The City of Johannesburg’s waste management company Pikitup is spending more than R12-million on renovating and upgrading its garden sites in line with its strategic objective of encouraging recycling and diverting 97% of waste away from landfill sites. 

The entity is refurbishing and upgrading six of its garden sites.

The refurbishments and upgrades seek to ensure that residents are provided with facilities that make it easier for them to recycle and to dispose of waste in a responsible manner. 

The Victory Park Garden site, in Greenside, which falls under the Waterval Depot, is being renovated to include ramp access, recycling storage facilities, a new guard house and a staff kitchenette. 

At the Avalon Depot, the Leo Garden site is undergoing similar renovations, including the construction of a new guard house, access ramp and storage compartments.

The refurbishment will cost an estimated R1.5-million. Construction at this garden site is about 95% complete. 

In Midrand, the Cedar Road Garden site is also being renovated and a new sorting facility will be built, along with storage compartments and a new guard house. 

At the Southdale Depot, the Mayfield Garden site is receiving similar upgrades at an estimated cost of R1.7-million. The project is 88% complete. 

The last two projects, which fall under the Central Camp Depot and the Roodepoort Depot, will both undergo renovations similar to the Mayfield Garden site. Both these projects are 47% and 46% complete and will cost an estimated R2.5-million each.

The renovations and upgrades are also meant to assist residents to dump their waste legally, encouraging them to refrain from dumping waste illegally and to encourage recycling. 

The City of Johannesburg clears about 250 000 t/y of illegally dumped waste and spends about R85.6-million a year to clean illegal dump sites.

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.