Failure to perform their duty

The below message was sent but still no assistance: Good day Councillor,

I hope you are well. I would like to report that my refuse bin has not been collected for the past three weeks. When I asked the waste collectors, they said the bin was “too heavy.” To my understanding, this should not be a problem, as the only additional contents were garden refuse, all securely packed in black bags inside the bin.

A neighbour on my street had the same issue recently, yet her bin was collected without any escalation, which makes this situation even more confusing.

What concerns me most is that the refuse team told us directly that “they don’t care — we can report them all we like; they don’t want to collect it.” This response is extremely unprofessional and leaves residents feeling powerless.

While the idea of green refuse bins and garden-waste collection is a good one, we cannot afford to purchase green bins ourselves — especially given unemployment and the lack of private transport. Garden waste is effectively part of normal household refuse, and it’s unfair to expect residents to manage it without adequate municipal support.

If residents are expected to dispose of garden refuse on their own, the area will quickly become dirty and unhygienic. Many of us do not have cars to transport waste to disposal sites, and in this climate of unemployment, purchasing green bins or paying extra costs is simply not feasible. Despite these challenges, we still pay our rates and municipal service charges.

As South Africa is a signatory to major international environmental agreements that emphasise sustainable waste and environmental management (including the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Convention on Biological Diversity) — commitments that reflect global cooperation on responsible environmental stewardship — it is important that these principles are upheld at the local level too.

Could you please assist by escalating this matter urgently and ensuring that our refuse is collected? We would also appreciate support from the municipality to either provide green bins and regular garden waste collection services, or to clarify the policy so residents know what is expected.

Your support will be greatly appreciated.

Kind regards,