Wheelie bins project a load of garbage - KRA

KNYSNA NEWS - Questions surrounding the municipal roll-out of wheelie bins also came to the fore this week amid other allegations against local government.

The topic was mentioned during former DA leader Mmusi Maimane’s recent visit to Knysna to propagate voting for independent political parties.

In an interview on eNCA TV on Tuesday, Susan Campbell, chairperson of Knysna Ratepayers Association and head of the Knysna Independent Movement that is contesting the local elections, reiterated that she followed up on a report of bins lying around at the vehicle testing centre and the Loerie Park sports grounds.

When she visited the sites, she saw thousands of bins and at the sports centre there was no security.

Upon investigation Campbell found out that Knysna Municipality had put out a tender for 30 000 wheelie bins in 2019. "That amounts to one bin for every two-and-a-half people in Knysna, including children," she said.

The announcement of the roll-out as a revenue-enhancement project took place last year, but to date only one third of the bins allocated to businesses have been distributed and half to residents.

"To me that's R16-million worth of fruitless and wasteful expenditure," Campbell said.

In a national press conference this week, the municipality refuted these claims. "Knysna Municipality is on track with its wheelie bin distribution programme," pronounced Acting Municipal Manager Dawid Adonis in a follow-up press release on Wednesday, citing reasons for the delay in distribution.

"Every business was - and still is - negatively affected by the global Covid-19 pandemic. One of the most impactful factors was the total lockdown, followed by the various alert levels, which constricted everyone's movements."

He said the wheelie bin roll-out was also halted during those alert levels that restricted such activities. "The distribution of wheelie bins is, unfortunately, not classified as an essential service. We are, however, making good progress on delivering the balance of the bins to residential and business properties throughout the greater Knysna area."

Wheelie bins have already been distributed to central Sedgefield, Smutsville, and the Sedgefield Island; Karatara, Rheenendal and Brenton-on-Lake; Wards 3, 4, 7 and 8; Thesen Islands, various body corporates and homeowners associations; and roll-out has begun in Pezula.

Bins issued in baboon affected areas will be fitted with a lockable clip. In cases where businesses rent premises, the waste management office will engage with the owner and account holder regarding delivery.

According to Adonis, the municipality has to date delivered approximately 50% of all residential and business-allocated wheelie bins.

"As current Acting Municipal Manager, I am working to ensure that this programme, which was initiated before my appointment, reaches completion as soon as possible. We are also in talks with the provider of the bins to purchase back any extra, redundant units," he said.

"We are committed to making up the ground we lost due to the Covid-19 pandemic. This project may have been held up, but it is well underway once more. Thank you to those residents and businesses who are already making use of their new bins in line with the Knysna Municipality Integrated Waste Management By-Law, 2014. Let us work together to a cleaner, more efficient Knysna."

Wheelie bins can be found at Loerie Park. Photos: Blake Linder