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Cape Town to evaluate new waste management solution for backyarders

The City of Cape Town is currently running a pilot project where backyarders at community residential units (CRUs) are issued with high-quality bags for containing the week’s refuse.

The City’s CRU homes are currently supplied with one 240 ℓ wheelie bin for refuse collection once per week. However, theses bins fill up quickly –where backyard tenants are also living on these properties – often well before the scheduled weekly refuse collection. Many times, the contents of these bins are dumped in surrounding areas to make space for new waste.

The pilot involves furnishing the backyard dwellings with two moisture-controlled bags to store waste. The collected bags are then transported by smaller light-duty vehicles, known affectionately as the Bakkie Brigade, for separation of recyclables, before the remaining waste is transported to landfill.

“We hope this will have a positive effect on illegal dumping levels in the area and improve community health. We encourage all those who are currently benefitting to make use of the service and see the difference it can make to your areas.

“This forms part of a wider programme to determine the factors driving illegal dumping and to explore possible solutions. With current levels of dumping, it cannot be business as usual,” said Alderman Grant Twigg, MMC for Urban Waste Management.