Pikitup has ring-fenced more than R12 million to renovate and upgrade the City of Johannesburg’s garden sites in line with it objectives to encourage recycling and divert waste from landfill.

The Independent Online on Monday reported that the city’s garden refuse sites have deteriorated over time which has led to illegal dumping.

According to Pikitup spokesperson Muzi Mkhwanazi the entity is refurbishing and upgrading six of its garden sites, which include the Victory Park garden site, in Victory Road, Greenside, the Leo garden site at the Avalon depot, the Cedar Road garden site in Midrand, the Mayfield Garden site at the Southdale depot, as well as two more sites that fall under the Central Camp and Roodepoort depot.

“The refurbishment and upgrades seek to ensure that residents in the area are provided with facilities that would make it easier for them to recycle and assist the entity in its efforts to encourage residents to dispose of waste in a responsible manner,” Mkhwanazi told the Independent Online.

Some of the upgrade works include the construction of access ramps, recycling storage facilities and guardhouses.

The City of Johannesburg spends approximately R85.6 million a year to clean illegal dump sites, according to Mkhwanazi.

“However, the city is fast running out of landfill space and residents are encouraged to use the facilities to assist the city’s recycling efforts and to reduce the amount of money that the city spends on clearing illegally dumped waste,” he concluded.

 Status of the projects

• Avalon depot 95% complete
• Mayfield 88% complete
• Central Camp 47% complete
• Roodepoort Depot 46% complete