FCC releases new waste management strategy
Patricia Edwin | Wednesday May 7, 2014 11:01
City Clerk Leboile Israel said that the new strategy is also in line with the new Vision 2022 and also the upcoming Development and Investment Forum to be held in August.
Israel was speaking at a press conference held by FCC on Tuesday to update the public about preparations on the forum and vision 2022.
He said that one of the objectives of the strategy on waste management and clean environment is to ensure that the city has investors.
He said that they met as leaders to deliberate on issues of cleanliness of the city.
“We looked at issues that were critical and needed urgent attention such as those of informal sector, service provision such as waste collection and disposal, management of open spaces and we also looked at the Waste Management Act and looked into whether we were carrying out the law as we should,” he said.
“We looked at our service standard on the issue of service provision in residences and some commercial places,” he said.
He said that the standard was that the council collected once a week and everyday at the bus rank.
He said that there were issues of resources such as shortage of garbage collection trucks.
“We had 10 trucks and of those 10 trucks only four were in operation on average and we took an initiative to buy more trucks. To be effective to collect refuse we need 14 trucks,” he said.
He said that they have since ordered three trucks, which will be delivered on May 9 and will be unveiled to the public.
“This is an attempt to close the gap. In 2013 we had serious problems and even up-to-date we are still experiencing problems. Some areas went for one month without being serviced,” he said.
He also said that as part of the strategy they have outsourced some key areas in the city.
“We have outsourced some areas to private companies and I am happy to say that tenders have already been awarded and as early as next week we will sign contracts.
“There will be four companies that will be working the city. One company will take care of the CBD and Minestone area, another will take care of Blocks 1 to 6, another Blocks 7 to 10 including Garden View and Molapo while another will take care of Selepa,” he said.
Israel said that he was hopeful that these new measures would improve the outlook of the city as far as cleanliness is concerned.
He said that another aspect was that as the Waste Management Act specifies that the council is responsible for household waste and as such they have now approached the private sector to take over and dispose of waste.
He added that the council has also realised that this is an issue that they should approach carefully to yield results.
He said that they have also employed 28 litter pickers.
Israel said that the council is also impressed with the way the informal sector has responded to the regulations.
“When we first started there was an outcry from the public that we were being unfair to the informal sector but now they have responded well as far as picking up their property at the end of a working day,” he added.
He added that effective waste management is important in luring investors to the city.
He said that they have also consulted churches that are operating in open spaces that they should strive to keep the city clean.
“We have spoken to the leadership of the churches around the city and they are in agreement that we should take action.
“Some churches are willing to comply, but as for those who are self-allocated, there are those who are willing to move as instructed by the council and others who are refusing.
“We have since applied for a court order and once it comes we would have to forcefully evict them,” he said.