1 K Johnston of Helderkruin writes: I read an article in the local newspaper that someone hadn’t received their dust bins after waiting really long.

Well, I have been waiting now nearly a year.

I applied for our dustbins – one for our complex (which I have since sold) and one for our house – in December 2010.

I phoned on numerous occasions, only to get the runaround.

I am still waiting.

I’m hoping you can help.

Johnston writes again: I got my bins within the week. Many thanks for your help.

2 Councillor Steve Kotze writes: The Pikitup Waterval garden site in my ward (86) has been closed.

The intention is to have it moved to make way for a mixed land-use development.

The effect of this closure has caused a spill-over to neighbouring garden-refuse sites.

My engagement with Pikitup management a week ago resulted in an assurance that all would be well.

The trucks used to clear refuse from Waterval would be allocated to nearby sites to accommodate the extra burden from the spill over.

I visited Victory Park last week and was turned back with my load. Site full, gates locked. I was told the “clearing” truck was broken.

On Saturday morning I tried once again.

Victory Park was full. Other sites I visited were also full – Brixton Bolona, Coronationville Ashanti and Fairlands.

Weltevreden Park’s Panorama was open, but warned they were about to close because they were nearing the “full” mark.

People were dumping outside the closed site at Ashanti.

Unemployed people were encouraging this malpractice and were tipped after off-loading refuse on the opposite side of the road of the site.

No Pikitup or security staff did anything to prevent this from happening.

The Pikitup garden refuse site management have been notified and were apparently unaware of this situation before my notification.

I was told trucks would be switched temporarily from other sites to help clear the bottlenecks. The question is, from which sites, since so many are affected?

I was told five trucks are allocated to clearing these sites but two have broken down. This has a direct negative impact on service delivery.

One would have thought that in such a situation, private contractors would be called in to help clear the sites.

The problem with this remedy is that it would incur a cost that the city can ill-afford, due to the city’s current financial management crisis.

Service delivery, it seems, is off to a slow start in 2012 and five months still have to pass before the new financial year begins when more money will hopefully be made available for spending on these important services.

Pikitup replies: We acknowledge that there have been breakdowns with some trucks servicing the garden sites. Our fleet management department is working on a permanent solution to the challenge.

We also acknowledge that the overflow of the garden refuse sites which Councillor Kotze has mentioned is due to the closure of the Waterval Garden Refuse Site.

We therefore appeal to the public to bear with us as we are presently busy looking into a solution to sort out the issue.

Pikitup had distributed leaflets to the frequent users of the Waterval Garden refuse site as well as put up signage in the area alerting users that the site would be permanently closed from January 12.

Alternative sites to the Waterval Garden Refuse Site were provided in the pamphlets which were distributed.

Once again, users are welcome to dispose of their garden refuse and recyclable materials in any of the following alternate Pikitup garden sites: Victory Park Garden Site in Victory Road, Greenside; the Fairland Garden Site in Fifth Avenue, Fairland; the Penny Road Garden Site in Penny Road, Roodepoort and the Panorama Garden Site in Jim Fouche Road, Panorama A.H.