend.

Mashapu yesterday (7 April) said the City was encouraged by the response from members of the public who were actively participating in cleanup activities in support of the contingency teams.

“We’re committed to getting the recycling and residual waste collected as soon as possible. As we continue to intensify our contingency plans, we urge residents to take out their bins during their normal refuse collection days."

“If we cannot make it on that day, we will endeavour to collect within 48 hours. Should the 48-hour period lapse and your bin has not been emptied, please return it to your property and wait for your next collection day. We would also like to extend our gratitude to members of various neighbourhood watches and community policing forums who have been assisting us to facilitate the delivery of waste collection,” he said.

Mashapu also urged residents to call the 24-hour hotline – (011) 286-6009 – to ask for cleaning tools, gloves and bags for community-led cleanup campaigns and the removal of bagged waste.