Pikitup service delivery

Why has the city switched from plastic bags to big bins on wheels? Johannesburg residents have become accustomed to putting their waste into beige municipal plastic bags, which they leave on the pavements outside their properties for collection each week. The bags have proved a hygiene problem because they often burst when overfilled, and they provide tempting targets for scavenging dogs. Garbage disposal employees are often cut by unseen sharp objects inside the bags and by broken glass. The new system uses large, rugged bins on wheels, able to resist heat, frost, nasty chemicals and the most persistent of dogs. The airtight lids mean they don't smell as bad as the plastic bags. The bins have more capacity than the plastic bags - in fact, the 240 litre capacity is equal to five of the old bags - and the wheels make them easier to handle for both residents and Pikitup employees. The bins are designed so that they can be seized by metal forks at the back of the garbage trucks, and automatically flipped up and over into the truck, emptied and returned. The garbage collection process is now much quicker, and less arduous for the older Pikitup staff. Different coloured bins will be made available for different kinds of reclaimable products. The bins are being introduced to different regions of the city in phases over a period of five years. RELATED LINKS: New timetable for Soweto refuse collections Refuse collection times have changed in some parts of Soweto, with the evening pick ups being stopped completely, Pikitup has announced. Read more Waste Disposal Ongoing efforts by the City of Johannesburg's waste management company Pikitup to clean up the 1 625 square kilometres that make up Johannesburg have reaped positive results. Inner city areas that were once littered and untidy are now clean and neat. Read more Pikitup The official web site Click here

Pikitup head office

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Pikitup to roll out refuse bins to more suburbs August 5, 2003 By Tshepiso Mogotsi SURVEYS are to be conducted in several Johannesburg suburbs next week to prepare residents in several northern suburbs for a change in refuse collections, from plastic bags to 240-litre wheeled refuse bins. Pikitup, Johannesburg's waste management company, announced that surveys would be carried out in Randburg, Midrand, Norwood and Waterval from 11 August. Residents will have to complete questionnaires before the company will distribute the bins, so that Pikitup can ensure accurate billing and organise ample bins and services for each suburb. The 240-litre refuse bins are already being used in Roodeport and Soweto. The move from plastic bags, to bins, is in line with the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism's drive to reduce pollution caused by plastic bags, Pikitup said. Apart from saving R6-million on bin-liner costs, the new bins offer several advantages over the plastic bag system, the company said. Each bin holds three times as much waste as the old refuge bags and the contents cannot be scattered around the sidewalks by scavenging dogs, a common problem with plastic bags. The fact that the bins were on wheels also made it much easier for residents and Pikitup staff to handle heavy loads. "The 240-litre bin project is a key feature of Pikitup's longer-term strategy to provide sustainable and integrated waste management services that will bring Joburg in line with world-class waste management practices and standards," the Pikitup statement said. Residents will be charged R5.20 a month to rent a bin, with the price being included in the monthly rates. This amount covers the cost of manufacturing and distributing bins and the replacement of old bins every five to seven years. "If a bin is stolen, residents will have to report the matter to the police and submit the case number to Pikitup. A new bin will then be delivered free of charge." Pikitup planned to set deadlines for the change over from the bags to the bins once the survey is completed. Until a date has been set for the changes residents are asked to continue using the bags, even if they have the bins available. For more information contact Pikitup on (011) 712 5400 or Joburg Connect on (011) 375 5555. Print this Page Send an online postcard E-mail this article to a friend Help using Joburg.org.za