October 1, 2003
By Tammy O'Reilly and Lucky Sindane
FROM Monday 6 October plastic refuse bags will be a thing of the past for 50 000 residents in Randburg and Midrand.
Pikitup recently distributed 50 000 240-litre wheeled refuse bins in the two suburbs as part of its on-going distribution of the bins to replace the long-used plastic bags.
With the inclusion of Randburg and Midrand, nine regions around Johannesburg are now using the 240-litre bins. Pikitup, the City's waste management company, announced that the bins had been distributed in Randburg and Midrand and that the changes, including rental charges, would be reflected in the October accounts.
Pikitup will continue extending the distribution of the bins from Monday 6 October to the suburbs of Norwood and Waterval. The change over from plastic bags to the wheeled bins will take place in these two suburbs in January 2004, the company said. "Residents in these areas will only start paying for the new service in January, following the finalisation of the bin distribution."
The change from plastic bags to bins is a key feature of Pikitup's longer-term strategy - to provide a world-class service to the citizens of Johannesburg. The airtight plastic bin has a capacity of 240 litres, as much as three plastic bags.
Pikitup said the sturdy bins are much easier for consumers and staff to handle. There is also less physical handling of garbage, as the bins are designed to be lifted by forks attached to the garbage trucks, flipped over into the back of the truck and emptied.
In the past, residents placed their refuse out for collection in plastic bags.
The new bins will help curb the problem of unsightly and unhygienic waste strewn over sidewalks. "The new bins represent a vast improvement over the old bags," the company said.
Residents are not required to use bin liners, contributing to the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism's drive to reduce pollution caused by plastic bags. Pikitup will also incur a saving of R6-million on the distribution of plastic bags.
Rather than requiring consumers to buy the bins outright, "residents will be required to pay a rental of R5.20 a bin a month for the financial year", said Pikitup manager Marius de Villiers. "Residents will only be charged a rental fee once they have received their bins and the bins are actually being used."
This amount includes the periodic replacement of bins every five to seven years and also the replacing of stolen or damaged bins.
Households that generate more than one bin load of waste a week can, at an additional cost, get extra bins from Pikitup.
Businesses in residential areas often generate more than one bin load of waste a week, and are required to open a commercial waste management account with Pikitup. "It is only fair that those who generate more waste should pay proportionally for more waste collection and disposal services," said Pikitup.
The company recently received an award from the City for being the "best company in relation to customer response".
For more information contact the Pikitup call centre on 011 712 5400
or Joburg Connect on 011 375 5555.
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