Extra budget has been made available to intensify the City’s Urban Waste Management (UWM) Directorate’s cleansing services for the rainy season, and the department is calling on jobseekers to register with the EPWP database to be eligible.

The City of Cape Town is working hard to ensure that the impact of rainy weather on residents and their areas is reduced this winter, and have developed a programme of area cleansing aimed specifically at flood prevention during the upcoming wet weather.

Approximately R48 million has been made available to do targeted interventions in areas that predominantly experience blockages in stormwater gullies, manholes and catch pits.

Extra budget will enable additional street sweeping and removal of illegal dumping, as well as mechanical washing and sweeping of roads where required.

As part of the plans, EPWP recruitment opportunities have been created to assist the permanent staff in conducting this work.

These short-term job opportunities are now available, and the Urban Waste Management directorate is encouraging unemployed residents to register their names on the subcouncil database so they can be eligible to benefit while helping our city get through winter. Recruitment for these work opportunities has been challenging in previous years, and historically it has only been possible to fill approximately 60% of available positions, primarily due to not enough candidates being registered in various areas throughout the city.

‘Residents are reminded that their litter and dumping can block stormwater infrastructure and cause flooding of roads and residential areas, and also contribute to sewer blockages. Certain waste types such as some cleaning chemicals can also increase fire risk if not managed correctly. For these reasons, we want to urge residents to make themselves aware of collections services and drop-off sites operating in their area and dispose of general litter and potential fire risks in the correct way. We also encourage residents to apply for extra bins if the standard 240l wheelie bin is not sufficient,’ said Alderman Grant Twigg, Mayoral Committee Member for Urban Waste Management Directorate.

Residents are reminded of the following:

• Information on potentially flammable chemical waste can be found at the following link:

03_Hazardous_Household_Chemicals_Leaflet_NEW_CI.indd (capetown.gov.za

• Guidelines on how to dispose of various waste types, including potential fire risks such as cleaning chemicals, are available here:

Residents are encouraged to report littering and dumping to the relevant authorities

Ø City Call Centre: 0860 103 089

Ø Wastewise@capetown.gov.za

Ø If you have the culprit’s vehicle registration number and/or can identify him/her: Call:  021 444 6231/ 021 444 6224 / 021 444 6223

If you live in an informal settlement, and bagged household refuse has not been collected, this can also be reported by SMS to 32772 for attention. Reporting on uncollected waste helps us ensure workers on the ground are performing to the required standard.

Source: City Of Cape Town