With the introduction of the new wheelie bins and tariffs, the metro delivered 66 bins to the home and started charging the retirement village for each bin.
This amounts to R9 050 per month.
The village said they use only 15 of the 66 bins and have, for a long time been battling to get the metro to take away the rest, as they have no use for them.
They said the charge is impacting drastically on the residents.
Ridgeview Village manager Michelle Wilson said that, as a non-profit organisation (NPO), they have also been trying to get Ekurhuleni to consider their application for dispensation.
“Referring to the Tariffs Schedule ’5’, page 2 Item 3, we are a NPO and have furnished Ekurhuleni with proof of this, but somehow we cannot get them to commit or even do an inspection of our village to enable them to make a decision,” said Wilson.
The battle to sort out the problem has also seen Ward 92 councillor Ashley Rutherford weighing in.
Rutherford wrote to some of the metro officials, urging them to do an inspection of the premises to determine how many bins are needed, as 66 is excessive.
“This is an NPO and I have scrutinised the tariffs and there is no provision made for rebates or reduced tariff in this regard.
“The only option to reduce the charge is to reduce the number of wheelie bins (not in use) or investigate the placing of containers,” suggested Rutherford.
But her efforts, it seems, have also fell on deaf ears.
Rutherford said the home initially requested that the excess bins be removed from the property and their account.
“From what I can gather, the interim manager of the retirement home was sent from pillar to post and the initial request was lost in the miscommunications and red tape,” she explained.
Rutherford said she has been further advised that the charges are levied on the property, rather than the number of bins, but the place should be treated as a NPO.
She has been trying to resolve this matter since 2014 and “we are getting nowhere”.
“I am getting no joy from the officials and this matter is being passed from person to person,” she added.
“With all the charges accrued by the metro for excessive wheelie bins, where does a pensioner find an extra R150 a month to remove the tiny amount of refuse that they generate?
”It is absolute madness.”
The Advertiser is awaiting comment from the Ekurhuleni municipality.
