The closure of the Waltloo Garden Refuse Transfer Station in Eersterust, Pretoria, is seriously detrimental and encourages illegal dumping.
The Freedom Front Plus (VF Plus) visited the site following numerous complaints from residents and owners of garden services.
The visit revealed workers in orange uniforms sitting and chatting under a tree, while the gate was blocked with large stones and tree stumps. No-one was allowed entry.
The Transfer Station is reportedly closed because the TLB broke down.
The closure leaves residents with no other choice but to drive kilometres further to drop off their garden waste at the Menlopark and Magalieskruin Transfer Stations.
Residents are permitted to drop off up to 1,3 tonnes of household and garden waste at the respective transfer stations free of charge. For waste exceeding 1,3 tonnes, a fee of R230 per tonne is charged.
A transfer station has to be accessible to the public at all times, as the Metro specifically encourages residents to make use of these facilities to curb illegal dumping.
The Freedom Front Plus wrote to the Mayoral Committee Member for the Department of Environmental Affairs and Agriculture, Obakeng Ramabobu, requesting that the Waltloo Transfer Station be reopened to the public at once.
The broken TLB should be repaired without delay, and one should be temporarily hired or borrowed until the repairs are completed. It is simply unacceptable to suspend such an important service without a genuinely valid reason.
The party will closely monitor the situation and pressure the Tshwane Metro until the Waltloo Transfer Station is once again open to the public.
