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Sukulwenkosi Dube-Matutu, Online Reporter
THE Gwanda Municipality has purchased a refuse compactor worth about US$139 000.
The municipality took delivery of the vehicle today (Tuesday) and it is expected to help improve refuse collection in the mining town. The municipality has been struggling to collect refuse after the town’s old refuse compactor broke down irretrievably.
Residents in some areas have been going for weeks with uncollected garbage.
In an interview environmental management works committee chairperson, Councillor Thulani Moyo said the refuse compactor was purchased using devolution funds and council finances.
“We have purchased a refuse compactor which is now available in the town. This development will help us to provide residents with effective refuse collection services. We have been mainly collecting refuse once a week in each ward but with this vehicle we will be able to cover each ward twice a week,” said Cllr Moyo.
“This vehicle has a weighing bridge which will enable us to know the amount of refuse we are collecting with the aim of reducing the amount of garbage as some of it can be recycled. This compactor will also work well with the landfill which we will be opening soon. The compactor we have been using has been giving us serious problems and servicing it has been difficult,” he said.
Residents from the town commended the municipality for the new development. They urged council to ensure that it sticks to the refuse collection schedule. A resident, Ms Nkazimulo Dube said she hoped that council had done thorough research this time to ensure that the vehicle purchased was effective. She said there was also need for council to expedite movement of the dumpsite from residential areas to the new landfill.
@DubeMatutu
Online Reporter