Cape Town – The City of Cape Town’s Urban Waste Management Directorate has cautioned residents against buying the City’s Blue bags from the streets.
The City said these bags were clearly marked as its property and were used for area cleaning, illegal dumping, street sweeping, litter picking and the green litter bins.
Anyone caught to be unlawfully in possession of these blue bags could be criminally charged and prosecuted.
Buying City-branded blue refuse bags was illegal as they were stolen goods, the City said.
Mayco member for Urban Waste Management Grant Twigg said: “The City has added a penalty clause to the tenders for cleansing which penalises the contractor financially for every stolen bag recovered that was originally issued to them.
“Reference numbers printed on the bag allow the City to identify which contractor is responsible.”
If a person is found to be unlawfully in possession of blue bags, they can be charged with possession of stolen property.
The maximum sanction that the courts have imposed on a person found guilty of possession of stolen blue bags is a R5 000 fine.
“Corruption and theft is a phenomenon that must be stopped. We are obligated to prevent this so that ratepayers and residents can receive the highest quality services possible.
“The theft of these bags means that they are being resold, which in turn has a knock-on effect on service delivery. Reporting the sale of these blue bags will help the City address the problem as quickly as possible,” said Twigg.
Residents are requested to
- Report the theft of stolen refuse bags to the City on 0860 103 089.
- Not dump their waste in canals, parks or open spaces. This is illegal dumping and is a health hazard and expensive to remove.