Refuse removal and bush-clearing in the Kouga region are shifting up a gear.

Four new trucks – two refuse compactors and two mesh trucks – have been added to the municipality’s fleet at a cost of almost R7-million.

Executive Mayor Elza van Lingen said the new trucks had been purchased with the municipality’s Capital Budget and formed part of Council’s five-year vehicle replacement plan, aimed at strengthening Kouga’s fleet and improving service delivery. 

 “The new trucks are a major boost for the municipality’s Cleansing and Parks section and valuable additions to the municipal fleet as a whole,” she said.

Social Services Portfolio Councillor Daniel Benson said refuse collection teams have had to struggle to do their work with unreliable vehicles for several years.

“Not only did it lead to disruptions in service delivery, it also increased the municipality’s overtime bill as trucks had to be shared by teams in our nine towns,” he said.

He said the municipality had been hiring two additional compactor trucks to minimise disruptions.

“The new trucks will replace those we’ve been hiring, however, during peak holiday times extra trucks will still be hired to cater for the bigger waste volumes,” he said.

The new trucks also boast the “Keep Kouga Clean” branding, which was rolled out this year as part of the Mayoral Clean-Up Intervention. The two main sponsors of the intervention will have their logos displayed on the truck for a year.

“Keeping our towns clean is important if we are serious about drawing investors, growing our economy and facilitating job creation,” the Mayor said.

“We all have a part to play and I am pleased that we have been able to strengthen the municipality’s capacity over this past year to improve the quality of this important service.”

Press Reslease:
 Randall, Laura-Leigh; Kouga Municipality; Media Liaison Officer; 084 2055 388