PLETTENBERG BAY NEWS - Bitou Municipality's Waste Management section, Directorate: Community Services, is unable to keep to the refuse collection schedule due to all five refuse compactor trucks currently being out of service for various mechanical and technical failures.
The Fleet section, Directorate: Engineering Services has been instructed to expedite the repairs of the compactor trucks, to be returned back into service, so that the normal refuse collection services can be resumed in full.
Currently only a few trucks and bakkies from the municipal fleet are utilised to assist with refuse collection.
This has contributed to the backlog and current limited level is service offered.
The use of the municipal fleet is limited and unsustainable given the requirements in other service delivery areas.
Whilst in previous months, the Waste Management section devised alternatives through diverting operational funds to procure local service providers to maintain the normal service levels and standards; with financial year end looming at 30 June, all available votes under Waste Management have been depleted.
Despite this dire situation a high-level meeting was held between political office-bearers, the municipal manager (Advocate Lonwabo Ngoqo), chief financial officer (Mr. Vincent Mkhefa) and the Manager: Waste Management, to determine the full extent of the challenges and to devise strategies to mitigate risks and to restore the waste management services to proper levels on an urgent basis. These resolutions and interim measures aim to ensure waste management remains functional and operational up the end of the financial year.
Given the aforesaid, Bitou seeks the understanding and patience of its consumers and the residents at large, as it implement urgent interim measures to remedy the current situation. Bitou fully appreciates the gravity of the situation and understands the health and related risks of uncollected household and business refuse. We want to thank consumers and residents for their understanding and cooperation.
Finally, this crisis is also an opportune time to remind consumers and residents to reduce waste, to recycle and re-use waste, particularly given the huge cost implications to transport solid waste to landfill sites in Mossel Bay and Oudtshoorn with the only landfill site in Bitou that had to close in terms of the applicable license conditions imposed by provincial government.
Consumers, businesses and residents are invited to contact Customer Care should the limited service become a major concern.
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